AdminAustralia is one of the most sought-after countries due to the numerous opportunities for skilled workers. However, despite these opportunities, only a few individuals are aware of the requirements and the step-by-step process involved in landing a job in Australia. Well, that’s where this article comes in. In this article, you will be reading a complete guide about working in Australia. You’ll also see the main requirements needed and the step-by-step guide to do that.
What You Need To Know About Working In Australia?
To work in Australia legitimately as a foreigner, you’ll need to possess a relevant work visa. This work visa makes you eligible to have a job in Australia. Some work visas may even make you eligible for a permanent resident permit. With this permanent resident permit, you’ll be able to move into Australia with your family to live and work without problems.
Now that you’ve seen that you’ll need a work visa to work in Australia, let’s consider the different work visas eligible for foreign workers.
Types Of Work Visas In Australia
To be eligible to work in Australia as a foreigner, here are the different types of work visas in Australia:
1. Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (Subclass 482)
The Temporary Skill Shortage Visa allows employers who are already citizens of Australia to sponsor workers from other countries to work in Australia. This is done for foreign workers to fill up positions that are scarce in Australia. Now, these are the various categories of this visa.
• Short-term Stream
The Short-term Stream is a category of the Temporary Skill Shortage Visa that is usually granted to individuals whose skills are only needed for two years. With this visa, you can only stay in Australia to complete your job and go. No permanent resident card is permitted for this set of people.
• Medium-term Stream
The Medium-term Stream is offered to individuals whose jobs would require them to stay for a long time. In this stream, the number of years could span up to 4years. In fact, this stream makes foreigners eligible for longer stays and can even apply for permanent resident permits subsequently.
• Labour Agreement Stream
This stream is granted in cases where the Australian employer agrees with the Australian government to regularly bring in workers from outside the country. In most cases, the job is not always listed in the official standard occupation lists.
2. Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189)
The Skilled Independent Visa is another form of work visa granted to individuals who do not have a job offer or sponsor in Australia. It is one of the most sought-after visas for skilled workers who want to live in Australia.
3. Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190)
The Skilled Nominated Visa is a work visa that allows individuals to move to Australia to work only if they are nominated by a state or territory government. Just like the Skilled Independent Visa, they do not need to possess a job offer or have a sponsor to work in Australia. The visa applies to individuals whose skills are relevant to particular states in Australia.
4. Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186)
The Employer Nomination Scheme allows Australian employers to sponsor foreign skilled workers for permanent residency. The difference between this visa and the Temporary Skill Shortage Visa is that you receive a permanent residency permit automatically without any issues. As a result, you and your family can move to Australia without stress.
5. Working Holiday Visa
With the Working Holiday Visa, individuals are allowed to move to Canada and stay for up to 12 months. Within these 12 months, they are allowed to work, study, and experience Australia during their stay. This visa is perfect for you if you just want to have a taste of what Australian work and culture feel like without risking it all.
6. Temporary Graduate Visa (Subclass 485)
The Temporary Graduate Visa (Subclass 485) is a work visa for international students who have recently completed an eligible course at an Australian educational institution. With this visa, you can live, work, and get experience just immediately after you leave school.
The Temporary Graduate Visa (Subclass 485) is divided into two streams:
•Graduate Work Stream
This stream is eligible for graduates with diplomas or trade certificates from any Australian institution. Along with that, your occupation must be on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) from the Australian government. The length of this visa is up to 18 months.
• Post-Study Work Stream
This stream is eligible for graduates with higher educational qualifications. In this stream, only those with Master’s, Bachelor’s, or Doctorate certificates are granted this visa. To qualify, you need to have studied in Canada for at least two academic years. Also, doctorate students can get a visa qualifications of up to 6 years.
• Second Post-Study Work Stream
This stream is open to individuals who have earned their degree from a regional Australian university. To be able to be among those who qualify for this stream, you must already possess a Post-Study Work Stream 485 visa.
Eligibility Requirements To Work In Australia
Here are the eligibility criteria to work in Australia:
1. Educational Requirements
Most Australian work visas would require that applicants obtain a certain level of education to apply. In some cases, you may be required to possess a certain level of vocational qualifications. These qualifications should show that you’ve undergone the required training needed to carry out the job that you are applying for.
To meet the educational requirements, the certificate that you possess should be from a reputable institution. In addition, it should be closely aligned with the occupation you’re applying for. For example, Mechanical Engineers may possess a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from a recognized institution.
2. Work Experience
In getting a work visa, your work experience is an important factor that determines your visa approval success rate. For instance, for visas such as the Skilled Independent Visa and Skilled Nominated Visa, you may need to have work experience of at least 2–3 years of post-qualification experience.
Along with that, visas like the Temporary Skill Shortage Visa will require at least 2 years of relevant full-time work experience within the last 5 years. So, foreign workers who want to work in Australia must possess the work experience to be qualified. It is also good to note that these experiences would be verified through your reference letters, tax records, or even previous employment letters.
