Backed by a strong economy, lucrative job opportunities, world-class infrastructure, and a balanced lifestyle, it’s not surprising to see Australia PR visa growing as the most popular immigration choice for thousands of people. Every year, the country welcomes millions of foreign professionals who seek to live and work in the country under different visa categories.

However, before making the decision to migrate, one must understand the procedures involved and what steps one must take to improve their chances of migration to Australia as permanent residents. But before that let’s discuss the benefits of migrating to Australia.

Benefits of Acquiring Permanent Residency Status for Australia

• As a Permanent Resident, one is entitled to live and work in Australia for an indefinite period of time. They can also travel to and from Australia without any restrictions or limitations.
• Once the visa is granted, they can get unlimited access to free medical facilities, education, and other social/security benefits (after two years). PR visa holders have multiple options to choose from in terms of colleges, universities, and even education loans to apply for. These loans are quite helpful for streamlining your financial needs and incur expenses that may arise on a day-to-day basis.
• The next major benefit that PR holders can avail is regarding work permit rights. Having a PR visa in Australia means, you can choose to work in any field and with any employer in Australia. However, you cannot apply for government jobs such as Public Service or Armed forces as it is strictly restricted to Australian citizens only. Despite this, all industrial laws, employment rights, and compensation related policies are same with PR holders as well as citizens.
• As a Permanent Resident, you are entitled to receive healthcare entitlement along with a health insurance scheme provided by Medicare. It’s a renowned publicly-funded service provided by the Government of Australia that provides free access to a range of medical services such as doctors, healthcare specialists, dentists, prescriptions, and more.
• Children of Permanent Residents born in Australia are by default the citizens of Australia.

Key Steps to filing for the Australian PR

• Select the type of visa you wish to apply under Australia’s immigration model. There are three sub-classes of visas that candidates can choose from. They are described as follows:
  • Skilled Independent Sub-class 189
  • State Nomination Sub-class 190
  • Provisional sub-class 489

One must note that each sub-class comes with its own set of requirements, so it’s essential to choose your option wisely.

• In the next step, check whether your occupation falls under the Skilled Occupation List (SOL). The list contains all the ‘in-demand’ occupations for which no local talent is available. Therefore, one must confirm if their job profile is listed in SOL or not before proceeding further in the Australia PR visa process.
• At this stage, calculate your immigration points and meeting the minimum score on Australia’s Occupational Demand List, which is 65 points out of 100. The points are calculated on the basis of age, work experience, educational qualifications, language ability, and other factors.
• Now, get your positive skill assessment done by a relevant authority. This is the most important step, so do it carefully. The purpose of getting your credentials assessed is to identify whether your educational qualifications and work experience are related to the nominated occupation.
• This is the documentation stage where you need to gather all relevant documents related to age, qualification, IELTS report, employ reference letters, etc. While going through this stage, be careful while scanning the documents as any misprint or omission might hamper your chances of getting an ITA.
• Submit an EOI (Expression of Interest) online through SkillSelect to declare your intentions to work and settle in Australia permanently. In this stage, an applicant has to provide answers to a series of questions regarding their professional experience, education, and others.
• Based on the information you provide in the previous stage, you may or may not receive an ITA/nomination. The decision is entirely dependent on the discretion of the immigration officer. If you receive an ITA, then you must pay the Australia PR fees and complete other related formalities with the period of 60 days.

The process for filing the Australia PR visa can be done as per the above-mentioned steps. However, it’s always advisable to consult a professional immigration consultant in case of any doubt or concern. Without the guidance of an immigration partner, it might get a bit difficult to move ahead in this journey.