3 Tips in applying for Australian Visa: Skilled Migrant Visa
Life as immigrant in Australia is gratifying despite all the challenges you experience from the first time you set afoot in this beautiful country down under. Australia welcomes thousands of migrants from all over the world each year.
There are a lot of pathways to migrate to Australia. One of those is through Skilled Migration, which allows you to bring your family and live permanently in Australia. The Australian government uses the skilled stream migration program to attract prospective immigrants that are more likely to contribute positively to the Australian economy and its workforce. However, it is one of the most complex applications you have to go through. It is a point-based system with a minimum score of 65 points. The higher your points are, the likelihood of getting approval is also high. Under the Skilled stream program, there are different types of skilled migration visas you can apply for but you have to choose carefully to ensure you tick all the boxes to achieve the desired points.
Disclaimer: I am not a migration agent or a migration expert. What I put in my blog is based on my experience as a migrant.
Here are the 3 tips in applying for skilled migrant visa
1. Know your eligibility
Work Experience and qualifications – your work experience and qualifications count, but they have to be relevant to your profession or occupation to make your application viable. Australia provides a list of eligible skilled occupations on its immigration website. If your occupation is not on the list, your application will likely be declined. However, if your occupation is listed, the next step is to seek skill assessment through an authorised assessing body in Australia to show you have the skills and qualifications to work in your chosen occupation. In my case, as a CPA (Certified Practicing Accountant) in the Philippines, I have to apply for a skill assessment to CPA Australia or to the Chartered Accountants Australia, who is authorised to assess my skills and qualifications as an accountant. If you are an Engineer, you may apply for skill assessment to Engineering Australia or any authorised Engineering Professional Institution. As part of the skill assessment process, you have to provide evidence of your work experience and qualifications. The skill assessment documentation may vary depending on the requirements but the basic documents that may be required are:
- A University Transcript of Records with a syllabus or a brief description of the curriculum for each of the courses/subjects you completed with your university seal on each page of your transcript and syllabus. The transcript of records and the accompanying syllabus should be translated into English if they were written in your language.
- A Curriculum Vitae to show your relevant work experience with accompanying attestation of your manager or supervisor on your employer’s letterhead. Make sure your employment is in your nominated skilled occupation (e.g. my employment is related to accounting and finance as I am a CPA) or at least closely related to your skilled occupation to be able to claim points. The more work experience you have, the more points you earn.
- A Professional membership certification to prove your qualifications and you are an active member. The certification should be on your professional institution’s letterhead signed by an authorised officer.
Age – the older you are the lower your score is. The age limit is 45. You have to provide a birth certificate as evidence of your age. You also have to provide birth certificates of your family members who are included in your application.
English literacy – you will be required to undergo IELTS (International English Language Test System). Each occupation determines a set threshold from band 1 (non-user) to band 9 (expert-user). For example, if you apply for a teacher, the required band score is high. You will be tested in your speaking, reading and listening abilities. Your husband and any adult family member who are included in your application are also required to undergo IELTS
Health – you are required to meet the health requirement. You and your family members who are included in your application will be subjected to a medical examination by an authorised medical clinic or hospital in your country.
Character – you have to prove that you are a good person of good character. You will have to undergo a character test and you will be required to provide pieces of evidence that you are of good character (e.g. police clearance). This applies to all family members included in your application from age 16 and above.
Sponsor (Family Relative) – having a relative in Australia, who is willing to sponsor you, is an added advantage. You can claim points for a Family Relative Sponsorship.
2. Do your due diligence
- Do your research. Read thoroughly all the requirements and make sure you understand all the pre-requisites before you proceed to the next step. All the information about skilled migration including the application fees and the processing time can be found on the Australian Immigration Home Affairs website.
- Be organized with your documentations as it can be overwhelming. Pencil in all the important information in each process so you will not forget and make a checklist. Tick the box each time you completed a task to eliminate duplication or missing a task.
- Roughly calculate your points. The minimum score is 65. If you score high, your chances to get approved is also high.
- Save up to afford the application fees and all other fees. Your application will not progress until you pay the fees.
- Use a registered migration agent if you can afford to pay the fees to ensure you are properly advised on your application. Beware of migration agents that are not registered in the Australian Immigration Office.
3. Know how to lodge
- Be reminded to lodge your application when you have passed the eligibility criteria and you have completed each requirement with all the attestations. Make sure you have properly labelled all the attachments when lodging your application.
- Your application can be done online. You will be required to create an online account. Always check your online account and email. Make sure you process any additional requirements within the specified time.
- Follow the instructions carefully. Any mistakes in your lodgement are costly.
- Processing time may take a few months. You will not be allowed to follow up once you lodged your application. The immigration office will contact you through your online account or email.
Important note: Always leave a copy of all the documents you have submitted so you have all the references in case things go wrong.
Good luck!
Doing your research is vital for the success of your application regardless of whether you do it yourself or you engage a registered migration agent. You are better off if you understand the process and the requirements, so you can communicate well with your migration agent by asking questions about things that you are not sure of. Plan ahead, don’t rush and be diligent in your research. If you are confident that you tick all the boxes and you score above the minimum points of 65, I suggest you do it yourself. It saves time and money! I did mine myself. I did not use a registered migration agent as I could not afford to pay for agent’s fee. I did my application with lots of research ensuring I understood every step of the way. Remember, the application fee is non-refundable!
