From 1 July 2004, there is a new class of visa for persons to migrate to Australia and who are willing to live in regional areas. The Skilled Independent Regional (Provisional) ("SIR") visa is a temporary residence visa. However, a migrant holding that visa will be eligible to apply for a permanent residence visa after two years, assuming certain criteria are met.
To be eligible for the temporary residence visa, the main visa applicant will need to have a positive skills assessment for an occupation on the Skilled Occupations List, have vocational English and relevant work experience and be under 45 years old. Health and character requirements must also be met. Currently the main applicant must also attain 110 points on the DIMIA skills test.
The Department of Immigration has also issued a warning about dishonest agents or people pretending to be agents misleading and ripping off people about this new visa. Be extremely cautious if you hear promises and guarantees about this.
Links to information about the state and regional business skills migration
scheme:
For additional information about skilled migration, including visa arrangements for regional migration, we invite you to contact Nigel Dobbie, Senior Associate.
The Department of Immigration is hosting a series of Expos to help fill Australian job vacancies that exist due to skill shortages in Australia. Skilled people interested in migrating to Australia will be able to meet Australian employers and State/Territory governments experiencing skill shortages. The Expos are being held throughout the remainder of 2005 and during 2006 in Australia and overseas.
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Skilled Migration Expos - information and calendar (DIMIA website)
- For additional information about skilled migration, including visa arrangements for regional migration, we invite you to contact Nigel Dobbie, Senior Associate with Parish Patience Immigration.
The Skilled Occupations List (SOL) contains the occupations which are
entitled to points in Australia's skilled migration program. It uses
occupational categories from the Australian
Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO), but the full ASCO system is much more complex than
the SOL and you may need professional help to work out whether your
occupation qualifies for points or not.
Applications for assessment must
be lodged with the "relevant assessing authority" shown for each
occupation on the SOL. Parish Patience Immigration can assist with preparation and
lodgment of applications for assessment.
Links to assessing authorities.
The link below takes you to a document published by the Australian
government on the website of the Department of Immigration and
Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs. Parish Patience Immigration takes
no responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained in it.
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