- You can be in or outside Australia when you apply for the visa and when a decision is made on your application, but not in immigration clearance. If you are applying in Australia, you must hold either of the following visa otherwise your application will not be valid: a substantive visa, OR a Bridging visa A, Bridging visa B or Bridging visa C
- You must be under 45 years of age when you apply for the visa. You are exempt from this criteria if any of the following applies to you:
- you are nominated as an academic (University Lecturer or Faculty Head at Academic Level A , B, C, D or E) by a university in Australia
- you are nominated as a medical practitioner and have been employed in that occupation for 3 years immediately before you apply as the holder of a Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457) or Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa (subclass 482) visa, with at least 2 years of this time employed in regional Australia
- you are nominated as a scientist, researcher or technical (scientific) specialist at ANZSCO skill level 1 or 2 by an Australian scientific government agency or Australian university
- you have held a Special Category visa (subclass 444) or New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship visa (subclass 461) visa for the last 3 years immediately before you apply and have worked for the employer who nominated you, in the nominated occupation, for at least 2 years during that time
- you
- have held a subclass 457 visa or TSS visa for the last 3 years immediately before you apply
- have worked in your nominated occupation for the employer who nominated you at all time during those 3 years
- had annual earnings for each of those 3 years, that were equal to or greater than the Fair Work High Income Threshold that applied at the end of the relevant year
- You must be nominated by an approved sponsor i.e. your employer whose business is lawfully operating in Australia. You must be employed to work in the nominated occupation and in a position within the sponsoring business or an associated entity of that business, located in a designated regional area of Australia.
- Before you can apply for the visa, your employer will need to lodge a nomination application for you.
- You must have relevant skills, qualifications, and work experience.
If you are the primary visa applicant, you must demonstrate that you have the skills, qualifications and work experience necessary to perform the nominated occupation.
You must undertake a skills assessment and have a positive skills assessment.
If it is not mandatory for you to undertake a skills assessment, you are still required to provide other evidence to demonstrate that you meet this requirement. Consult with our expert registered migration agents to learn about the documents required to satisfy this requirement.
You must have been employed in the nominated occupation for at least 3 years on a full-time basis and at the skill level required for the nominated occupation.
Generally, you should have gained your experience within the last 5 years. The period does not need to be continuous.
- You must have a positive skills assessment.
You must have your skills assessed as suitable for the nominated occupation by the relevant assessing authority.
The skills assessment must be undertaken before your application is lodged. A skills assessment obtained for a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) is not a valid assessment for this visa.
You do not need to complete a skills assessment if at the time of application you held a Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457) or Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482) for the nominated occupation and in order to be granted that visa, you were required to demonstrate your skills by providing a suitable skills assessment.
You are exempt from this criteria if any of the following applies to you:
- you are nominated as an academic (University Lecturer or Faculty Head at academic Level A, B, C, D or E) by an Australian university
- you have held a Special Category visa (subclass 444) or New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship visa (subclass 461) visa for the last 3 years immediately before you apply and have worked for the employer who nominated you, in the nominated occupation, for at least 2 years during that time
- You must have at least Competent English to be granted this visa.
- You and any family member included in this application must meet all the health and character requirements
- You or any family member must not have any debt to pay to the Australian government. If you or any family members (including those who do not apply for the visa with you) owe the Australian Government money, you or they must have paid it back or arranged to pay it back.
- If you are 18 years of age or older, you must: have read, or had explained to you, the Life in Australia AND confirm you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws when you sign an Australian Values Statement
Note: If you have had a visa cancelled or previous application refused, you may not be granted a visa.