Chinese passport holders who want to immigrate to Australia from China must comply with complex immigration procedures, regardless of the reasons for which they want to arrive in this country. This means that, prior to the arrival in Australia, the Chinese citizen has to apply for a visa designated for the purpose of stay for which the person wants to relocate here.
The legislation on immigration in Australia prescribes five basic categories of visas, namely visas issued for visiting purposes, for employment, for studying in Australia, for relocating in this country or for returning residents.
The latter are persons who have previously obtained a residence permit in Australia. According to the latest immigration procedures available in this country, Chinese citizens can now apply online for most of the visas available in this country.
Those who will apply for Australian residency (on a permanent basis) may be required to comply with certain health requirements. This means that the applicants should provide evidence on being in good health and free of any diseases that can be of threat to the national public health. This can refer to diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, hepatitis, yellow fever and others.
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Visas for short-term immigration to Australia from China | Chinese nationals can apply for tourism or business visas if they want to arrive here for short-term stays (of up to 90 days). |
| Visas for long-term immigration to Australia from China | One can immigrate to Australia from China for employment, business, family reunification, study, research, or for any other purpose of arrival regulated under the Australian law. |
| Visa exemptions | There aren’t any visa exemptions for Chinese passport holders. |
| Electronic visas available | The Australian immigration system offers electronic visas, but not for Chinese nationals. |
| Main reasons to immigrate to Australia from China | According to the data presented by the Department of Home Affairs, most Chinese nationals relocated to Australia for business and investment, for skilled employment and for family reunification (4,728 visas were issued in 2022-2023 for the latter). |
| Institution in charge with the issuance of the visa | The Department of Home Affairs |
| Fee system available for the processing of the visa (yes/no) | Yes |
| Fees charged for the issuance of short-term/long-term visas | From AUD 0 to AUD 9,095 |
| Special rules for citizens of China | There aren’t special rules for Chinese nationals. |
| The procedure for permanent residency in Australia | Permanent residency formalities can be initiated after living in Australia for a period of 4 years. |
| Documents required for permanent residency application | In order to apply for permanent residency, one must submit his/her identity documents, papers concerning the purpose of stay (employment, business, investment, etc.), details concerning the current residency in Australia, a clean criminal record, proof of paying the visa fee. |
| Reasons for which permanent residency can be granted in Australia | In general, an individual can obtain permanent residence for business, investment, family reunification or employment. |
| Right to permanent residency for refugees/asylum seekers (yes/no) | Yes |
| Immigration pathways for highly skilled persons | Individuals can immigrate to Australia from China for skilled employment by applying for the Skills in Demand visa, the Employer Nomination Scheme, Skilled Independent visa, Skilled Nominated visa, etc. |
| Legal pathways to citizenship | By conferral, descent or birth. |
Persons interested in obtaining residence in Australia may need to comply with different policies based on the visa that they want to obtain. Thus, the rules can vary for visas for short-term stays and for visas for permanent stays. The costs associated with these 2 categories of visas will also vary greatly (the costs for permanent visas are considerably higher compared to those for short-term stays visas).
It must also be noted that the person who wants to relocate to Australia from China holds full responsibility for obtaining the necessary visa. In the case in which the formalities are not completed as per the regulations of the immigration law, the access in this country may be denied, and this is available for all foreigners, regardless of their nationality.
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Our immigration lawyer in Australia can provide in-depth information on all the visa categories that are available for Chinese citizens and can also present the legal formalities one must follow for the issuance of the visa.
The full list of visas issued by the Australian authorities, as well as the steps applicable for Chinese citizens can be analyzed on the website of the Australian Embassy in China.
Our Australia migration lawyer remains at your disposal for professional advice on such immigration documents. With regards to basic visas issued by the Australian officials, Chinese citizens should know that the following apply:
Chinese citizens who want to move to Australia from China with the purpose of becoming permanent residents (achieved by receiving a residence permit in Australia) or even obtaining Australian citizenship can access one of the following legal paths: the family migration, the skilled migration or the business skills programs.
Persons who want to arrive here from China for business purposes can use this visa program for contract negotiations in Australia, participating in conferences, seminars and other similar events.
Chinese nationals who want to apply for citizenship in Australia must know that the procedure can take minimum 6 months from the date of the application until the issuance of a decision. After that, since the approval and up to the citizenship ceremony, 3 other months can pass by.
Overall, the shortest amount of time required to become a citizen can be 11 months, after which, the foreigner can apply for an Australian passport.
Australia has a working holiday program, which allows the nationals of several countries to arrive here for employment, training and tourism purposes. Unlike other visa programs, the working holiday program is open only for specific nationalities based upon an agreement established between Australia and its partners, therefore it is not available for any foreigner.
Currently, immigration to Australia is possible through this program only for the nationals of 30 countries, one of which is China. The program has similar traits regardless of the country of arrival, in the sense that it is addressed to young foreigners who have the right to work, train, study and travel in Australia. For a short presentation on the Australian immigration rules for Chinese nationals, we invite you to read the following infographic:
But differences may appear from one country to another, and this can refer to the number of visas issued in a calendar year, the age limit, the maximum duration allowed for residency in Australia and so on. Concerning persons who want to immigrate to Australia from China under the working holiday program, we mention the following:
In order to maintain the right to migrate to Australia in the next years, the visa holders must maintain the conditions of their visa throughout its entire duration. They must make sure they have adequate health insurance and that they do not overstay past the expiration date.
Employment obligations can’t be longer than 6 months (of the entirety of the visa), unless the applicant obtains an exemption from this sense from the Australian authorities. There are other matters that can influence the right to apply for the 2nd working holiday visa and our Australia migration lawyer is ready to provide the necessary information in this sense.
Prior to starting the immigration process, Chinese citizens must know that Australia requires all foreign citizens to meet certain requirements – this can refer to the health of the applicants, their health insurance, the financial aspects (foreign citizens must make proof that they have sufficient funds to support the cost of living in Australia), the good character requirement and others, which can be presented by our lawyer.
Those who immigrate to Australia from China may need to take a health examination in the following cases:
Numerous other aspects have to be considered by those who move to Australia from China on a long term basis and this why we highly recommend you address to our immigration lawyer, who can assist you in all areas of the immigration law and can help you ease the process of relocating here.
Our lawyer can offer in-depth advice on the legislation regulating the manner in which a foreigner can be granted with Australian citizenship.
