Australia Work Visa: Check Eligibility, Types of Work Visas, Requirements and Processing Time

Highlights -

• Types of Work Visa- Short stay work visa, Temporary work visa, and Permanent Residence visa are the three types of Australia work visa. Each of the types has further sub-categories which have different requirements for each visa subclass.
• Eligibility - You must fulfill the age requirement. People aged between 25-32 earn the most score points. You must complete a professional year in the country and take the ELP tests like IELTS, TOEFL, or Cambridge C1.
• Documented Needed - You must submit a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) for all intended courses you are applying for. You must prove that you have enough funds to cover your tuition fees, and travel costs for you and your family members if they are accompanying you.
• Visa Processing Time - The Australian Visa processing time takes around 18020 months depending on the type of visa you have applied for.

Obtaining a Australia visa work is a significant opportunity for Indian citizens seeking employment and professional growth abroad. The Australia work visa for Indians provides a gateway to explore diverse work opportunities and experience the vibrant Australian culture. You need a nomination from an accredited employer and eligible qualifications to apply for a work visa. You also need English language requirements of IELTS: 6, TOEFL: 12 listening, 13 reading, 21 writing, and 18 speaking, PTE: 50, OET: B, and Cambridge: 169. You must know that there are three types of Australia employment visa and each of them has further sub-categories - Short stay work visa, temporary work visa, and permanent work visa.

• Indians can stay in Australia for 12 months to 4 years, depending on the category of work visa.
• Indians prefer to work in Australia with a work permit as Australia has 800,000 job opportunities and they can earn an average annual salary of AUD 85,000 - 95,000.
• Some of the benefits for Indians with an Australian work visa are- 38.5 hours/week working, access to healthcare benefits, along with study and social security benefits.
• Australian work visas are useful for Indian students as both countries have introduced MATES that allow Indian graduates to have an early career. Indians will have 3000 spots to fill in sectors like mining, AI, engineering, and renewable energy among others.

Short-Stay Work Visa

Australia offers various types of short-stay work visas to foreign nationals. Some of the short-stay work visas are listed below.

Working Holiday Maker Visas

This visa is for you if you want to extend the holiday and work in Australia. You must be at least 18 years of age, you should have a passport from an eligible country, and must not be accompanied by dependent children.

• First Work and Holiday visa

1. The work travel visa Australia lets people 18 to 30 years old (inclusive) have an extended holiday in Australia and work here to help fund their trip.
2. You can apply for a second Work and Holiday visa if you meet certain eligibility criteria.
3. You can stay with this visa for 12 months.

• Second Work and Holiday visa

1. This visa lets people 18 to 30 years old (inclusive) who currently hold, or who have held a Work and Holiday visa, have a second working holiday in Australia.
2. You must have completed 3 months of specified subclass 462 work.

• Third Work and Holiday visa

1. This visa lets people 18 to 30 years old (inclusive) who currently hold, or who have held, a second Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa, have a third working holiday in Australia.
2. You can do any kind of work while you are here
3. You must have completed 6 months of specified subclass 462 work

Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417)

You must be 18 to 30 years old (or 35 years old for some countries) and have a passport from an eligible country or jurisdiction. You also must not be accompanied by dependent children.

• First Working Holiday visa

1. The visa for Australia working holiday lets people 18 to 30 years old (or 35 years old for some countries) have their first extended holiday in Australia and work here to help fund their trip.
2. You must have a passport from an eligible country or jurisdiction
3. You can work while you are here

• Second Working Holiday visa

1. This visa lets people 18 to 30 years old (or 35 years old for some countries) who currently hold, or who have held, a Working Holiday visa, have a second working holiday in Australia.
2. You must have completed 3 months of specified subclass 417 work
3. If you are in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa or your last substantive visa expired less than 28 days ago.

