So you want to settle in Australia permanently? This can be accomplished through several avenues. Generally, the options available include family-stream permanent visas, work-stream permanent visas, and investor-stream permanent visas.
What is an Australian Permanent Resident?
An Australian permanent resident is a non-citizen who holds a permanent visa in the country. Australian permanent residents can live, work, and study in Australia with very few restrictions as compared to temporary visa holders. However, one has to apply to be an Australian citizen after becoming a permanent resident and has to meet other eligibility criteria.
We describe here the various paths to becoming a permanent resident, one of the prerequisite steps to obtaining Australian citizenship.
Family-Stream Permanent Visas
These visas are for those immediate family members of citizens or permanent residents of Australia, or eligible New Zealand citizens. Such immediate family members include partners, children, parents, dependent relatives, and living children or parents who either live overseas and adopt or are bringing them to Australia to take care of long-term care by someone who has been approved as a primary provider.
Examples –
- if you are coming to Australia to live with your partner or spouse, you can apply for the Partner Visa (Subclasses 309 and 100) outside Australia.
- If you are coming with your children, you may apply for Subclass 143 Contributory Parent Visa, Subclass 103 Parent Visa, or Subclass 114 Aged Dependent Relative Visa.
Work-Stream Permanent Visas
There are categories of visas that allow for working in Australia. Such visas vary depending on the time frame of your stay and your type of employment, which normally falls under the skill shortage list of Australia.
Examples include:
- If an Australian employer sponsors you to work in a skilled position, you would be eligible to apply for the Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme Visa, the Subclass 187 Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme Visa, or the Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated Visa.
- For those who are applying independently without a sponsor, one may consider the Subclass 189 Skilled Independent Visa, the Subclass 887 Skilled Regional Visa, or the Subclass 858 Global Talent Visa.
Investment-Stream Permanent Visas
These visas apply to individual interested in doing business or making investments in Australia.
For example:
- Subclass 188 Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa: This visa allows for the management of a business, investment activities, or other entrepreneurial endeavors in Australia. It requires nomination from an eligible government organization for application purposes.
- Subclass 888 Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) Visa: This visa is for investors, entrepreneurs, and business owners wishing to continue their activities in Australia.
Other alternatives include:
- Visa subclass 893: state and territory sponsored investor visa. The visa requires an investment of A$750,000 to be held for 4 years.
- Subclass 891-investor visa within which you can gain into indefinite residence in Australia if you maintain the designated investment of A$1.5 million for four years.
Conclusion
This is a streamlined guide to gaining Australian permanent residency and ultimately, citizenship. Each visa type has its own criteria and requirements, so it’s essential to assess which pathway aligns best with your circumstances.
