Australia has maintained a great deal of traction recently in terms of immigration, whether on a temporary or more permanent basis. There are many reasons for this, including ease of the English language being the official language, genuine people, educational offerings, and employment opportunities. What is important to remember about temporary visas to Australia is that many different kinds are available. Depending on your purpose for visiting Australia, you will have to select the proper visa for your particular needs. Be sure to follow the proper steps to obtain the precise visa that you need. This will enable you not to have problems with immigration in Australia.
Temporary Visa Overview
The key to selecting your ideal temporary visa is going to be related to your circumstances. What is important to note generally about these visas is that they are only eligible for durations between three months and four years. Bearing this limited time period in mind, it is important to decide whether you would like to come to Australia as a student, temporary employee or visitor to friends/family. Once this determination is made, one can then submit the proper documentation to apply for their ideal visa of choice. To start your search, it is highly recommended to visit the Australian Immigration homepage to educate yourself about the various visas to Australia or to hire an Immigration Consultant in Australia to help you to process your visa application.
Temporary Visitor Visa (subclass 600):
Depending on your country of origin, there is a basic process to obtain a visa as a temporary visitor in Australia.
Here’s a summary of the key points:
- The duration of stay is up to 12 months.
- The cost of the visa application starts from AUD 150.
- The processing times vary, from 5 to 28 days.
- With this visa, you can visit family or friends, be in Australia as a tourist, for a cruise, or for purposes other than business or medical treatment.
- To be eligible for this visa, you must intend to come to Australia to visit only, have enough money for your stay in Australia, and not work in Australia. Additionally, you must be outside Australia when you apply and when the visa decision is made.
If a tourist would like to stay in Australia for longer, they will have to apply for an employment visa through an employer sponsoring their application.
Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485):
Australia is quite generous in their student visa offerings. In fact, they even offer a parent or guardian of students to live legally in Australia while the student is studying.
The Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) is a type of visa that allows international students to live, study, and work in Australia after they have finished their studies. This visa is divided into four streams:
- Graduate Work stream: This is for international students who have recently graduated with skills and qualifications that are relevant to specific occupations Australia needs.
- Post-Study Work stream: This is for international students who have recently graduated with a degree from an Australian institution.
- Second Post-Study Work stream: This 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.
- Replacement stream: This is for current and former Temporary Graduate visa holders who lost time on their original visa due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
The duration of stay, cost, and processing time vary depending on the specific stream. This visa is designed to support international students in transitioning from studies to full-time work, allowing them to gain work experience in Australia.
Related: What To Do After Visa 485 Expires?
Temporary Work Visas:
Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482)
The Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482) allows employers to sponsor a suitably skilled worker to fill a position they can’t find a suitably skilled Australian to fill. This is a temporary visa and the eligibility requirements include being nominated for a skilled position by an approved sponsor, having the right skills to do the job, and meeting the relevant English language requirements.
This visa has several streams, including the Short-term stream, Medium-term stream, Labour agreement stream, and Subsequent entrant stream, each with its own specific conditions and requirements. The stay duration, cost, and processing time vary depending on the stream.
Skilled – Recognised Graduate visa (subclass 476)
The Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482) allows employers to sponsor a suitably skilled worker to fill a position they can’t find a suitably skilled Australian to fill. This is a temporary visa, and the eligibility requirements include being nominated for a skilled position by an approved sponsor, having the right skills to do the job, and meeting the relevant English language requirements.
This visa has several streams, including the Short-term stream, Medium-term stream, Labour agreement stream, and Subsequent entrant stream, each with its own specific conditions and requirements. The stay duration, cost, and processing time vary depending on the stream.
Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489)
The Skilled-Recognised Graduate visa (subclass 476) allows recent engineering graduates to live, work, or study in Australia for up to 18 months. To be eligible, applicants must have completed a degree or higher qualification from a specified institution within the past 2 years and be under 31 years of age. This visa is particularly suitable for young engineering graduates who want to gain work experience or further their studies in Australia. Please note that due to COVID-19, applications may take longer to finalize.
Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188)
The Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188) is a type of visa that allows you to own and manage a business in Australia, conduct business and investment activity in Australia, or undertake an entrepreneurial activity in Australia.
This visa is designed for people with business skills who want to establish, develop, and manage a new or existing business in Australia. It is a provisional visa that is granted with various streams, each catering to different business and investment conditions, and it requires nomination by a State or Territory government agency or Austrade.
Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462):
The Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) allows young adults (18 to 30 years old inclusive) from eligible countries to have an extended holiday in Australia and work here to help fund their trip.
This visa is divided into three categories:
- First Work and Holiday visa: This visa lets people 18 to 30 years old (inclusive) have an extended holiday in Australia and work here to help fund their trip. The cost starts from AUD 510.
- Second Work and Holiday visa: 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. The cost starts from AUD 510.
- Third Work and Holiday visa: This visa lets people 18 to 30 years old (inclusive) who currently hold or have held a second Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa have a third working holiday in Australia. The cost starts from AUD 510.
Temporary Work (International Relations) visa (Subclass 403)
The Temporary Work (International Relations) visa (subclass 403) allows individuals to work in specific circumstances that improve Australia’s international relations.
This visa is divided into five categories:
- Government Agreement stream: This visa stream allows a person to work in Australia under the terms and conditions of a bilateral agreement between the Australian Government and a government of another country.
- Foreign Government Agency stream: This visa stream lets you come to Australia for specific activities. You could work in Australia employed by a foreign government as a foreign language teacher or as a representative of a foreign government agency.
- Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or Consular) stream: This visa stream lets a person aged 18 years or older do temporary full-time domestic work in Australia in the household of someone who holds a Diplomatic (Temporary) visa (subclass 995).
- Privileges and Immunities stream: This visa stream lets you come to Australia if you have, or expect to have, privileges and immunities under relevant legislation. You can stay in Australia on this visa while you are working as an international representative.
- Pacific Australia Labour Mobility stream: This visa stream lets you come to Australia to participate in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.
Temporary Activity Visa (Subclass 408):
The Temporary Activity visa (subclass 408) allows individuals to come to Australia to engage in specific types of short-term, temporary work. The nature of the work is diverse and includes activities such as participating in government-endorsed events, taking part in approved special programs, doing full-time religious work, participating in research projects, participating in community-based events, working in the entertainment industry, working as a crew member of a superyacht, participating in staff exchange programs, and doing full-time domestic work for certain senior foreign executives.
The duration of stay, cost, and processing time vary depending on the specific activity the visa holder will be engaging in. This visa is designed to support a range of activities that contribute to social, cultural, and economic outcomes for Australia.
Recommended Documents for Visa Application & What to Expect
Australia is a delightful country to apply to in terms of visas because they have a very digitalized system that makes the process quite intuitive. For many temporary visas, it is wise to have your evidence of financial support ready for you. Additionally, it is essential to be sure that you utilize the government site to your advantage and search for the requirements for your home country and age group. There are different requirements for each of these options, and putting in the incorrect field could be a major issue for you. That being said, in the case of Australia, it is important to note that the application is entirely available online and can be processed both from within and outside of Australia. An in-person interview at the Australian consulate may be required in rare cases.
Final Remarks on the Process
All in all, Australia is a country that has a very receptive policy to immigration. The key to having a positive experience whilst on a temporary visa there is going to be related to going about the whole process in an ethical way. If you are able to do this, you will find that you will have an incredible amount of success with your Australian visa application. The Australian government is aware that they have a shortage of labour in certain industries. For this reason, being a skilled worker opens up plenty of opportunities within Australia. In addition, being a student is also a great opportunity to gain the possibility of staying in Australia as a skilled worker in the long term. Depending on your circumstances, it is wise to understand that it is quite simple to apply for a temporary visa in Australia and have a tremendous experience while in Australia.
Read more about other Australian Visas: