The legislation on immigration in Australia prescribes numerous visa types, which can be issued for employment purposes as well. The work visa scheme regulates several categories of employment, one of them referring to skilled employees, addressed to foreigners who have an in-depth experience in their field of expertise or who have graduated from tertiary classes.
The list for skilled visa for Australia contains several options, depending on the type of employment a person can select. Below, we will present the main categories of skilled visa for Australia that are open to foreigners. However, for extensive information upon this subject, you can always request the assistance of our Australia migration lawyer.
Table of Contents
The visas that can be used by those who migrate to Australia for employment purposes are granted by the Department of Home Affairs of the Australian Government. The list of visas that can be obtained by skilled employees contains 10 types of visas, created only for skilled foreign workforce, as follows:
• Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa (subclass 186) – addressed to foreigners who are nominated by an Australian employer;
• Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RMSM) visa (subclass 187) – addressed to foreign employees with an age below 45 years old;
• Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189) – the foreigner must receive an invitation in order to apply for this type of document;
• Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190) – the visa processing time can take up to 21 months and the foreigner can use it as a way to permanently migrate to Australia;
• the skilled visa for Australia can also be obtained as a training visa (subclass 407) and it can be used for participating in a training in an Australian company.
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Who can apply for a skilled visa? | The skilled visa for Australia is available for all foreigners who qualify under the basic requirements imposed for a specific work visa type. |
| Types of skilled visas | Foreigners can apply for one of the following: Employer Nomination Scheme visa, Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa, Skilled Independent visa, Skilled Nominated visa, Training visa, Skills in Demand visa, Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional visa, Skilled Work Regional visa, Temporary Graduate visa. |
| Institution in charge with the issuance of the visa | The Department of Home Affairs |
| Minimum requirements to apply for a skilled visa | They vary based on the visa of interest. Some of the basic requirements are: applicants must have appropriate education, work experience and skills, be nominated by an Australian employer, have English proficiency, have an occupation that is included on the skilled occupation list, be of a certain age, meet the point-based system (where applicable), have a good health. |
| Residency rights | Residency rights vary greatly, depeding on the visa obtained by a person, ranging from 2 years to permanent residency. |
| Is it possible to relocate with family members? (yes/no) | Yes |
| Family members allowed on a skilled visa application | Partner, dependent children and stepchildren, the dependent children/stepchildren of the partner. |
| Nomination requirements | Foreigners who apply for a skilled visa for Australia must be nominated by an Australian employer or sponsored by a Commonwealth agency. |
| Rights obtained by visa holders | They can live, work and study in Australia. Provided that they hold a regional visa, which aims at employment in specific regions of the country, they can live and work only in the regions that make the object of the visa program. |
| Skilled visas that grant permanent residency | Employer Nomination Scheme visa, Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa, Skilled Independent visa, Skilled Nominated visa. |
| Skilled visa fees | There are several fee thresholds: AUD 415, AUD 3,115, AUD 4,470. |
| System for the classification of work skills | The Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) |
| Minimum income requirements (yes/no) | Yes |
| Income thresholds applied in 2025 | There are different income thresholds for a skilled visa for Australia. Starting with 1 Julay 2025, for temporary skilled migration work, the minimum income is AUD 76,515, for the specialist skills work the threshold is AUD141,210 and for the core skilled employment, the threshold is AUD 76,515. |
| Age requirements | There are several visas which are addressed to individuals below 45 years old (Employer Nomination Scheme visa, Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa, Skilled Independent visa, etc.). |
Foreigners also have other options if they are interested in applying for a skilled visa for Australia, the following visas being available: Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 489), Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) or the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (provisional) visa (subclass 494).
The immigration system in Australia was slightly modified at the end of 2024, therefore individuals who want to apply for a skilled visa have now a new immigration document that can be used for employment. The new visa, Skilled in Demand visa, replaces the Temporary Skills visa and grants the right to residency in Australia for a period of 4 years.
The law states that the validity of the visa can be of 5 years, provided that the applicants are Hong Kong nationals. In order to apply for this new visa, foreigners must meet all the below-mentioned requirements:
In general, all skilled employment visas allow the right to migrate to Australia with close family members. The same is true for the Skills in Demand visa, which permits foreigners to relocate with the following family members:
Yes, individuals who migrate to Australia under this new visa program have the right to apply for the same visa upon its expiration, provided that the visa holders will work for the same employers.
In order to initiate the application, the employer must submit a new nomination. We also mention that the employer can participate in the permanent residency in Australia formalities, by acting as a sponsor. This is possible, however, only when applying for the Employer Nomination Scheme. Our immigration lawyer in Australia can further advise on the permanent residency formalities. We invite you to read the following infographic, presenting how to apply for an Australian skilled work visa:
Yes, a foreigner considering applying for a skilled visa for Australia must know that he or she can also benefit from permanent residency in this country. Moreover, one can also benefit from the right of applying for Australian citizenship. One of the options applicable in this case is the skilled visa for Australia that is known as the Skilled Nominated Visa.
Through this visa, the person who wants to migrate to Australia can live and work anywhere in the country as a permanent resident. However, one should know that the application can take many months and in order to obtain this immigration document, the applicant must make an expression of interest and then to actually obtain the residence permit in Australia.
After this, the Australian authorities will take notice and respond to the foreigner’s request, if the applicant meets the required standards. Considering that the process can be lengthy (most of the applications are processed in 21 months), we invite you to request for in-depth legal advice from our immigration lawyer in Australia.
Young persons who are skilled in a specific field can relocate here by applying for a training visa. Eligible participants should know that this document provides the right to temporary residency in this country, even though it represents a skilled visa for Australia.
The residence permit in Australia can be issued for a period of maximum two years through this visa and it enables young persons who have completed their tertiary studies to work here in their field of expertise.
A foreigner can have Australian residency obligations in the case in which the duration of the stay is longer than 90 days (or 3 months). In the situation in which the duration of the stay is longer than 183 days per year, this will also have tax implications. This will apply regardless if the foreigner stays more than 183 days in a row or if these days are divided into several visits.
The visa issuing process is much shorter compared to the Skilled Nominated Visa, as the applications can be processed in a period of up to 8 months. However, the applicant must have a sponsor and be nominated by the Australian officials.
With regards to the age of the applicant, he or she must be at least 18 years old at the moment when the Australian officials will decide on the issuance of the document. Considering that the list for skilled visa for Australia is rather extensive and that each type of document has different requirements, we invite you to address our lawyer.
Our Australia immigration lawyer can represent you in the process of obtaining a visa and can also help you in other procedures that usually apply to those who have recently relocated in this country. You can also receive information on how to apply for Australian citizenship.
Persons who have obtained citizenship in Australia benefit from the same rights as the ones of Australian citizens born and raised in this country. Among the main rights, we mention:
Those who are interested in coming to the country as entrepreneurs, not as skilled professionals, can apply for an investor visa in Australia, subject to certain conditions.
We invite you to contact our immigration lawyer in Australia for in-depth legal information on each of the work visas presented in this article. We can provide professional legal representation during the application formalities; we can also help ease the process of relocation to Australia (renting a property, enrolling children in the school system, etc.).
