A person can immigrate to Australia from Pakistan for a variety of reasons, pertaining to employment, business and investment, family reunification, study and others. Relocation can be made on a temporary or permanent basis and of course, Pakistanis can also arrive here on tourism visas, used for travelling and visiting friends and family.
The legislation of immigration to Australia also prescribes humanitarian visas, necessary for persons seeking asylum in this country. However, most of the visas granted to Pakistani nationals are issued for employment purposes. Our immigration lawyer in Australia can assist Pakistani passport holders in their work visa formalities, throughout the entire procedure.
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Visitor and temporary visas in Australia
Pakistani citizens can move to Australia from Pakistan on a temporary basis. A way to arrive here for temporary stays is as a visitor, through which the person can simply visit close family members and friends, or travel the country. In this case, the only formality that must be completed is to obtain a suitable visa (a visitor visa).
In this scenario, the temporary stay is considered a short-stay visit, which does not imply any additional immigration obligations, such as applying for residency in Australia. The latter procedure is imposed when a person will migrate to Australia for more than 90 days at a time, which is considered a long-term stay, yet still temporary.
Although the foreign national (a Pakistani in this case) will live in Australia as a resident, he or she will have only temporary residency, which implies the issuance of a residence permit with a validity of 1 or 2 years, depending on the visa the person obtained.
Temporary migration for those who relocate to Australia from Pakistan can take the form of any of the following:
- student visas for temporary classes;
- temporary skilled employment;
- participate in highly specialized work or training;
- medical treatment.
What are the main options for skilled work in Australia?
It is possible to relocate to Australia from Pakistan for skilled employment under visas such as: Subclass 189, Subclass 190, Subclass 491, Subclass 482, Subclass 186. Pakistanis can also apply for the Subclass 476 and Subclass 407 visas. These visas allow the right to live here for several years and many of them provide permanent residency in Australia.
According to the High Commission for Pakistan, Pakistanis can also participate in the Global Talent visa program, through which foreigners can receive residency for a period of 4 years. This opens the pathway to permanent residency and Australian citizenship, for those who plan to become fully integrated into the Australian society.
Visas granted to Pakistanis
As said earlier, individuals who move to Australia from Pakistan arrive here for employment opportunities. However, it must be noted that they are also interested in the family reunification program, as revealed by the latest statistics concerning this nationality. In the list below, our Australia migration lawyer presents a short list concerning the visas issued to Pakistanis:
- the regional employment program received the highest number of Pakistanis (1,223 in 2019-2020, reaching 1,754 in 2022-2023);
- immigration in Australia for the family stream accounted for 1,044 persons in 2019-2020, with a slight decrease in 2022-2023 (906 persons);
- then, the 3rd largest number of visas was issued in the state/territory nominated stream (574 in 2019-2020, reaching 908 in 2022-2023);
- the employer sponsored stream received 403 Pakistanis in 2019-2020, maintaining similar levels in 2022-2023 (420).
We invite you to contact our team of immigration lawyers if you want to learn more on other requirements imposed when Pakistanis move to Australia from Pakistan.
