Many Americans fight hard for their Permanent Residency in The State and a green card. As a result, they are pondering their options.
While Canada is a geographically closer option, Australia offers a practical and attractive option for US citizens looking to move abroad temporarily or permanently.
Australia has a lot of types of visas to offer for Americans who are interested in getting an Australia permanent residency or citizenship.
In this article, we explain all possible Australian visa options available to US citizens.
1) The Subclass 462 Work and Holiday Visa
The Work and Holiday visa 462 suits young Americans aged 18 to 30. There is an ongoing review to increase the age limit to 35 years of age, but that is not in effect as yet. Other requirements for the visa are:
- You must have a Senior Secondary Certificate of Education or equivalent.
- Have approximately AUD 5000 available as travel funds
- Hold travel health insurance
- Be healthy and have no criminal records
The visa is valid for 1 year and an extension for additional 2 years is possible if you have met specific work requirements, usually in specified high-needs industries in the regional areas of Australia.
While this visa is temporary for a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 3 years, you may be eligible to apply for other visas for further stay in Australia after that.
If you have skills or qualifications in America, you may be eligible for more visas mentioned below. Otherwise, you can start with a student visa to start your way to Australian Permanent Residency.
Overall, This working holiday 462 visa is a fabulous opportunity for young Americans to visit and work in Australia to see if they like what Australia offers.
2) Skilled Migration visas: Visa 189 Skilled Independent, Skilled Nominated Visa 190, Skilled Regional Visa 491
Post-Pandemic Covid-19, Australia needs skilled professional and technical workers. US citizens are in the right mold because of the following factors:
- Excellent English abilities
- Accredited and easily verifiable education qualifications and work references
- Easier transition to an English and Western work environment and process
The upper age limit for these skilled visas is 45 years and below. You are likely someone who has completed a tertiary qualification and has worked a few years or more.
These skilled visas are a pathway to Australian permanent residency, allowing you and your family to live in Australia for as long as you want.
Especially the skilled independent visa 189, the Australian Department of Home Affairs is doing its best effort to attract skilled people worldwide post-pandemic hit.
Recently, they have invited more than 10,000 skilled migrants to apply for this visa 189 - direct Permanent Residency of Australia.
Skilled nominated visa 190 is also an Australian PR with a direct grant, however, it could be more selective to some popular states like Victoria or NSW as this visa is state based visa with different requirements for each state.
The last but not least option is the 5-year skilled regional visa 491.
Australia is facing a severe skills shortage, particularly in regional areas which are South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia, Northern Territory, or even Regional Areas of metro states like Queensland, Victoria or NSW.
With this 491 Visa, you may live and work in the regional area of Australia and has a pathway to Visa 191 Permanent Residency once certain requirements (The primary one is the income threshold of 53,900 per annum) are met.
As a permanent resident of Australia, you will be eligible for social benefits including cheaper education, universal healthcare (Medicare), welfare (criteria apply) and more.
Watch this video below to understand more about Regional and Metropolitans and what incentives you might get for living and working or studying in Regional areas of Australia.
Contact Work Visa Lawyers today to find out if you are eligible for the skilled visas mentioned.
3) Employer Sponsored Visas – TSS 482 visa, PR 186 visa and RSMS subclass 187 visa
Do you work for a large multinational corporation in the United States? Does the company have an overseas office in Australia? If they do, you may look for an overseas transfer by being sponsored by the Australian office of your current employer
While this would involve the endorsement and approval from your employer, this also means that you arrive in Australia with a job in hand.
Not just being employed by a multinational corp, if you are being offered a job in Australia, you may be eligible to ask for sponsorship. Most genuine businesses in Australia can nominate foreign skilled workers.
This is reflected in the new Ministerial Direction 100 about Skilled Visa Priority Processing.
It states that Skilled Visa program and Employer sponsorship program will be prioritized and offshore skilled migrants will be favoured.
Amongst all employer-sponsored visa, TSS 482 Visa is the most popular one with pathway to Permanent Residency of Australia for certain occupations which are listed in medium and Long Term Strategic Skilled List (MLTSSL).
Watch this video to learn more how a 482 Visa can help you get PR in Australia
The team at Work Visa Lawyers can provide dedicated visa services to the individual and professional corporate services to the sponsoring company. We ensure the best interests of both the employee and employer are catered to when applying for employer-sponsored visas.
4) Global Talent Visa Program
This is a fast-tracked Permanent residency visa, Global Talent Visa Australia is the most popular one during pandemic for Offshore Skilled Migrants. Work Visa Lawyers has done a lot of cases for American highly skilled persons who got Permanent Residency and moved to Australia during Covid-19.
The Global Talent visa application process is simpler, faster and more affordable than many other Australian visas, so naturally, this makes it very popular. No age limit or points is testing and it grants immediate Permanent Residency
In General, visa applicants are required to meet the following 4 core requirements to be able to apply for a Global Talent visa:
- Skills in a relevant field - There are 10 targeted sectors in Global Talent Visa to fit your skills in
- Internationally recognized for outstanding achievement in your field - You may use your career history or publications. GTI 858 Visa (Global talent Visa) is quite popular for PhD graduates.
- Salary Income Threshold - Your annual salary income with currency exchange must meet the high income threshold of AUD$162,000 or you need to prove that you have secured a job offer with higher income than the threshold.
- Nomination - You need to have a prominent nominator in your field of expertise.
5) Business innovation and investment visas – for current business owners and managers, investors and entrepreneurs
Australia welcomes successful business owners, investors, and entrepreneurs on the rise. Visas available under this category include:
- Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188) which has 4 small streams:
- Business Innovation Visa 188A stream
- Investor stream Visa 188B
- Significant Investor Visa 188C stream
- Entrepreneur stream 188E
The Business Innovation Visa 188a stream is unsurprisingly the most popular amongst all business visa Australia because of its lower capital requirements than the investor stream and the Significant Investor Stream. But it requires a points test, English, Business establishment experience, and more.
The Significant Investor Visa 188C stream requires none of those mentioned above; however, the investment amount is set at 5 Million Australian Dollars into Australian Complying Fund.
Business visas to Australia can be complex, and you will need a detailed assessment before applying. The experienced Registered Migration Agents at Work Visa Lawyers can assist you with the initial eligibility assessment and handle the complex visa application on your behalf in an efficient manner. Contact us today to learn more.
While the above lists the most common Australian visas for US citizens looking to move abroad, there may be other visa options including student visas, distinguished talent visas and so on. Each individual and family have their circumstances, therefore you should speak to a Registered Migration Agent to discover your options before deciding what is best for you and your family in the short and long term.
Comments by Chris Johnston – Principal Immigration Lawyer at Work Visa Lawyers
Australia is an ideal destination for US citizens looking to explore and discover a different country. The people, culture and environment are not vastly different from the United States so there will be less of a culture shock to Americans looking to move. Australian cities also consistently rank high in the top ten among the world’s most liveable cities or cities with the highest quality of life.
Work Visa Lawyers has received inquiries from new and past clients about Australian visa options to move to or remain in Australia. Get in touch with us today to speak about how Work Visa Lawyers can assist with your intentions to make Australia your temporary or permanent home.
Do you need help with an Australian visa application?
At Work Visa Lawyers we are experienced in assisting applicants in all matters relating to Australian visa applications. Our areas of expertise include Skilled Migration visas, Business Skills Migration visas, Employer Sponsored Work Visas, Partner and other Family Migration visas as well as the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) Review, Judicial Review and Ministerial Intervention.
If you require further information regarding your Australia visa options you can contact us through:
(08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956
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