Immigration to Australia through PR Visa takes on an average of 5 months and can take 12 months as well. This is dependent on individual circumstances. It will take roughly 3 months if you have all the required skills and points score.

Below is the stepwise immigration process for Australia:

Obtain the IELTS certification with the required score
Obtain Skill Assessment from the appropriate authority for assessment
Select an occupation from the Skilled Occupation Lists
If applicable, obtain Nomination/Sponsorship from a Territory or State in Australia
Submit an Expression of Interest – EOI on Skill-Select
You will receive an Invitation to Apply for the Visa if your profile is selected
You will have sixty days for submitting the Australia Visa application

According to the Australian government, you should have an Australian visa to enter the country.

The different types of Visas offered by Australian government are given below.

Visitor Visa – If you are planning to visit Australia for a short period of time, you will require a Visitor Visa. This visa can be issued for a period ranging from a month to a maximum of 12 months.

Sub-class 771 Transit Visa – If you want to transit via Australia, this Visa is for you. This Visa is valid for 72 hours only.

Sub-Class 602 Medical Treatment Visa – If you want medical treatments, Consultations or donation of organs in Australia, this is for you. Surrogacy does not fall under this Visa.

Sub-Class 417 Working Holiday Visa – If you are aged between 18 to 30 years and interested in enjoying a holiday along with working for a maximum period of 12 months, this Visa is what you should go for. There are some countries to which this Visa is issued. They include The UK, Canada, France, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Malta, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Italy, Finland, Cyprus and Estonia.

Sub-Class 462 Work and Holiday Visa – Just like the Sub-Class 417 Work and Holiday Visa, this visa is offered to people travelling from The US, Brazil, China, Turkey, Poland, Portugal, Argentina, Chile, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Thailand, Slovakia, Slovenia and Uruguay. The maximum time this Visa is valid is 12 months.

Sub-Class 500 Student Visa – If you are looking to pursue a full time study in recognized Australian Educational Institutions, this Visa is what you should look for.

PR Visa – If you want to become a permanent resident of Australia, you should apply for this visa. You should understand certain policies and laws before applying to the PR Australian visa. If you become a PR of Australia, you will not only have complete rights to work and live there but also given all the benefits like medical coverage (Medicare) by the government of Australia.

Sub-class 155, 157 Resident Return Visa (RRV) – People holding this type of visa can return to Australia as a PR after travelling to other countries. You can re-enter Australia multiple times before the date of expiry of the visa. The validity of this visa ranges between 3 months to 5 years.

Sub-class 444 – Special Category Visa – This visa is exclusively issued to the citizens of New Zealand. It is issued to only those who hold a valid New Zealand Visa. This visa allows the holder to work, visit or reside in Australia. It is issued to people who have ‘No Untreated Tuberculosis (TB) and ‘No Criminal Background’. They should also not have been excluded, deported or removed from any country in the past. This Visa is issued after the person arrives at Australia.

Sub-class 808 Confirmatory Resident Visa – This Visa is issued to those people who have fulfilled all the desired requirements when holding a Norfolk Island Immigration Permit (Either GEP, TEP or (Unrestricted Entry Permit) UEP). People holding this Visa can work and live anywhere in Australia. They can enter and leave Australia whenever they want but within the expiry date of the Visa.

Below is the list of costs pertaining to an Australia Visa application for immigration from India:

Visa Application Charge – Department of Immigration (DIAC) - Base charge – AUD40,45, Dependents 18 years or above – AUD2, 025 & Dependents below 18 years – AUD1010

Application Fee – Skills Assessment - from AUD300 to AUD2,300 for the majority of occupations

IELTS Test - AUD210

Medical Examination - from AUD25 to AUD50 per individual

Fee – Police Clearance Certificate - normally AUD20 or more per individual

Document Certification and Translations Charges - up to AUD500

The points score for Australia General Skilled Immigration has been increased from 1 July 2018. Minimum 65 points are now required by applicants of Australia Skilled Visa.

ACS assessment can be got done under diverse occupation codes in ANZSCO. Nevertheless, it is always advisable to be careful while submitting the second application under different occupation codes in ANZSCO. This is if the applicant has already received a positive ACS report under one of the occupations assessed under ACS.

Applicant must also be in a position to demonstrate with evidence. It is that they are also performing the roles of the new occupation under ANZSCO code. Additionally, they also fulfil the requirements specified by ACS.

