Your Gateway to Permanent Residency
Key Features:
- Permanent residency for nominated skilled workers
- Freedom to study or work anywhere in Australia
- Eligibility to apply for Australian citizenship
- Ability to sponsor eligible relatives
- Access to Medicare (Australia’s public healthcare scheme)
- Travel inside or outside Australia for 5 years
Eligibility Criteria:
- Occupation on the relevant skilled list
- Suitable skills assessment for the occupation
- Invitation to apply for the visa
- Nominated by an Australian state or territory government agency
- Under 45 years of age when invited to apply
- Satisfy the points test (65 points is the minimum; invitation cut-offs are often higher)
Duration of Stay:
- Permanent residency with indefinite stay
- Permanent residence begins on the day of visa grant for inshore applicants
- Offshore applicants enter Australia on this visa
Family Inclusion:
- Family members can be included in the application
- Must be included at the time of lodging the application
- Addition after application lodgment but before visa decision is allowed
- Family members must meet health and character requirements
Cost:
- Main applicant: AUD6,140 (fees are reviewed each 1 July, so check the Department’s Visa Pricing Estimator)
- Additional charges for other family applicants
- Second Installment (AUD4,885) for family members aged 18 or above with less than Functional English
- Additional costs include health checks, police certificates, and biometrics
Places to Apply From:
- Inside or outside Australia during application and visa decision
- If applying in Australia, specific visa types must be held for validity
- Substantive visa or Bridging A, B, or C visa
Processing Time:
- Processing times vary; see the Department of Home Affairs processing time guide for recent figures
- Processing time varies case by case
- Depends on the completeness of the application and response speed to requests
- External factors like character and national security checks may affect processing time
- Availability of migration program places also influences processing time
Visa Label:
- Digitally linked to your passport; no physical label in the passport
Conditions:
- 8504 – Applicant must enter Australia before the specified date in the grant letter
- 8515 – Applicant must not marry or enter a de facto relationship before entering Australia to avoid visa cancellation