Canadian citizens and residents can immigrate to Australia from Canada. Depending on the purpose of the stay, as well as its duration, the residents of Canada will need to apply for various types of visas. The application process and the formalities that should be completed can vary depending on the document necessary for each case, and this is why it is recommended to request in-depth legal assistance to our immigration lawyer in Australia.
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Does Australia offer a work holiday visa for Canadians?
A visa for Canadian to Australia that is prescribed by the Australian immigration legislation is the Working Holiday Visa. This type of immigration document will allow the holder of the visa to travel in the country, work here for a limited period of time and participate in various trainings. Its basic characteristics are mentioned below:
- the visa for Canadian to Australia issued as a Working Holiday Visa can be found under the Visa Subclass 417;
- persons who apply for it must have Canadian citizenship and must also have an age of 18-35 years old;
- Canadians can participate in this visa program for up to 3 times, each participation having a duration of 12 months;
- for the visa issuance, one can work in Australia for maximum 12 months (but generally a 6 months employment contract will be signed) and travel for 4 months;
- a person requesting a visa for Canadian to Australia for the 2nd time, will benefit from the same scheme as above, but the participation is allowed only for those who have worked for at least 3 months for a job listed in the “specified work” category in their first arrival here, while for the 3rd round of applications, one must complete a 6 months work of “specified work” in the 2nd visa round.
Persons who want to immigrate from Canada to Australia can request more information on the visa application process from our immigration lawyer. It is important to know that up-to-date information on the visa requirements can be found on the official website of the Canadian Government.
We invite you to watch the following video, which presents the main steps in immigrating to Australia from Canada:
Can Canadians become Australian citizens?
Yes, persons who immigrate to Australia from Canada are entitled to obtain Australian citizenship, which can be granted through several legal pathways, most common being by conferral. This implies that a person received a residence permit in Australia that is issued on a permanent basis. The option is available if the visa for Canadian to Australia was issued for family reunification purposes, work purposes or business purposes, but also based on humanitarian reasons.
Canadians who will apply for Australian residency will be required to pass a health exam, to prove that they are free from certain diseases that are considered to be of risk for the Australian society.
However, if the applicant has had a health check in the last 12 months before the application, it will not be required to provide further evidence regarding the state of health.
As a general rule, everything starts with the issuance of a visa for Canadian to Australia, then obtaining the permanent residency and only after this, the right to Australian citizenship can be granted. The procedure can vary based on the age of the person also (a different rule applies for persons who have an age above 60 years old).
Persons who want to immigrate to Canada from Australia on a permanent basis, and who are interested in the naturalization process, should know that the legislation prescribes only few legal options for this: naturalization by conferral, by adoption and by descent. There is also the possibility of regaining your Australian citizenship in the case you renounced it at a given moment. For this latter situation, you can request in-depth legal advice from our immigration lawyer in Australia.
Persons who will apply for citizenship in Australia by conferral can wait for the procedure to be completed in a period of 1-2 years (the most, it can take 21 months). In the case of those who will apply for citizenship by descent, the procedure is much shorter.
Since the application, it can take minimum 41 days and maximum 4 months until the decision is issued (most of the applications, of 90%, are, however, processed in 4 months).
What are the basic visa options for Canadians?
The possibility of obtaining a visa for Canadian to Australia is extended to all the visa options prescribed by the national legislation. Canadians can obtain visas for tourism purposes, work holiday purposes or participating in unpaid programs. As a young person, one can opt to study here and the study visa will be required for almost all foreign nationals.
A common way to obtain a visa for Canadian to Australia is represented by the work visas. Family reunification programs are also a possibility for those who want to relocate to Australia. In this case, one can apply for this immigration document if a Canadian lives here as a visa holder or as a permanent resident. Persons who are close relatives of Australian natives or of persons who have obtained citizenship here can also apply for a visa prescribed by the family reunification visa class.
Things to know when applying for an Australian visa as a Canadian
If you want to move to Australia you will have to be able to pay specific processing fees, regardless if you want to obtain a visa or if you want to start the process for acquiring Australian citizenship. As a general rule, the Australian authorities advise that all these procedures will be completed through the ImmiAccount, which is an online tool useful for both parties (the applicant and the Australian authorities).
The payment of the fees applicable to your particular case can be paid through this account while preparing the application, which is a much faster procedure compared to the traditional visa application (offline). In the latter case, more complex steps will have to be concluded by the applicant and it can also take a longer period of time.
Please mind that the law on immigration in Australia makes a clear distinction between Canadian citizens and other categories of persons who live in Canada, and this will be reflected in the procedures that the two categories will have to complete, but also in the types of visas that the parties can be eligible to apply for (it is necessary to know that for certain categories of visas the applicants can be only Canadian citizens).
As a general rule, persons who simply relocate to Canada can apply for a wide category of Australian visas, but in most cases they can only receive temporary visas. Even for these visas, the applicants have to provide evidence on their connection to Canada, the purpose of stay in this country, while presenting information regarding the reason for which they apply for a visa in Australia.
Foreigners who move to Canada and who are permanent residents are legally required to present their Permanent Residence Card issued by the Canadian authorities – please be aware that even though the foreigner living in Canada is a permanent resident, he or she will still not be able to enjoy full legal rights (and that includes the types of visas the person can obtain from Canada) as the ones available for Canadian citizens.
In the case in which a permanent resident of Canada will want to apply for a specific category of visa for immigration to Australia, then the said person may be required to address to the immigration authorities in his or her home country, where the person is still registered as a citizen (this can be the case for certain categories of visas, however; more details can be offered by our Australia migration lawyer).
When applying for a visa in Australia, in the case in which you are not a permanent resident of Canada, then you will have to present all the documents that show the purpose of stay in Canada and the visas granted to you – for instance, if you work in Canada and live here for a determined period of time, the work contract and the immigration papers issued by the local institutions have to be added to the file. The same applies if you study in Canada.
You must also present your identity documents from the country where you are registered as a citizen, amongst other papers; for an extensive presentation on what the basic documents should be, our immigration lawyer in Australia remains at your disposal.
The official file that you will send to the Australian immigration institutions (regardless if you complete the online or the offline procedure) should also include official translations into English (the national language in Australia) in the case in which they are issued in other languages. For this, you may need to address to a certified translator.
It is best to address to our immigration lawyer in Australia if you want to prepare a file for a visa, as you may need to include various supporting papers which will provide a more clear image on your particular case. Since our lawyers are familiarized with all types of visa application scenarios, we can also provide consultancy services on this matter.
Also, it is necessary to know that in the case in which you will complete the paper forms and send the applications following the traditional system, you should not send the original documents, especially when we refer to identity documents and other papers which are of crucial importance to you (birth certificate, marriage certificate and others relevant papers regarding your identity).
The Australian authorities retain the right to reject your applications provided that they are not complete or in the case in which various documents are not added to the file; delays can also appear for incomplete applications and this is why it is highly advisable to receive legal representation, regardless if you are a Canadian citizen or resident, or simply a foreigner living in Canada and who wants to migrate to Australia for a given purpose.
Canadian entrepreneurs who have questions about the Australia investment visa can reach out to our specialists. We can provide you with details so that you can decide if this option is a suitable one.
In the case in which the visa for Canadian to Australia expires, one should know that there is the possibility of extending the duration of the stay. We invite you to contact our immigration lawyer in Australia for more details on other options for temporary or permanent relocation to this country or for other visa types (for medical purposes, for example).