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Q1. Is there a visa allocation
given to particular countries?
A. Australia has a non-discriminatory immigration policy, which means that
anyone from any country can apply to migrate, regardless of their ethnic
origin, their gender, colour or religion. The allocation of visas to categories
is done once a year, usually in April, when the Migration Program for the
year from July to June is announced. back to top
Q2. Where do the greatest number
of immigrants come from?
A.
For the period July 2006-June 2007 the main source countries were New Zealand 23,906; United Kingdom 23,223; India 13,496; China 12,009; Philippines 5,561.back to top
Q3. Can I come to Australia
and work for a while?
A.
Most people who come to Australia to work are required to hold a Temporary Resident's visa with permission to work. These visas in most cases require sponsorship and nomination by an Australian company.
Working Holiday Visa holders are allowed to stay for one year and have permission to work for up to six months for any one employer.
. It is possible for an overseas company who wish to start business operations in Australia to sponsor employees for a long stay temporary business visa. back to top
Q4. What are the requirements
to be granted a working holiday visa?
A. You must be single or married without children and aged between 18 and 30 years and be a citizen of the countries which have working holiday agreements eg. Canada, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, Malta, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Norway, Hong Kong SAR, Finland, France, Italy, Belgium, Cyprus, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
Applicants need to show that they are coming to Australia for a holiday and they have sufficient funds for a return ticket and the first part of their stay. They can work for any one employee for 6 months. They are permitted to study or train for up to 3 months.
Working Holiday Visa holders who work in the harvest industry for 3 months or more in Regional Australia are eligible for a stay of an additional year.
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Q5. Can I come to Australia
to study?
A. Yes. Australia has a large number of excellent
universities which already cater for a large overseas student community.
190,674 student visas were issued in 2005-06. Leading countries in descending
order are China and HK SAR, India, South Korea, USA, Thailand, Malaysia
and Brazil from a grand total of over 190 countries.
Applicants for student visas must be genuine in their desire to study
in Australia.
On 1 July 2001 major changes to Australia's Student Visa Program came
into effect resulting in the restructuring of the previous student visa
class into seven subclasses, each based on the education sector of the
visa applicant's principal course of study.
The subclasses are as follows:
* Independent ELICOS - for overseas students undertaking an ELICOS (English
Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students) as a stand-alone course,
and not as a prerequisite to commencing another course;
* Schools - for overseas students undertaking a course of study at a primary
or secondary school;
* Vocation Education and Training (VET) - covers certificate I, II, III
and IV, Diploma, Advanced diploma and Advanced certificate;
* Higher Education - covers a Bachelor degree, Graduate certificate, and
Graduate diploma;
* Masters and Doctorate- covers a Masters degree by coursework or by research,
and a Doctoral degree;
* Non-award Foundation Studies/ Other - covers foundation, bridging or
other courses that do not lead to the award of a degree, diploma or other
formal award; and
* AusAID or Defence Sponsored - covers full-time study undertaken by AusAID
or Defence-sponsored students for the whole or part of an education or
training course offered by an Australian education provider.
The restructured program replaces the previous gazetted/non-gazetted country
arrangement and the Special Entry Arrangements for students from the People's
Republic of China. Under the new scheme, eligibility is assessed against
certain 'assessment factors' which include an applicant's financial ability,
English proficiency, likely compliance with visa conditions and any other
matters considered relevant to the application.
There are 5 Assessment Levels for these assessment factors and these are
prescribed according to an applicant's country of nationality and the
education sector of study.
The Assessment Levels are measured in terms of risk and range from Levels
1-5: Level 1 being the category of lowest risk and Level 5 being the category
of highest risk. Accordingly an application falling under Assessment Level
5 would require a more significant amount of evidence to support the application
in comparison to an application categorised under Assessment Level 1.
An application for a student visa for higher education made by a USA,
French or Japanese national, for example, would fall under Assessment
Level 1. At the other end of the scale, applications made by a national
of PRC, Lebanon or Iran would be assessed under Assessment Level 4. There
are currently no countries falling under Assessment Level 5.
The main aims of the new program are to streamline entry arrangements
for students from countries where there is a low risk that students will
overstay or otherwise abuse their visa conditions and to encourage applications
only from genuine students in countries where there is a high risk of
abuse of visa conditions. Also, students who do not attend classes or
meet academic standards may be subject to cancellation of their student
visas.
Q6.If I am in Australia can I
apply to be a permanent resident?
A. Yes, provided that the applicant holds a current valid visa, it is
possible in a limited number of visa classes such as spouse and skilled
under the Employer Nomination Scheme.
Full fee paying students may be able to apply for a permanent residence
visa whilst in Australia. They must have studied for two years and gained
a diploma or degree or trade qualification from an Australian educational
establishment and be skills assessed against a skill for an occupation
on the skilled occupations list scoring 60 points or 50 points if they
are sponsored by a close family member.back to top
Q7. Do I need a visa to visit
Australia?
A. Yes, although for the citizens of specified countries this
can be done at the time of booking airline travel through the Electronic
Travel Authority (ETA) system. This visa is issued electronically and
is not evidenced in the passport. For those citizens of countries not
yet approved for ETA's they are required to apply for a visa at the nearest
Australian Embassy or Consulate and for the visa label to be placed in
the passport.
