Australian Occupational Trainee Visa is the visa category that allows people to take up well-designed training program under the supervision of an Australian employer on temporary basis. The Occupational Training is a training program designed to help individuals increase their skill level in their occupation or their respective areas of expertise. The temporary visa is issued to professionals, as well as students who are preparing for their final examinations, or engaging themselves in their research work. In other words, Occupational Trainee Visa is for those people who intend to improve their skills, related to work sphere by taking training under an Australian employer. An Australian organization/government agency must sponsor or nominate an individual to be issued with this visa.

However, it is not that simple to obtain this visa. Let’s look at the criteria for which the Occupational Trainee Visa is issued:

• In order to be eligible for the visa, the proposed occupational training should be the one that can facilitate the individual to get registered for employment in their home country or Australia; or
• The proposed training should be a structured training program that would improve the individual’s existing skills; or
• The proposed training should be the one that would improve the person’s skills and promote capacity building overseas.

An Occupational Trainee Visa is usually valid for a maximum period of two years. However, if the trainee is in Australia with his/her family, there is a provision that he/she can be allowed with an additional 1-2 months of stay in the country so that they can do all the arrangements before leaving Australia. In case, if a training program cannot be completed in this period, an individual can apply for another Occupational Trainee Visa.  While applying for this visa, an applicant can include the names of secondary applicants, such as partner; dependent children and dependent relatives.

As for the eligibility criteria, both applicants and the nominating organization (the Australian organization that sponsors applicants for training programs) are required to fulfill some requirements. To be eligible for obtaining this temporary visa, an applicant must:

• Have been employed in his/her current occupation (in case of professionals) or engaged in his/her field of expertise (in case of students) for a minimum period of twelve months.
• In case of students, the trainee must have recently graduated from a foreign educational institution who is interested in occupational training in a closely related field; or who is engaged in some research in their field of study.
• The applicant must be at least eighteen-year old.
• The applicant must be skilled enough in English to take up the training program.
• The applicant must ensure proper health insurance.
• Besides, the applicant should have good health and character as well.

Overseas students who are already in Australia can also be eligible for Occupational Trainee Visa, if:

• They have finished their course of study for which they are in the country on student visa.
• They are intending to enroll in a supervised work experience in order to get registered in Australia or in their native country.
• They want to take up a training program up to twelve months that is related to the field to their study.

It is noteworthy that, a foreign national may not be eligible for the Occupational Trainee Visa, given he/she is engaged in an apprenticeship or doing a research on full-time basis for an Australian Institution.

If a family member wants to accompany the principal applicant (trainee), he/she must:

• Be the trainee’s spouse
• Be Dependent child/children.
• Be a dependent relative who lives with the trainee.

To become an approved sponsor for occupational training program, an organization must:

• Be an Australian organization legally, with its full-fledged operation in the country or
• Be a government agency.

For further information on Australian Occupational Trainee Visa, contact an Immigration and Visa consultant!