BUSINESS VISAS
Business Skills migration aims to attract business people with a proven record of business skills and expertise. In particular, it looks at your level of experience as a successful business or investment owner or senior executive. The Business Skills Class is divided into five sub-classes:

Business Owner - for owners or part-owners of a business;

Senior Executive - for senior executive employees of major businesses;

Investment-Linked - for investors/business people willing to invest in Australia.

Established Business in Australia - for people temporarily in Australia who are owners or part owners of a business;

Regional Established Business in Australia - for people temporarily in Australia who are owners or part owners of a business in a designated area of Australia;

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GENERAL SKILLED MIGRATION The Skilled stream of Australia's Migration (non-humanitarian) Program is specifically designed to target migrants who have skills or outstanding abilities that will contribute to the Australian economy. For General Skilled Migration to Australia, applicants or their spouses must be able to satisfy the basic requirements.

Skilled - Independent - you must be highly skilled and have education, skills and employability which will contribute to the Australian economy. You must satisfy the basic requirements and pass the points test.

Skilled - State/Territory Nominated Independent - if you satisfy the basic requirements and pass the points test or meet the pool mark, you can also complete the skill matching part of your application form and the details will be placed in a skill matching database for possible nomination by a State or Territory government or employer.

Skilled - Onshore Independent New Zealand category - this is similar to the Skilled - Independent visa category but is only available to New Zealand citizens in Australia wishing to apply for permanent residence under this category. You must pass the points test as well as satisfy the basic requirements.

Skilled - Independent Overseas Students in Australia category - this is similar to the Skilled - Independent visa category but is only available to eligible overseas students in Australia wishing to apply for permanent residence under this category. You must pass the points test as well as satisfy the basic requirements.

Skill Matching - this category is not points tested. Consider this category if you satisfy the basic requirements but are not certain or it is unlikely you will pass the points test. This does not include those who wish to apply for the New Zealand citizen and overseas student in Australia visa categories.

SKILLED INDEPENDENT REGIONAL VISA

This visa has been designed to attract people to regional areas.

Applicants who can claim 110 points in the points test are eligible to apply for this new Visa.

You need to apply for State Sponsorship before applying to DIMIA for the visa - this is a provisional visa valid for 2 years, but you can apply for an extension of 1 year if you have not managed to fulfil the requirements within the initial two years.

If you are granted this visa you and your family are required to live in a regional area for a period of 2 years. During this two years you have to work for a minimum of 12 months (cumulatively). Once you have complied with these requirements you are able to apply for Permanent Residency.

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FAMILY SPONSORED SKILLED - applications may have a greater chance of success if an applicant or their spouse has a relative in Australia who is willing to sponsor and provide financial support. There are many different categories. These are listed below. For more information on any one type please email Knight Migration for further details.

• Skilled - Designated Area Sponsored
• Skilled - Onshore Designated Area Sponsored New Zealand Citizen
• Skilled - Designated Area Sponsored Overseas Student in Australia
• Skilled - Australian Sponsored
• Skilled - Onshore Australian Sponsored New Zealand Citizen
• Skilled - Onshore Australian Sponsored Overseas Student in Australia
  

Employer Nominations Scheme

There are four categories for employer sponsored migration to Australia - Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS), Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS), Labour Agreements (LA) and Regional Headquarters Agreements (RHQ).

These programs are employer driven. The first three enable Australian employers to recruit highly skilled workers, either from overseas or from people temporarily in Australia, where an employer has been unable to fill their recruitment needs from the Australian labour market or through their own training efforts.

The fourth program, RHQ, enables employers (who have an approved RHQ), to transfer 'key' employees of their company group who are essential in establishing their Regional Headquarters in Australia.

For all categories except RHQ, the employer must show they have been unable to find an Australian citizen or resident who is suitable for the appointment.

All prospective applicants must first be nominated by the employer in Australia. The nomination must be received by a Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Business Centre in Australia. If the nomination is approved, the employer will advise the nominee.

The nominee can apply in Australia (subject to conditions) or from outside Australia. In most cases, the nominee must have a vocational or functional level of English. The nominee's qualifications must be assessed if:

registration, licensing or membership of a progressional body is mandatory in the proposed field of employment, or
the trade occupation is covered by the Tradesmen's Rights Regulations Act or is a designated non TRAA trade.

Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS): The ENS has been developed for Australian employers to recruit, on a permanent basis, highly skilled staff from overseas or temporary residents currently in Australia, when they have been unable to fill a vacancy from within the Australian labour market or through their own training programs.

Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) The RSMS is designed to help employers in regional or low population growth areas of Australia, who are unable to fill skilled vacancies from the Australian labour market.

Temporary Resident Business/employment visas - for employers to recruit skilled specialists or business executives overseas to overcome temporary labour shortages or, for those people wishing to set up or buy into and manage a business in Australia. Temporary Resident Business/employment visas are available as either short stay or long stay

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FAMILY STREAM

Family stream migrants must be sponsored or nominated by a close family member or fiancée living in Australia. The sponsor must be either an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, and would usually be 18 years of age or older. Family Stream migrants are selected on the basis of their family relationship with their sponsor or nominator in Australia; there is no test for skills or language ability as for Skilled Stream migrants. Like all migrants, Family Stream applicants are assessed on an individual basis and they MUST be assessed against Australia's health and character requirements.

Family Stream applicants can be sponsored for migration (or nominated for permanent residence)* in one of the following visa categories:

• Partner
• Spouse
• Prospective Marriage (Fiancé)
• Interdependency
• Child
• Dependent Child
• Adoption
• Orphan Relative
• Parent
• Working Age and Aged Parent
• Designated Parent
• Other Family
• Aged Dependent Relative
• Remaining Relative
• Care

Factors Affecting Family Stream Applications

Assurance of Support
Some Family Stream applicants are subject to a required (mandatory) Assurance of Support (AoS), which includes payment of a bond. Other Family Stream applicants may be subject to a discretionary AoS if assessed as being at risk of becoming a charge on Australia's social welfare budget. An AoS is a legal commitment by an assuror to repay the Commonwealth of Australia any social security payments made to Family Stream entrants covered by the assurance in the first two years after their migration from overseas or grant of permanent residence in Australia.

Capping Visa Classes
A number of visa classes in the Family Stream have been "capped" in the 2000-2001 Migration Program. "Capping" means that once the limit set by the Government for the number of visas to be granted in a visa class has been reached, no further visas can be granted in that year.

OTHER VISA CLASSES
There are a number of other visa categories which may apply in special circumstances, and could include the following :

• Dependent Child
• Orphan Relative
• Adoption
• Aged Dependent Relative
• Remaining Relative
• Career
• Former Citizen or Resident
• Distinguished Talent
• Close Ties
• Family of New Zealand Citizen

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STUDENT VISAS

The Australian education system is divided broadly into four levels of schooling - primary, secondary, vocational education and training and higher education.
However, there are also other options available to students from other countries wishing to undertake study in Australia, such as English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) and non-award courses.

There are many different visas students can apply for depending on the type of course/education provider a student is attending. Further information is available from Knight Migration. Please contact us.

Retirement Visa

This visa is for people over 55 who would like to live in Australia.

You are required to have sufficient capital to transfer into Australia or a regular pension that can be transferred to Australia as well as private medical cover.

This visa allows you to work for 20 hours per week.

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For any further question contact us on info@knightmigration.com.au or simply fill our online form