There are two main types of ETAs. They are either "visitor"
or "business". The business ETA is primarily for those
business people who need to attend business meetings etc. They
can also cover people who are required to work but they are
not permitted to work when the work could be performed by an
Australian resident. Visitors are not permitted to work.
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Q8. Does it help if I have a
job offer from an Australian company?
A. Occupations on the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) score 15 points if your occupation is on the list and 20 points if an offer of employment is provided from a substantial Australian company. Refer to the Migration Newsletter for current occupations on the MODL.
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Q9. Does Australia have a "White
Australia" policy?
A. Not now, it used to. In 1919 the then Prime Minister hailed this policy
as "the greatest thing we have achieved". The Federal Government
in 1949 allowed 800 non-European refugees to remain and allowed Japanese
war brides to be admitted. This was the start of the breakdown of the
"White Australia" policy. Today nearly one in four of Australia's
population was born overseas. back to top
Q10. Are New Zealanders allowed
free entry to Australia?
A. Under various arrangements since the 1920s,
there has been an essentially free flow of people between Australia and New
Zealand.
The movement of New Zealanders to and from Australia relates primarily to
the economic conditions prevailing in both countries. As at 20 June 2008, an estimated 521,200 New Zealand citizens were present in Australia.
On 1 September 1994, the amendments to the Regulation required all non citizens
to hold visas. As a result a Special Category visa was introduced for New
Zealand citizens which requires them to hold a New Zealand passport and subject
to meeting health and character requirements, they will automatically be granted
a Special Category visa. Their New Zealand passports are stamped showing date
of arrival and this is the only evidence required to show that they hold a
Special Category visa. This visa allows the holder to remain and work in Australia
lawfully as long as they remain New Zealand citizens.
Changes of the law with effect from 26 February 2001 required some New Zealand
citizens to obtain Australian Permanent residence if they wish to access certain
social security payments (subject to the two year eligibility waiting period
for most payments), obtain Australian citizenship or sponsor their family
members for permanent residence.
These changes do not affect New Zealand citizens who were in Australia on
26 February 2001 as Special Category Visa holders.
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Q11. If I do not have family in
Australia, am I still eligible to apply to migrate?
Yes. There are several ways:
1. As an independent migrant and this is subject to passing a Points Test.
2. As a nominee under the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) which allows
an Australian employer to nominate a particular skilled person for a skilled
position which he has not been able to fill from the Australian workforce.
3. As a nomination under the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS)
which allows Australian employers to fill skilled permanent vacancies with
overseas personnel if they can not find suitable qualified employees in
Australia.
4. If you are a business person you may qualify under the Business Skills
Program which is subject to another points test which evaluates the business
background of the applicant. These mainly allow for a initial stay with
a provisional visa for 4 years. Subsequently after the new business is started
in Australia an application for a permanent visa may be made and if successful
a permanent visa will be granted.
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Q12. Do I have to speak English?
A. In general terms, yes. For a permanent visa there is a minimum requirement
of a score of 5 on each component of the IELTS test or if a temporary
business visa, a band score of 5.0 on the IELTS test
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Q13. I am 60 years old and
have wanted to travel around Australia for about a year, is this possible?
A. You may be eligible for an Investor Retirement Visa, provided you are over 55 years and meet the following criteria:
-have State or Territory Sponsorship
-make an investment in a government treasury bond in that State or Territory
-be at least 55 years of age and have no other dependants except a spouse
-have sufficient assets to ensure that they can support themselves.
The initial visa is for 4 years and will allow limited work rights of up to 20 hours per week.
The visa can be 'rolled over' each four years.
The investment requirement is:
- $250,000 if living in a regional area, or
- $500,000 if not living in a regional area.
The minimum net income is:
- $50,000 pa if living in a regional area, or
- $65,000 pa if not living in a regional area.
The NSW Government has decided not to participate in the Investor Retirement visa program which means that Retirees will not be able to settle in NSW.
Applicants are still required to pass the usual health and character requirements.
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Q14. If I migrate to Australia
how long does it take before I can become an Australian citizen?
A. Applicants must score 60% in a Citizenship Test and be present in Australia
for 4 years, of which 1 year must be as a permanent resident.
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Q15. Can I bring my pets to
Australia?
A. Yes, subject to quarantine laws which are quite strict. In simple terms
it depends on the country from where the pet comes. Australia values its
island status, which means that many diseases prevalent overseas, are
not found in Australia. back to top
Q16. Do many migrants leave
Australia after having settled there?
A. Yes, some do. In 2004-2005, 62,606 people left Australia
permanently. The main countries of intended residence were New
Zealand, UK, USA, China, Hong Kong, SAR and Taiwan.
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Q17. Why should I use you to
assist me in my application and not a local agent?
A. As a registered agent, I am required to keep a complete up to date
file on current relevant laws and regulations and I am required to complete
professional training in each year prior to re-registration. If you are
dissatisfied with the performance of my work you can complain to the Migration
Agents Registration Authority which has disciplinary powers. Overseas
agents are not subject to the same rules as Australian law cannot be enforced
outside Australia.
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