The Australia work visa is open to all foreigners who meet the minimum legal requirements for the issuance of this type of document. There are multiple categories of work visas, and they are divided based on the level of skills required for a job position, the type of employment contract signed with a local employer, the duration of the work activity and so on.
As a general rule, the Australia work visa can be obtained as a document for short-term stay work activity, for temporary employment or for permanent employment, when we refer to the duration of the work relations. Highly skilled employees can apply for various visas for skilled employment, which generally refer to work activities where an extensive expertise is required, or for innovation visas.
Regardless of the type of work visa you are interested in, our Australia immigration lawyer can help you with in-depth legal advice on the visa application process and on the documents you have to prepare. Please address to our lawyer for more information, as each type of Australia work visa will have its own specific application conditions. Our lawyers can assist you on how to obtain the Australian citizenship as well, if you want to permanently relocate here.
You should know that citizenship in Australia can also be granted if you are married to an Australian citizen. This is named citizenship by conferral and you must know that the procedure can take approximately 6 to 16 months since the date of the application.
If the application is approved, an additional of 3 to 7 months can pass until the citizenship ceremony will be held.
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What are the work visas in Australia for global talent?
Global talent refers to those individuals who have highly developed skills in various fields and who can develop their activities in various jurisdictions. Global talent is of high importance for all the states of the world and this is why numerous states have created various visa programs to attract professionals in key economic sectors.
Currently, foreigners can apply for the Australia work visa for global talent under three basic programs – the Global Talent Independent program, the Global Talent Employer Sponsored program and the Supporting Innovation in South Africa pilot program. These programs are set to attract persons who have excellent knowledge in specific jobs or in niche occupations, but they also take into consideration foreign businessmen willing to invest in startups in Australia.
For example, the latter program, the Supporting Innovation in South Africa, is a program launched in 2018 which is specifically designed for promoting the development of the business industry in the Southern region of the country. Thus, through this program, foreign businessmen are sustained in moving to Australia.
Characteristics of the foreign workforce in Australia
Australia is a solid, developed economy which attracts each year a large number of foreigners who arrive here mostly for work purposes. Although not all the migrants arrive here through an Australia work visa, their participation in the local labor market is rather significant, according to the latest data of Australian Bureau of Statistics, which presented the following data:
• in November 2019, Australia had approximately 1,9 million foreigners/temporary residents, who received a residence permit in Australia;
• from the 1,9 million foreigners, 50% of them had obtained a permanent visa or had obtained Australian citizenship;
• from the total number of recent foreigners, 68% had an employment contract in Australia;
• prior to moving to Australia, 69% of the migrants had a qualification in a given field;
• 35% of them obtained a qualification after their arrival in Australia.
The Australia work visa for permanent residency
The legislation for immigration in Australia also prescribes visas for employment purposes that grant the right to permanent residency. Having a permanent residence permit in Australia provides a set of advantages and rights, but the Australia work visa for permanent residency can be obtained only by certain categories of foreigners; you can rely on our Australia immigration lawyer for assistance on how to become a permanent resident.
According to the Department of Home Affairs, visas for permanent residency are divided between the following categories: regional visas, skilled migration visas, business investment visas and distinguished talent visas. Depending on the visa type that is of interest for the applicant, one may need to have a sponsor, as it is the case of the Employer Nomination Scheme visa or the Skilled Nominated visa.
A foreigner can obtain the Australian residency through the Distinguished Talent Visa (Subclass 858), which is a visa type available for those who are already in this country at the moment when the application is made.
For those who are outside the country, there is the possibility to apply for the Distinguished Talent Visa (Subclass 124). Please mind that the visa application process can take approximately 3 months.
In order to obtain the Australia work visa the applicant should satisfy conditions such as the minimum/maximum age, the ability to speak English or another foreign language, having specific skills, being able to stay at a single job for a given period of time without the possibility of changing it, meet certain health requirements and having a good character, to name some of the numerous variables. For more information on how to obtain a work visa, we invite you to contact our immigration lawyer in Australia, who can help you throughout this process.
Our team is also ready to answer your questions if you wish to apply for the Australia investment visa, instead of the visa for work purposes.
