If you want to immigrate to Australia, there are a few different ways to apply. You will need to decide    which immigration program will work best for you and your family.

• AUSTRALIAN SKILLED VISA: PR is possible under various categories out of which most popular is General Skilled Migration program. This program is for people who are not sponsored by an employer and who have skills in particular occupations required in Australia. Applicants must be over 18 and under 45 years of age, with good English language ability, and recent skilled work experience or a recently completed eligible Australian qualification. Applicants must also have skills and qualifications for an occupation listed on Australia's Skilled Occupation List (SOL).

              There are three main types of skilled visas. They are:

1.       Skilled – Independent (Migrant) Visa:  A permanent visa for people with skills in demand in the Australian labour market. Applicants are not sponsored and must pass a points test.

2.       Skilled – Sponsored (Migrant) Visa:  A permanent visa for people unable to meet the Skilled – Independent passes mark. Applicants must be either sponsored by an eligible relative living in Australia or nominated by a participating State or Territory government. Applicants must pass a points test lower than that for the Skilled – Independent visa.

3.       Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) Visa: A three (3) year provisional visa for people who can meet the lower pass mark for this visa. Applicants must be either sponsored by an eligible relative living in a designated area of Australia or nominated by a participating state/territory government. After living for two (2) years and working for at least one (1) year in a Specified Regional Area, applicants can apply for a permanent visa.

There is a point table and an applicant has to obtain as per that table a minimum qualifying score which is 115. They have also schemes for investors, professionals and self-employed people.

• AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS VISA:  The Business Skills visa class encourages successful business people to settle in Australia on an initially temporary basis and develop new or existing businesses.Through a two-stage process, business migrants are granted a Business Skills (Provisional) visa for four years and, after establishing the requisite level of business or maintaining their eligible investment, are eligible to make an application for a Business Skills (Permanent) visa.

  1. The Business Skills programme can be divided into three main categories:

  2. Business Owner category: for owners, part-owners and senior managers of a     business.

  3. Senior Executive category: for senior executive employees of major businesses

  4. Investor category: for investors and business people willing to invest in Australia.

  5. A direct permanent residence category – the Business Talent visa – is also available for high-caliber business migrants sponsored by state/territory governments.

·         EMPLOYER-SPONSORED VISAS: Australian businesses that have been unable to fill their recruitment needs from the Australian labour market may need to recruit highly skilled workers from overseas. There are three popular routes for employer-sponsored migration to Australia:

1.       The 457 Work Permit

2.       The Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS)

3.       The Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS)

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·         AUSTRALIAN FAMILY VISAS: A relative of an Australian permanent resident or citizen does not have automatic entitlement to reside in Australia; neither does a spouse, a fiancé (e), a de facto spouse, or a same-sex partner. Rather, those wishing to immigrate to Oz must apply for the relevant visa and be sponsored by a person who is a permanent resident or citizen of Australia or an eligible New Zealand citizen.