Australian Student Visa With Permanent Residency Option
If you are planning to study in Australia and looking for the best student visa options, then Australian Student Visa With Permanent Residency Option should be your first pick. Some visa versions allow you to apply for permanent residency after completing your studies, but only a few of them do not require any documents from the applicant. Even though most countries are offering student visas that give you these benefits, Australia is one of the few that make you eligible for permanent residency when you enter their country as a student.
Australian Student Visa with Permanent Residency Option is a new type of program designed to help new permanent residents establish a productive life in Australia. To apply, you must be eligible for the program and have studied or worked in an occupation which has been recognized by the Australian Government as being of great economic benefit to Australia. As part of his application package, the applicant must provide evidence that he or she has made the commitment to remaining in Australia indefinitely.
What does it mean to be an Australian permanent resident?
An Australian permanent resident is a non-citizen who holds a permanent visa. Permanent residents can live, work and study in Australia without restriction, and are given most of the rights and entitlements of Australian citizens. Permanent residents also have access to Medicare, the Australian Government’s national health scheme. The Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP), which allows students to defer the cost of their tertiary education tuition fees, is only available to Australian citizens.
How can I become a permanent resident?
Many international students choose to apply for permanent residency after they graduate. To do so, you must ‘express interest’ through the Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s SkillSelect migration program. SkillSelect is an online service that allows applicants to be considered for a skilled visa by submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI). Applicants must provide personal details; a nominated occupation; information about work experience and education; information about their level of English language proficiency; details of a skills assessment related to the nominated occupations; and information about business and investment experience. This service allows applications for a number of visas.
For graduates, the most likely option is the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189). The Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189) is a points-tested visa for skilled workers aged 18 to 49 who are not sponsored by an employer or family member or nominated by a state or territory government. This visa allows you to live and work in Australia as a permanent resident. Along with submitting an EOI, applicants must undergo a skills assessment. This provides evidence that your skills have been assessed as suitable for the nominated occupation.
How can I improve my chances of gaining PR?
There are many ways to improve the likelihood of gaining PR. This includes staying in Australia after completing your degree to gain work experience and language skills through the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485); completing a more advanced qualification; improving your English language skills; and completing a Professional Year Program (PYP). PYPs are structured professional development programs that combine formal learning with workplace experience, available in the fields of accounting, computer science and engineering.
What is the ‘points test’?
The points test is a way of determining applicants’ suitability for a visa, in this case the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189). After submitting an EOI, applicants must score at least 60 points to be invited to apply for a visa. Points are awarded for the following factors: age, English language ability, skilled employment, qualifications, Australian study, and other factors such as your partner’s skills and qualifications or study in a regional area of Australia. Each category has a different point allocation and some have scales depending on factors such as your age range or level of English language proficiency. For example, while applicants are awarded 25 points between the ages of 18 and 24, this drops to 15 points at ages 40 to 44 and 0 points at ages 45 to 49.