Permanent Residency in Australia – Process, Requirements

Australia is one of the strongest economies in the world after COVID; hence, many people choose to migrate to this place for Permanent Residency in Australia for its diversity, stunning landscapes, and overall quality of life.

If a person satisfies the legal requirements, they may apply for the Australian immigration program, which does not discriminate and is available to anyone from any nation, regardless of their gender, race, or religion.

There are numerous visa alternatives available to non-residents who wish to live, study, and work in Australia. These include business, skilled, and sponsored work visas as well as the student visa. 

Although many universities in Australia accept students without IELTS, Permanent residency in Australia mandates the requirement of IELTS for English proficiency proof. 

In this blog, we have covered all the details regarding Australian permanent residency. 

What is Permanent residency in Australia?

Australian permanent residents are residents of Australia who have a permanent visa but are not citizens of Australia. A person in Australia may stay there for as long as they have a permanent visa. Alongside the permanent visa comes a 5-year initial travel permit that aligns with the underlying migration scheme. 

The visa holder can enter and exit Australia as often as they choose until the travel facility expires. The visa holder must reapply for the travel authorization after that time. On the other hand, people with permanent visas already in Australia and whose travel authorization has expired are allowed to stay there indefinitely.

Many of the rights and benefits enjoyed by citizens are also available to permanent residents, such as free or heavily discounted access to legal, medical, and educational facilities. Unless they registered to vote before 1984, they are not eligible to vote in federal, state, or territory elections, however, they are permitted to cast ballots in certain local elections. Australian passports are not available to permanent residents.

What is the permanent residency process in Australia?

Usually, the Permanent Residency in Australia is a process that happens in three different stages. They are:

• Australia Skill Assessment: 

A recognized body for skill assessments can be used to do this. Send them the requirements as soon as possible to get a quicker answer.

• Australia PR Visa Approval: 

Once the required documents are submitted, the DHA conducts thorough research of the profile. They will give the visa a grant if they believe it meets the specified requirements.

• Preparation for departure: 

The applicant must relocate to Australia by the first entry date specified on the visa grant letter as soon as their Australia PR visa is approved.

Requirements to get permanent residency in Australia:

The minimum score needed to be eligible for a permanent resident visa to Australia is 65. Your chances of being invited to apply for Australian permanent residence increase with your eligibility calculation score. 

If you receive between 80 and 85 points, you may be able to apply for PR more quickly. You can apply for an Australia PR visa under many categories, each with a particular set of qualifying requirements. However, the following general qualifying criteria apply:

1. Age: 

Applicants will gain a maximum of 30 points if their age is between 25 years to 32 years. The age should be below 45 years to apply for a PR visa. 

2. English proficiency: 

You can receive up to 20 points on the IELTS exam if you receive an 8-band score. However, candidates are permitted to take any English proficiency exam, including the PTE and IELTS, according to Australian immigration authorities. You can attempt any of these tests to get the necessary score.

3. Work experience: 

You will receive 15 points if you have worked in skilled employment outside of Australia for more than 8 years within the last 10 years; fewer years of experience translates into fewer points. You can receive up to 20 points if you have eight or ten years of experience in skilled work in Australia as of the application date.

4. Education: 

The educational qualification determines the points for the education criteria. A doctorate from an Australian university or one from a university outside of Australia will receive the most points, assuming that the Australian government recognizes it.

5. Language Proficiency: 

You should be able to provide documentation of your proficient level of English.

6. Skilled Occupation Lists (SOL): 

The following lists of skilled occupations must be selected by the applicant. The list includes the professions for which immigration to Australia is now permitted. The lists of occupations are updated often to reflect shifts in the Australian labor market. The SOL is divided into three categories:

• Medium and long-term strategic skills list
• Short-term skilled occupation list
• Regional occupations list

7. Spouse application: 

You will receive extra points for your Skill Select Expression of Interest if your spouse is also applying for a PR visa. To receive these extra 10 points, your spouse needs to fulfill the following requirements:

• Must be under 45 years of age
• The job code ought to show up in the same occupation list as the main applicant list
• The candidate should have at least a basic competency level in English.

How to apply for Australian Permanent residency?

1. Research:

Get information about the application procedure and the appropriate visa category. Consult a migration agency if you’re unclear so you can better understand what has to be done. After determining the best visa category and verifying your eligibility for a permanent resident visa for Australia, gather all the necessary paperwork to be sent in when you receive an invitation to apply for a visa.

2. Competent English:

Various visa applications need applicants to show that they have competent English. They can do so in the following ways:

• attain the necessary IELTS or other recognized English language test score. Before you are permitted to apply for a visa, you must have completed the test no later than 36 months ago.
• possess a valid passport and are citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, or the Republic of Ireland. You can only receive points for Proficient or Superior English if you pass an authorized English language exam.

The applicant should meet the English eligibility criteria at the time they are invited to apply for the visa. 

3. Application:

Depending on the stream chosen, the applicant may be required to submit an expression of interest and wait for an invitation before they can proceed with the application. Applicants can find details about their application on the Department of Home Affairs website. 

Health requirements for Australian Permanent Visa:

To avail the Permanent Residency in Australia, applicants are required to meet certain health requirements such as:

• They should be free from any disease or condition that will require significant healthcare service costs.
• The applicant should be free of any disease or health condition that may put a demand on short supply services in Australia hence, damaging the healthcare services for Australian permanent residents and citizens like dialysis and organ transplant.
• The applicant should be free of any disease that could potentially threaten public health. These diseases include measles, tuberculosis, HIV, Hepatitis, yellow fever, polio, and Ebola. 

It is mandatory for applicants seeking permanent visas to fulfill the health requirements specified by the Immigration Office and to successfully finish the necessary health examinations. 

Every member of the applicant’s family who is requesting a visa must pass the medical exams.

The candidate may not need to retake the entire health check if they have already had a complete medical examination within the previous 12 months.

Australia PR processing time:

The average processing time for an Australia PR visa application is 6.5 to 8 months. Every stage has a unique timeline.  The duration of each step is broken down here. The total processing time for your PR visa is calculated by adding the times required for each step.

• Skill assessment: The processing time ranges from 45 days to 90 days.
• Visa approval: This process takes about 3 to 12 months.
• Preparation for departure: 2-3 weeks

Obtaining a permanent resident visa for Australia can be a challenging procedure, but it can be made simple with the assistance of an immigration consultant. Many people have benefited from our over 15 years of experience in obtaining Australian permanent residence permits.

Factors that affect the Permanent Residency in Australia:

Processing time can be impacted by numerous factors. Every month, the time may change due to a variety of variables, including the volume of applications received, peak application seasons, an increase in complex situations, or incomplete applications. Additional factors influencing processing times are as follows:

• Complicated software
• Absence of supporting documentation
• It takes time to respond to any questions that immigration agents may have.
• Demand in Australia for the applicant’s line of work
• Insufficient points obtained by the candidate using the online SkillSelect platform
• The background check procedure is taking too long.
• It takes time to get information on character or health from other sources.
• The number of spots available in the program for migration

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion:

When conducting verifications, Australian immigration officials take great care. When conducting verifications, Australian immigration officials take great care. They concentrate on carefully going over the documents you send. If it turns out that you supplied incorrect information, you will have a set number of years in which you are not allowed to enter the nation. 

By requesting and receiving a permanent visa that enables you to stay in Australia indefinitely, you can become an official resident of Australia. The most popular permanent visas are those for family members and certain skilled laborers.