3. Age Limitations
Of course, if you’re applying for a work visa, it is expected that you be within the active age. Most work visas would demand that you are within a certain age to be granted a visa. Here are some common age limitations applicable to certain work visas:
• Skilled Visas ( which falls under the category of Subclass 189, 190, 491) — Under 45 years old
• Employer Nomination Scheme (186) — Usually under 45
• Working Holiday Visas (417, 462) — 18–30 years.
These age limitations may vary based on the employer or sponsor of these visas. However, it is good to take note of these age gaps if you intend to work in Australia.
4. English Language Proficiency
English Language Proficiency is another criterion that would determine the success rate of your work visa approval. Usually, those who wish to work in Australia would need to pass one or more forms of an English Language proficiency test. To be on the safe side in your work visa application, kindly take notes of these English Language Proficiency scores:
• For IELTS, candidates should have at least a minimum overall score of 6.0.
• For TOEFL, a total score of 64 should be recorded by the candidates.
• If you are writing the PTE Academic test, a minimum overall score of 50 is needed to qualify.
• Health workers writing OET tests should have at least a ‘B’ grade in all components of the test.
Remember, to improve your chances of gaining a work visa, you need to score a higher score than the one stipulated above.
5. Skills Assessment
The Skills Assessment is used to check whether the individual who is applying is really good, as mentioned on paper. So, for skilled workers, this is used to check how good they are. To do this, you’ll need to go to a government-approved authority to ensure your skill level meets the standard Australian authority standard.
For the assessment, different bodies are assigned based on the skills that are claimed by the candidates. For instance, for Accountants, CPA Australia assesses the individual to determine whether he meets the required level. On the other hand, IT Professionals are accessed by the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and so on.
6. Health Requirements
In all work visas, you must show through relevant documents that you’re physically fit and in status to work. In many cases, this may require that you carry out relevant tests such as X-ray tests, Blood tests, and general medical checkups. The results of these tests would be reviewed by a physician to verify that it is within the acceptable range.
In addition to the health requirements, a character test could also be run. This would require that you submit a police clearance certificate from all the countries where you’ve lived in the past 10 years. Also, documents showing your criminal history should be made available upon request.
Procedures To Apply For Work Visa In Australia
Follow these step-by-step guide to apply for a work visa in Australia:
Step 1. Create an ImmiAccount via the Department of Home Affairs Website
The first step in applying for an Australian visa is to create an ImmiAccount via the Australian government website. To create an account, visit the Department of Home Affairs website and locate the ImmiAccount registration button. Then, click on the “Create an Account” button.
Afterward, you’ll be displayed with different fields where you’ll be asked to enter some information. You’ll be asked to submit information such as Full name, Email address, and also your password.
Step 2. Fill The Online Application Form
After you’ve set up your account, the next step is to log in to your ImmiAccount. After you’ve logged in, click on the “New Application” button. Then, select the visa that you’re applying for. You can choose whether you want to apply for the Temporary Skill Shortage Visa or any other visa that would be relevant to you.
For any of the work visas you select, another page will be opened for you to enter a new set of information. This time, you’ll be asked to input more detailed information such as Full Name, DOB, Contact details, Education and qualifications, work experience, English language proficiency test results, and previous visa history.
When you’re done inputting your information, kindly cross-check to ensure that no mistake is made. After you are done with that, you can proceed to the next step.
Step 3. Upload Your Documents
The next thing to do will be to submit your documents to support the information that you’ve entered previously. It is advised that you submit the documents in PDF form to increase your chances of visa approval. Here are the documents that you’ll be asked to submit:
• Birth Certificate.
• Passport bio-data page.
• Passport photographs.
• Certificate of course completion.
• Academic transcripts from your previous institutions.
• English Language Test Results from either IELTS, TOEFL or any other test program.
• Police clearance certificate
• Health examination results.
• CV
• Reference letters
• Skills assessment letter
• Relationship evidence for dependents.
• Overseas health insurance policy.
Step 4. Make Payments For Visa
After uploading the complete documents, the next step is to make payments. You must know that visa fees may be dependent on the kind of visa you go for. Also, you may be charged based on the number of your dependents, secondary applicants, or other expenses.
Step 5. Wait For Approval
After making payments, you will be required to wait for approval. The duration for visa approval is dependent on the type of your visa and the completeness of your application. Many applicants have noticed that a skilled visa may take between 3-6 months after application. Other visas may take a shorter duration. However, you can track the progress of your visa application by logging into your ImmiAccount at any time.
Conclusion
As you’ve seen, working in Australia is easy. All you need is the proper information to guide you in the application process. Thanks to this article, that has been achieved. So far, you’ve read about the kind of visas that make working in Australia possible. You’ve also seen the requirements as well as the documents required for that. Kindly follow the guide provided in this article to obtain your Australian work visa in a stress-free way.
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