• Third Working Holiday visa

1. This visa lets people 18 to 30 years old (or 35 years old for some countries) who currently hold, or who have held, a second Working Holiday visa, to have a third working holiday in Australia.
2. You must have completed 6 months of specified subclass 417 work. Some of the industries that you can work with a 417 visa are tourism and hospitality, plant and animal cultivation, fish and pearling, and mining.
3. If you are in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa or your last substantive visa expired less than 28 days ago

Pacific and Seasonal Work Visas

This visa lets you come to Australia to participate in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.

• Temporary Work (International Relations) visa (subclass 403)

1. You can be employed under a short-term work contract for up to 9 months
2. You can be employed under a long-term work contract for up to 4 years
3. You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you need, while you hold a work contract under the PALM scheme and your visa is valid
4. The visa starts on the day you first enter Australia (if you were outside Australia at the time of grant) or on the date we grant the visa (if you were in Australia when we granted it). Your visa grant letter will tell you how long you can stay and any conditions of your stay.
5. The visa will be valid until a specified date, which may be up to 4 years. The visa is granted with multiple entries.

Temporary Activity and Specialist Visas

This Visa is for specific types or highly specialized work on a short-term basis.

• Temporary Activity visa

1. This visa allows you to come to Australia to do specific types of work on a short-term, temporary basis.
2. You must have the skills to undertake the activity to be carried out in Australia
3. You should be supported or sponsored and meet additional requirements of the relevant stream
4. You can stay in Australia for the duration of the event, or up to 4 years.

• Special Program

1. This visa lets you stay in Australia to take part in an approved special program. Special programs can include youth exchange, cultural enrichment or community programs, school language assistants, or "gap year school volunteering.
2. Take part in a special program in Australia to exchange culture, knowledge, and social experiences
3. Stay in Australia for usually up to 12 months with members of your family unit

• Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) visa

1. This temporary visa lets you do short-term, highly specialized work in Australia. It is suitable if you have specialized skills, knowledge, or experience not generally available in Australia.
2. you can do short-term work in a highly specialised job and the work or activity must be non-ongoing
3. You only do the work or activities for which your visa was granted.
4. Your stay period in Australia commences once you arrive and does not restart each time you travel.

Temporary Work Visas

A temporary work visa lets you come to Australia to work on a temporary basis. There might be visa conditions on your visa that only allow specific work or work with a certain employer. A provisional visa is also a temporary visa that provides a permanent pathway. You may be able to apply for a permanent visa related to the provisional visa.

This is a list of Temporary work visas available.

Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (subclass 482)

This temporary visa lets an employer sponsor a suitably skilled worker to fill a position they can’t find a suitably skilled Australian to fill. You must be nominated for a skilled position by an approved sponsor and have the right skills to do the job.

• Short-term stream

1. This visa enables employers to address labor shortages by bringing in skilled workers where employers can't source an appropriately skilled Australian worker.
2. You can stay for up to 2 years or up to 4 years if an International Trade Obligation (ITO) applies.

• Medium-term stream

1. This visa enables employers to address labor shortages by bringing in skilled workers where employers can't source an appropriately skilled Australian worker.
2. You can work in Australia for up to four years.

• Labor agreement stream

1. This visa is for skilled workers nominated by employers who have a Labour Agreement. It lets you live and work in Australia temporarily.
2. You can stay up to a maximum of 4 years, depending on the terms of the labor agreement.

Temporary Graduate Visa

A temporary visa that allows international students to live, study, and work after they have finished their studies. You must be under 50 years of age and hold an eligible visa. You must have held a student visa in the last 6 months and have a recent qualification in a CRICOS-registered course.

• Graduate Work stream

1. This visa is for international students who have recently graduated with qualifications that are relevant to specific occupations.
2. It lets you live, study, and work in Australia temporarily.
3. You must have a qualification relevant to an occupation on the skilled occupation list.
4. You can bring your family with you.

• Post-Study Work stream

1. This visa is for international students who have recently graduated with a degree from an Australian institution. It lets you live, work and study in Australia, temporarily.
2. You can usually stay between 2 and 4 years, depending on your qualifications.

