AUSTRALIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Students still have a path to Australian Permanent Residency

Friday, 12 February 2010

According to the Australian Government, Student Visa holders still have options to seek permanent residency to Australia under the latest changes to Australian Immigration policy.

Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Chris Evans stated that students who are studying vocational, higher education, or post-graduate courses would be able to apply for permanent residence if their occupation was on the new Skilled Occupation List (SOL), which is expected to be made available in April.

Senator Evans said "The new SOL, to be developed by Skills Australia, will be tightly focused on high value skills that will assist in addressing Australia's future skills needs. It will deliver a mix of skills across the professions and trades in areas such as healthcare, engineering and mining. The SOL will be available in April and will be reviewed annually".

Students with occupations that are not on the new SOL will need to apply for a temporary skilled graduate visa by December 2012, which will allow them to live and work in Australia for up to 18 months. The aim is to provide these students with enough time to find an employer that is willing to sponsor them.

Students who are unsuccessful in their temporary skilled graduate visa applications, or are unable to find sponsorship within the 18 month visa duration will need to return to their own country and apply through the general skilled migration program.

"It must be remembered that a student visa is just that: a visa to study. It does not give someone an automatic entitlement to permanent residence," said Senator Evans, "International students should be focused on obtaining a good qualification from a quality education provider in a field in which they want to work".

If you are interested in Visas to Australia, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Australia.