Visa Categories – Getting into Australia and Melbourne ..

So you did your research, probably even stopped by for a visit as tourist and finally decided to make the big move and make Melbourne your new home city!

So what’s next? You’ll need a Visa that will allow you to stay and work in Australia! (Assuming you are outside Australia of course)

Well, there is a myriad of categories of Visas that will allow you into the country but I’ll touch on the most popular categories:

• Subclass 457 – Business (Long Stay) 
• Better known as the Temporary 457 Working Visa.
• This is by far the most commonly used Visa category used by employers to bring in skilled workers from overseas
• As such it is Employer sponsored – that means you’ll need a job before you come here which is not easy. Internet job sites are your best places to start. 
• Also, the Visa is tied to your job – so No job = Go home! Don’t laugh as it almost happened to me! 
• The term can be anywhere between one day to 4 years. But it’s quite ridiculous for an employer to go through all the effort for 1 day! More likely than not, it will be for 3 or 4 years. 
• This is a popular immigration stepping stone to the coveted Australian Permanent Residency status (and onto full citizenship later)

• Skilled – Independent 

• This is will give you a Permanent Residency visa that is not tied to any employer or job 
• This is the most common immigration path if you are applying for Australian Permanent Residency before you come to Australia 
• Also, most people convert to a Permanent Resident visa from the Temporary 457 Working Visa using this category 
• You basically compile points based on your age, education, skills, etc. Most importantly, your occupation must fall within the Skilled Occupation List (SOL). You will need at least 65 points or higher to be eligible to apply. 
• A very popular path to Permanent Residency is for overseas youths to come to Melbourne using a student visa (see next category) for a course in the SOL and then apply for a PR visa using this category 

• Higher Education Sector: Temporary Visa 
• Melbourne is the most popular destination for overseas students in Australia and unsurprisingly, most of them are in this visa category 
• It certainly helps that all the top Universities – Melbourne University, RMIT and Monash – have campuses in and around the Melbourne CBD area! 
• This will also allow you to work for up to 20 hours a week during school terms and unlimited hours during school holidays

The above categories is only the tip of the immigration iceberg and there are heaps more categories that you can consider as alternate immigration paths into Melbourne Australia.

Last but not least, don't forget to check out my brand NEW website - www.melbourneahoy.com.au - dedicated to all things about moving to Melbourne and life in general in the world's most liveable city !