Australia is known for being a land of opportunity, with a high quality of life and beautiful landscapes to explore. It offers great career opportunities, amazing healthcare, good education, good livability ranking, stunning natural landscapes, a rich diversity of cultures and much more.
Current immigrant status in Australia:
A whooping 59% of permanent migrants are Australian citizens. According to recent statistics from Australian Census and Migrants Integrated Dataset, there were 3.0 million permanent migrants in Australia who arrived since 2000. India was the top country of birth among permanent migrants. Indian Australians are one of the largest groups within the Indian diaspora, representing 3.1% of the Australian population.
A favourite destination among immigrants!
Undoubtedly, Australia is among the favourite destinations for Indians looking for a new place to call home. Additionally, if you are someone who is interested in moving to Australia, completing your visa application is an important step in the process.
Accordingly, after completing your registration process as a pharmacist, you will need a valid visa to work for a short term or on a permanent basis in Australia. Let us look into the types of visa you can apply for.
Types of visa applications:
As a rule, if you are a skilled worker looking for migration to Australia, there are different types of visa you can apply for. These include,
- Skilled nominated visa – subclass 190
- Independent skilled visa – subclass 189
- Skilled work regional visa – subclass 491
- Skilled employer sponsored regional visa (provisional) – subclass 494
- Temporary skill shortage visa – subclass 482
- Training visa – subclass 407
Australia has a point based immigration system to evaluate visa applications.
A minimum score of 65 is needed to get an invite for visa application. (anyone with less than 65 will not get an invite for visa application). There are many criteria based on which points are calculated for the visa application. Gaining an Australia visa requires careful planning and understanding of the points system. Each point is important and can greatly affect your chances of getting a visa.
In this blog, we will dig deeper as to how we can increase your chances of getting higher points in your visa application.
What are the various criteria considered in visa application?
Age:
Age plays a significant role in the visa application. The younger you are you score more and the maximum points are awarded for 25 to 33 years age bracket.
| Age | Points |
| 25 to 33 years | 30 |
| 18 to 25 years | 25 |
| 33 to 40 years | 25 |
| 40 to 45 years | 15 |
| Above 45 years | 0 |
Educational qualifications:
Without a doubt, your educational qualification plays an important role in visa application. Moreover, Australia is looking for skilled workers who are well qualified. Clearly, higher the education, higher are your points and chances of getting a visa.
| Educational qualification | Points |
| A Master’s degree or Doctorate from an Australian educational institution or a Doctorate from another educational institution, that is of a recognized standard. | 20 |
| Bachelor’s degree from an Australian educational institution or at least a Bachelor’s qualification, from another educational institution, that is of a recognized standard. | 15 |
| A diploma or trade qualification from an Australian educational institution. | 10 |
| Attained a qualification or award recognized by the relevant assessing authority for your nominated skilled occupation as being suitable for that occupation | 10 |
Moving on, it is important to note that if you have completed any education in Australia, you get an additional 5 points for the same.
Regional study in Australia – If you have at least 1 degree, diploma or trade qualification from an Australian educational institution that satisfies the Australian study requirement obtained while living and studying in an eligible area of regional Australia – You get additional 5 points.
English language proficiency:
Undoubtedly, this is one important aspect to consider while applying for a visa. If you are proficient in English, it not only increases your chances of getting a visa, but also in your future job applications. Companies prefer professionals who are proficient in English.
Besides, we have extensively covered various English proficiency tests accepted in Australia in our previous blogs. You can go through the same here. Part 1 and part 2.
| Score | Points |
| IELTS – 8 or more – Superior English | 20 |
| IELTS – 7 or more – Proficient English | 10 |
| IELTS – 6 or less – Competent English | 0 |
Above all, scoring well in these tests are comparatively easy and also covers 20 points out of minimum 65 needed for your visa application!
Skilled employment experience:
It should be noted that if you have relevant professional experience in your field, it adds to your points in the visa. Furthermore, both overseas as well as Australian work experience add to your points tally.
Overseas work experience- outside Australia
| Years of work | Points |
| 8 years and beyond | 15 |
| 5 to 8 years | 10 |
| 5 to 3 years | 5 |
| Less than 3 years | 0 |
Australian work experience:
| Years of work | Points |
| 8 years and beyond | 25 |
| 5 to 8 years | 20 |
| 5 to 3 years | 15 |
| 3 to 1 years | 10 |
| Less than 1 year | 5 |
Partner skills qualification:
Various parameters of your partner such as age, educational qualification, work experience and others also help you get an additional score in your visa application. Consequently, these are the various criteria for partners.
| Partner qualification | Points |
| You are single or your partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident | 10 |
| Your spouse or de facto partner must also apply for the same visa subclass and meet specific age, English and skill criteria. | 10 |
| your spouse or de facto partner must apply for the same visa subclass and possess a competent English | 5 |
Nomination by state or territory government:
If you are nominated by any state or territory government of Australia to apply for a Subclass 190 (Skilled — Nominated) visa. Also, if the nominating State or Territory government agency has not withdrawn the nomination, you can earn 5 points.
If you are nominated by any state or territory government of Australia to apply for a Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa Subclass 491 visa. Also, if the nominating State or Territory government agency has not withdrawn the nomination, you can earn 15 points.
But, how and where to calculate points?
Lastly, after gaining a thorough understanding of which criteria gives how many points, let us now need to see how to calculate the same. You can make use of the point calculator provided by the Australian Government, Department of Home Affairs. The link for the same is provided here. This is an easy process and self explanatory.
We hope this blog has provided you with the much needed information regarding the visa point calculation process. May you kickstart your professional career in Australia and climb up the ladder. Best wishes to you!
