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If you are trying to figure out a PR pathway and want to know the pros and cons of different visas then this blog is for you.
Skills in Demand visa
Why choose the skills in Demand visa?
- This visa is not competitive as the skilled migration visas.
- There has a direct Permanent Residency pathway which is the 186 visa. You will only be eligible after you have stayed on the 482 visa for at least 2 years.
- Generally you need not have a skills assessment unless your occupation is specified to have a skills assessment
- You can apply for this visa with just 1 year of work experience.
- There are 3 streams from which you can select according to your circumstances.
- The Specialist Skills stream has a visa processing time of 7 days.
Drawbacks:
- This is not a Permanent Residency visa
- Have to fulfill the salary requirement (For the year 2025-2026)
- Specialist Skills Stream: AUD 141,210
- Core Skills Stream: AUD 76,515
- This visa is dependent on an employer to sponsor you
- Securing a job offer can be challenging
- Your occupation must be in the relevant skilled occupation list.
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (SC 494)
Why choose the SC 494 visa?
- Pathway to PR through SC 191 visa
- Regional visas usually have faster processing times
- Less competitive
- Increased chances of visa approval
Drawbacks
- Geographical restriction to work in designated regional areas
- Employment and social opportunities might be more limited
- Dependent on your employer for a longer duration to get PR
- PR is dependent on fulfilling specific visa conditions
- Meet the TSMIT salary requirement which for the year 2025-2026 is AUD 76,515
Skilled Migration ( 189 visa/ 190 visa/ 491 visa)
Why choose skilled migration?
- No employer sponsorship needed
- Can change employers without needing to go through a new sponsorship process.
- The points based system allows to leverage your education, experience and various other factors to obtain a visa.
Drawbacks
- Highly competitive.
- High points requirement to compete with other applicants
- If your occupation is not in high demand, the chances of getting PR will be lower.
- Only limited number of invitations and allocations for each visas stream and each state.
- The whole process can be time consuming when compared to employer sponsored visas
- May also have to meet additional criteria for specific state requirements
- For example, some states have residency requirements, where you will have to have lived in that particular state for a certain period to be eligible.
- There is no guarantee that you will receive an invitation
Partner visa pathway
Why choose partner visa pathway?
- You don't have to rely on specific skills or qualifications as long your partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
- You can pursue education or career without any restrictions that come with certain visa subclasses
- No points test, as long as you are in a genuine relationship with your partner
- No geographical restrictions tied to state nominations or employer sponsorships
- Both temporary and permanent partner visa holders have access to Medicare
- No age restrictions
Drawbacks
- Your relationship will be subject to scrutiny
- The pathway to PR is lengthy as it can take around 2 years to obtain PR
- The application fees for partner visas are high,for the year 2025-2026, the partner visa application fee that you need to pay the deparrtment is AUD 9,365 this doesn’t account to the professional fees charged by agents/ lawyers and any other costs.
- Your PR will depend on your continuous relationship with your partner
- If your relationship breaksdown before the grant of the Permanent residency partner visa and when the department is notified, you will have to look for other options