• Second Post-Study Work stream

1. This visa is for holders of a Temporary Graduate visa (first Post-Study Work stream or Replacement stream) who graduated with a degree from an Australian institution located in a regional area. It lets you live, work and study in Australia, temporarily.
2. You can stay in Australia for between 1 to 4 years after you have finished your studies, depending on where you studied, lived, and your degree.
3. You must have evidence of adequate health insurance for all applicants when you apply.

Skilled—Recognised Graduate Visa (Subclass 476)

This visa allows recent engineering graduates to live, work, or study in Australia for up to 18 months. You must have completed a degree or higher qualification from a specified institution within the past 2 years, and be under 31 years of age. With this visa, you can stay up to 18 months. You must -

• Be under 31 years of age
• Have completed an engineering degree at a specified educational institution in the past 2 years
• Not have previously been the primary visa holder of a subclass 476 or 485 visa

Skilled Regional Provisional Visa (Subclass 489)

This visa allows skilled workers who want to live and work in regional Australia. You can bring your family. If you are granted this visa, you might be able to apply for the Skilled Regional (Permanent) visa (subclass 887).

• Invited Pathway

1. This is a temporary visa. It is for skilled workers who want to live and work in regional Australia.
2. You can stay in Australia for 4 years, with this visa.
3. You must be nominated to apply by a state or territory government agency, or an eligible relative must sponsor you.

• Extended stay pathway

1. This is a temporary visa. It is for skilled workers who want to live and work in regional Australia.
2. You need to live, work, and study in specified regional areas of Australia
3. You must hold a subclass 475, 487, 495, or 496 visa
4. You can stay for 4 years from the date your current skilled visa was granted

Permanent Work Visa

Australia offers permanent work visas allowing you to be a permanent resident of Australia. The below list mentions various permanent work visas offered by Australia.

Regional Visas

This visa is for skilled migrants to live and work in regional Australia. There are various types of regional visas -

• Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa

1. This visa allows skilled workers, who their employer nominates in regional Australia, to live and work in Australia permanently.
2. An approved Australian employer must nominate you for a job in regional Australia and should be under 45 years of age.

• Temporary Residence Transition stream

1. This visa allows skilled workers, who their employer nominates in regional Australia, to live and work in Australia permanently.
2. You must be a transitional subclass 457 or subclass 482 worker
3. Usually, you must have worked for your employer full-time for at least 2 years
4. Your employer must nominate you

• Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191)

1. This visa allows people who have lived and worked in designated regional areas of Australia on an eligible visa, to live and work in Australia permanently. Applicants must have complied with the conditions of their eligible visa.
2. You must hold an eligible visa for at least three years.
3. You can stay in Australia permanently and work and study in Australia
4. You can enroll in Australia's public health care scheme.
5. You can also sponsor your relatives to come to Australia and travel to and from Australia for 5 years.

Skilled Migration Visas

This visa is for skilled migrants to live and work anywhere in Australia.

• Employer Nomination Scheme visa (Subclass 186)

1. You must have the necessary skills for the job
2. An Australian employer must nominate you
3. You must meet our health and character requirements

• Direct Entry stream

1. This visa lets skilled workers, who an employer nominates, live and work in Australia permanently.
2. An Australian employer must nominate you
3. your occupation must be on the relevant list of eligible skilled occupations.
4. you must have at least Competent English

• Labor agreement stream

1. This visa lets skilled workers who their employer nominates live and work in Australia permanently.
2. The Labour Agreement stream might be for you if you currently work, or will work, for an employer who is a party to a labor agreement.

• Temporary Residence Transition stream

1. You must hold a 457, TSS, or a related bridging visa A, B or C
2. Usually, you must have worked for your employer full-time for at least two years
3. You must be nominated by your employer

• Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190)

1. This is a permanent visa. It lets you stay in Australia indefinitely. The visa has a travel component that expires 5 years after the date of the visa grant.
2. You become a permanent resident on the day we grant the visa.

