What is The Immigration Criteria in Australia for Skilled Workers?

Whilst Australia has a non-discriminatory, and equitable immigration policy for skilled immigrants that does not discriminate regardless of the national or racial origin, sexual preference or religion of the applicant, these immigrants still need to meet certain immigration criteria before the Australian Department of Immigration & Border Protection will grant them either a temporary or permanent visa. This policy is necessary to ensure that the people who immigrate to Australia will be able to contribute to the economic advancement of Australia.

Basic Qualifications for Australia’s Immigration Program

Australia wants to attract immigrants who already have work, education or business skills that will help to advance the economic growth of the country. Applicants should have the following attributes to be eligible to apply to immigrate to Australia:

• Between the ages of 18 to 50 years of age.
• Must have a reasonable proficiency in the English Language and be able to score at least 6.0 points in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or any other recognized acceptable English Language test.
• Must have recognized overseas or Australian work experience in their nominated occupation.
• Recognized academic or trade qualifications that are published in the Department of Immigration’s Skills Occupations List (SOL) or the Consolidated Skilled Occupations List (CSOL).

Information about the General Skilled Immigration Program

While immigrants can fall into the general skills, business skills, employer sponsored, family reunion, or refugee and humanitarian immigration programs, for the purpose of this information, we will discuss only the General Skilled Migration Program or GSM Program. This program is for the purpose of attracting preferably young applicants who have a full understanding of the English language and are highly skilled in occupations that are in the SOL or CSOL. You can learn more about this list by clicking for the SOL or the CSOL

To qualify for the GSM Program, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Skills must be suitable for the occupations in the SOL or the CSOL.
• Applicants must be between 18 to 50 years old at the time of application.
• They need to pass an English language test with a score of no less than 6.0 points for each of the four bands of the IELTS ‘General Training’ exam or the equivalent scores of another approved English test like the Occupational English Test (OET), the Pearson’s Test, etc.
• If applying for a Australian State nominated visa then an application for the relevant state nomination must first be applied for and approved.
• They need to lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) with Skill Select at the Department of Immigration to receive their invitation for a visa application. Once they receive the invitation from Skill Select, they have 60 days from the date of the invitation to lodge their visa application.

To obtain additional information about the immigration criteria in Australia for skilled migrants, contact James Tan Immigration Lawyer. We are experts at helping skilled migrants and other categories of applicants to immigrate to Australia from all parts of the world. Our staff members will help you navigate all the paperwork, testing and filing procedures that are necessary to receive a temporary or permanent visa.