Basic requirements- GSM Visa Australia

For General Skilled Migration to Australia, you must be able to satisfy the following basic requirements.


Age

You must be under 45 years of age when you apply.

English language

To work in a skilled occupation in Australia you need to have good English. Applicants for a General Skilled Migration visa are required to
have ‘competent’ English. A further exception applies to applicants for provisional visas who will meet the English language threshold if they have ‘concessional competent’ English and are sponsored by an eligible relative or a participating state or territory. For some professional occupations, the assessing authority will require a higher level of English as part of their skills assessment process.

You have up until the time of decision to provide evidence that you meet the English language requirement. However, it is advisable to provide evidence that you meet the English language requirement at the time you apply as a decision on your application will not be delayed if evidence does not accompany the application. A decision on the application may be made soon after the application has been received based on the evidence on hand.

You also meet the English language threshold if you hold a valid passport from, and are a citizen of, one of the following countries:
• the United Kingdom;
• the United States of America;
• Canada;
• Ireland; or
• New Zealand.


Qualifications

You must have been awarded a post secondary qualification which is at least
equivalent to an Australian Bachelors degree (or higher), diploma or trade qualification [Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) certificate III or IV]. You also need to have your skills assessed by the relevant assessing authority as suitable for working in your nominated occupation.
Note: In exceptional cases if an applicant without a post secondary qualification
nominates a highly specialised 60 point skilled occupation and has extensive skilled work experience this may be accepted. This would only be considered if the assessing authority has issued a positive skills assessment based on the applicant’s work experience in that occupation.

Nominated occupation

When you apply, you must nominate a skilled occupation which fits your skills and
qualifications. Your nominated occupation must be on the Skilled Occupation Lists
(SOL). More details about the SOL are available from the department’s website
www.immi.gov.au/skilled/sol
Note: If your nominated occupation is not on the SOL you cannot apply.

Recent work experience

This requirement is separate to the need to have your skills assessed as suitable for your nominated occupation before you apply.

You must provide evidence that you have been in paid employment in a skilled
occupation on the Skilled Occupation Lists (SOL) for at least 12 months in the
24 months immediately before applying. More details about the SOL are available from the department’s website www.immi.gov.au/skilled/sol

This period of employment must have been accrued when you were in the workplace. This includes any extended paid leave such as maternity or other family leave.
If you are using skilled work experience gained in Australia to meet this requirement, that work must have been undertaken at the appropriate skill level and when you held a visa that permitted you to work.

For some skilled occupations you may need to have a longer period of specific work experience to be issued with a skills assessment.

Recent work experience exemption
• you do not need to meet the work experience requirement if you meet the Australian study requirement (see page 6) less than 6 months before lodging your visa application.

If you intend taking advantage of this concession you should note that the 6 month period begins from the date of completion of the qualification, and not from the date the qualification was conferred.
This exemption cannot be used to waive any specific work experience requirement imposed by an assessing body as part of a skills assessment.


Skills assessment

Before you apply, you must have had your skills assessed as suitable for your occupation by an assessing authority (as outlined on the Skilled Occupation Lists (SOL) which are available from the department’s website www.immi.gov.au/skilled/sol) for your nominated occupation.

You also need to find out if the occupation you have nominated requires you to be
registered, licensed, or be a member of a professional or industry organisation.
Where an Australian qualification is used as the basis for a skills assessment it must have been awarded as a result of undertaking a full-time CRICOS registered course while being the holder of an eligible student visa.
Note: These assessing authorities are responsible for undertaking skills assessment for migration purposes, and are NOT employment agencies. The assessing authorities will not reply to requests for job placement. Nor can they give advice on the allocation of points.

In addition to your skills assessment, you may need to obtain licensing or registration in your occupation before you can work in the state or territory where you settle. You may also require additional training or membership of a particular industry association. Information on licensing, registration, industry associations and a number of other skills recognition topics for all occupations on the Skilled Occupations Lists is available from the department’s website www.immi.gov.au/skilled/sol

A skills assessment is not required when applying for the Skilled Recognised Graduate (subclass 476) visa.

Note: IIf you are not able to satisfy these basic requirements, you will
NOT be eligible for General Skilled Migration