Immigration to Australia

Australia has a long history of welcoming immigrants. For those who are relatively young with good qualifications, and relevant work experience, the Independent Category is the most popular method of entry to Australia. Unfortunately, as applications can take 6-12 months to process, so those with a job already lined up may opt for an employer-sponsored permit. This is the second part on the series of articles we will be writing on Australia. This article focuses on Australia immigration for employers with an office.

As an employer, you can benefit from the fact that Australia allows well-qualified individuals with relevant work It can take more than a year and a half to process an application for independent immigration. If you have an urgent need to hire a non-Australian, you will probably need to make a work visa application. You will need to apply for Overseas Sponsorship as part of the procedure to employ an overseas national in Australia.

If you are already trading, and have a presence in Australia, you will normally be able to sponsor visas for suitable candidates as long as-

• You will be the direct employer of the candidate

• You have a satisfactory history of complying with Australian immigration

• You have a reputable trading history in Australia

• The sponsorship will also be of benefit to the Australian Economy

You can show the benefits to the Australian economy by various means such as -

• getting new skills and knowledge to Australia

• bringing new investment to Australia

• creation of employment

Candidates can qualify as long as they can fit into one of the categories below and pass the required medical examination.

Executive
A candidate can qualify as an executive if -

• they are at a senior level dealing primarily with the management of the organisation or establishing goals and policies for the organisation, or a major component or division of the organisation

• they possess discretionary power in decision making, and has only general supervision from higher level executives such as the Board of Directors or from shareholders

Manager
A candidate can qualify as a manager if -

• they are involved in directing the organisation or a department or division of the organisation.

• they are involved in managing staff, and in the recruiting and dismissal of staff

Specialist
A candidate can qualify as a specialist if -

• they have specialised knowledge at a high level of expertise, or specific knowledge of the product, service, technical processes, customer services, equipment, of the employer

• they possess detailed knowledge of the culture of the organisation, to enable the integration of the Australian business within the Group world-wide

A candidate on an Australian work visa will be able to bring his spouse and children under 18 with him/her to Australia. Visas for family members do have to be applied for before in their home country, and will need to be supported by marriage/birth certificate(s) and medical reports.