Moreover, it is worthwhile to take an opinion from the ACS prior to filing an application under the new occupation. Applicants can link the second application to the previous application or submit a new application.

The processing time for Australia Visitor Visa depends on various factors. It can around some days to some weeks in case of some applications.

It is very important that you be aware of the complete procedure of applying for an Australian Visa. The procedure for the most common kind of Visas applied by Indians is given below.

Tourist Visa
Business Visa
Family/Friend Visa


Step – 1 Based on your need, choose the type of Visa that best suits your purpose. Get to know all possible information related to the kind of Visa. For example – If you are planning to visit Australia and stay for a very short time, the Sub-class 600 would suit you.

Step – 2 Indians have the option of applying for the Australian e-visa that can be applied online. It is very easy to fill this form as it has some very basic questions like your financial status, travel history, your identity, health information, purpose of visiting Australia, your employment details. As this is a time consuming task, it is good if you could keep all this information ready with you at the time of filling the form.

Step – 3 After you finish filling the application form, you would be asked to submit the supporting documents. Upload all the documents and make sure that you don’t miss on any of them. These might include documented evidence relating to your work, education, DOB proofs, financial ability and travel history.

Step – 4 The Australian e-visa fee can be paid online. This fee is not the same every time but fluctuates frequently. You can pay the fee online. You will have to pay an extra surcharge if you make the payment using a credit card (This differs from bank to bank)

Step – 5 After filling the application form and uploading all the supporting documents, it’s time to submit all of these. Click on the ‘SUBMIT’ button. After this, you will receive an acknowledgement of application receipt to your email.

Step – 6

After this, you will have to wait for a considerable time. You will receive an email stating whether a visa has been granted to you or not. You will not receive any update regarding the progress of your Visa.

If you receive a Visa grant notice, check for all the details relating to the tenure of the visa, travel facility, entry frequency and any other important information.

You must first check your eligibility criteria to apply for migration. Australia follows a points-based system to qualify visa applicants. You will have to score 65 points to qualify for the visa application process. For PR visa applications, a skill assessment is conducted by a designated authority after which you can submit your online application.

The processing time for the visa application depends on various factors. On your part, you must take care that your application is complete and has the required information. An incomplete application or lack of relevant information can result in delays and your application could be refused.

Eligibility criteria for PR visa:

Points required: Minimum 65 points in the Points Grid

Age: Below 45 years

English proficiency: A competent level of proficiency in English

Health and character: Good health and character

Skills: Skill assessment by certifying authorities in Australia

Occupation: Occupation must be nominated in Australia’s Skilled Occupation List

Benefits of having a PR visa:

You are free to live and travel anywhere within Australia

You are eligible to pursue higher studies and can apply for certain educational loans

You are eligible for Social Security benefits after two years as a PR visa holder

Your children born in Australia naturally become its citizens

You can sponsor the PR of your relatives provided they meet certain pre-requisites

You have the right to apply for government jobs

You have the right to travel to New Zealand and can even apply for a visa there

Yes, the Australian Immigration Department is open and is accepting application from immigration candidates. In fact, it issued invitations on 13 March 2020 under the

Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)- 1,750 invitations.

Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) – Family Sponsored-300 invitations.

Skill Assessment bodies are accepting applications for assessment from visa applicants. Skill assessment like the VETASSESS and Trades Recognition Australia to TRA have declared that they will continue assessments from visa applicants through their online portal. Skill assessment is a crucial part of the General Skilled Migration program to migrate to Australia.

As per the 2021-22 Migration Program planning levels, there will be a total of 79,600 visa spaces available in the 2021-2022 program year under the Skill stream.

For 2021-2022, the Australian government will be prioritizing 3 visa categories – the Global Talent program, the Employer Sponsored Program, and the Business Innovation and Investment Program.

With 4,000 nomination spaces available, New South Wales has the highest allocation for subclass 190 in the 2021-2022 program year.

New South Wales has the maximum allocation of 3,640 spaces for subclass 491.

States in Australia can nominate individuals for Australia PR under certain visa categories. The total state nomination allocation for the 2021-2022 program year is as follows – Skilled Nominated visa [subclass 190] – spaces available: 14,400 Skilled Work Regional [Provisional] visa [subclass 491] – spaces available: 12,430 Business Innovation and Investment Program [BIIP] – spaces available: 6,860