Global Talent Visa

This visa is for Visas for people who have an internationally recognized record of outstanding achievement in an eligible field, including the Global Talent pathway and Distinguished Talent pathway applicants. With this visa, you can -

• stay in Australia permanently
• work and study in Australia
• enroll in Australia's public health care scheme, Medicare
• sponsor your relatives to come to Australia
• travel to and from Australia for 5 years

The eligibility criteria for the global talent visa are that you must -

• either be in or outside Australia but not in immigration clearance when you apply and when we grant this visa
• have an internationally recognized record of outstanding achievement in one of the following areas

1. A professional
2. A sport
3. The arts
4. Academia and research.

Australian Visa Eligibility

You should possess most of the following requirements for gaining more points. Here are the Australia Work Visa requirements for Indian citizens:

• Age Requirements: Candidates between 25 and 32 score the most points, while those above 45 do not gain any points.
• IELTS score for Australia Work Visa: Candidates with scores of the IELTS test with a minimum of 8 bands – 20 Points
• Australian Study Permit: Must meet the requirements for studying in Australia – 5 Points
• Professional Year: Completion of a professional year in the country – 5 Points
• Regional Study: Living and studying in regional Australia – 5 Points
• Community Language Skills: Interpreter/translator skills in one of the country’s community languages – 5 Points

Points for Australian Work Visa

The points for skilled work visa in Australia vary as per the category. This includes an Australian working holiday visa. The points detailed for the Australian work visa age limit and other categories are:

Documents Required for Australia Work Permit

You must submit all the below-mentioned documents for the visa application-

• A Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) for all intended courses if applying outside Australia
• A CoE or letter of offer for all intended courses if applying inside Australia a CoE must be provided before the visa can be granted).
• Form 157N - Nomination of a student guardian in Australia
• Confirmation of appropriate accommodation and welfare letter from the student’s education provider
• Acceptance advice of secondary exchange student form for secondary exchange students only
• Letter of Support from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or the Australian Department of Defence stating that arrangements have been made for the student’s welfare.
• You must provide evidence that you have enough funds to cover your travel cost, 12 months of living, tuition fees for you and your accompanying family members, and school costs for any school-aged dependents.
• ELP Test certificates of IELTS, TOEFL iBT, and Cambridge C1 Advanced test.

Australia Work Visa Cost

Australia work permit cost vary from time to time. The cost of a work permit visa for Australia from India depends on the date the authorities receive your application. Following are the types of Australia Work Permit Visa fees in both AUD and USD.

Steps to Apply for an Australian Work Visa for Indians

Visa applicants even to immigrate to Australia as skilled workers need to visit the official immigration website and proceed from there. There are multiple steps involved while applying for an Australia work permit after study. Candidates might ask How to apply for an Australian work visa. The steps are mentioned below -

• Determine the Work Visa category you are eligible for.
• Give the Australia Skill Assessment Test.
• Make sure you meet the Skilled Migration General Program (Skillselect) requirements to get a Working Visa from Australia Immigration Points Calculator.
• Make sure your employer completes an online nomination/sponsorship form before applying for the Visa you can use.
• Complete the application form for the Visa category.
• Submit relevant information and additional documents with your application.
• Pay your application fee to process your Visa.

Australia Work Visa Processing Time

Visa processing times vary between different visas within the categories, and in some cases, it may take longer for those visas to be finalized. The processing time of a visa varies according to the type of visa you applied for. If the applicant meets all the requirements then it takes 2-8 months. The table below shows the median time taken to process the visa application-

Jobs in Australia for Indian Students

There are around 800,000 lakh jobs for Indian Students. The top-in-demand occupations in Australia of various sectors and the average annual salaries paid are mentioned in the table below:

Obtaining an Australia visa for Indian students navigates through a series of processes for fees, eligibility requirements, and documentation. However, securing an Australian work permit will help you seek job opportunities in various fields with a competitive salary.

FAQs

Ques. How do I get a visa for Australia?

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Ques. Can I get a job in Australia from India?