Ways you can apply for a Permanent Resident in Australia

03 Jun Ways you can apply for a Permanent Resident in Australia

There are several ways where a candidate can apply successfully and become an Australian Permanent Resident and it all depends on the circumstances, qualifications and some could be prior visa status.

We will discuss here the most common temporary to permanent visa pathways.

THE TRANSITION FROM TSS 482 VISA TO PERMANENT RESIDENT

The Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) 482 Visa lets you stay in Australia for a maximum term of up to 4 years, whereby you can work, travel, and study in Australia.

The medium stream of a TSS 482 visa enables the visa holder to apply for permanent residency at a later stage if they fulfill the following conditions:

• The 482 Visa holder must be working in an occupation that is on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) for 186 Applications.
• Must have worked for the same employer for 3 years on the TSS 482 Visa
• Must have worked in the same Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) occupation for 3 years on the 482 TSS Visa
• Must have at least competent English
• Must be under 45 tears of age at the time of applying for Permanent Residency

Further, you will also have a pathway for a permanent resident if you qualify for TSS 482 PR transition for Regional Workers upon satisfaction of the following conditions:

• The TSS Visa holder must be working in an occupation that is on the Regional Occupation List (ROL) and working in a Designated Regional Area for 187 Applications
• English Exemptions (If applying for 187 RSMS through the Temporary Residence Transition Stream and have completed at least five years of full-time study in secondary or higher education whether the medium of instruction was delivered in English)

In these applications, the employer or Australian Business must be willing to sponsor the applicant for permanent residency and must lodge a valid nomination with the Department of Home Affairs.  Further, the employer must also be willing to pay the Skilling Australian Fund (SAF) Levy which is tax-deductible. More information about the cost of sponsoring an applicant can be found on the DHA Website.

THE TRANSITION FROM 491/494 (SKILLED WORK REGIONAL – PROVISIONAL/SKILLED EMPLOYER-SPONSORED REGIONAL) VISA TO PERMANENT RESIDENT

In 2019, the Department of Home Affairs introduced two new skilled regional provisional vivas with permanent resident pathways from November 2022. The two new skilled provisional visas superseded the 187 Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) Visa and 489 Skilled Regional Provisional Visas.

Both the 491 (Skilled Work Regional Provisional) Visa and 494 (Skilled Employer-Sponsored Regional) Visas, allow the eligible skilled workers and their families to live, work, and study in designated regional areas of Australia for 5 years. Visa holders will be eligible to apply for a Permanent Resident Visa three from the time the visa is granted.

For 494 Visa, the qualifiers are the same as in the subclass 186 Nomination Visa for the applicants, there is a larger list of eligible occupations on the Regional (country area) Occupations List. To apply, be successful and retain this visa, the employee will need to remain working full-time with the same employer, and in the same position of employment.