Many of our Australia Permanent Residency Applicants going through as skilled workers worry that they won’t be able to bring along their partners if unmarried. There is a way for the partner to go through as a De Facto Partner.

Certain people wanting to settle in Australia permanently as the de facto partner of an Australian sponsor are required to be in a relationship with that sponsor for at least one year before they can apply. Living together is regarded as a common element in most on-going relationships. Partners who are currently not living together may be required to demonstrate a high level of proof that they are not living separately and apart on a permanent basis. Generally speaking this means showing documentation to support this.

New World Immigration can assist you to determine if you will qualify and can guide you through the process. If awarded this visa, the validity is indefinite, one can have working rights, and it leads to Permanent Residency.

Please contact us at www.nwiaustralia.co.za or sarah@nwisouthafrica.co.za .

If you are starting your research about wanting to move to Australia in order to seek employment for the long term, you do not need a company offering a job, but need to prove that you have the skills and qualifications necessary to work in an occupation on the Australian Skilled Occupations List. This skilled list is updated and displays the most in demand professions at the top of the list and classifies them into schedule 1 or schedule 2 professions. 

There are other criteria as well. If you possess skills currently in demand on the Australian labor market, you also need to pass a test by scoring a minimum number of points. Points are awarded based on your level of English language skills, age must be under 44 for points, work experience, and level of qualifications, and skills that your partner might bring to the country can also add to your points. You need 60 points to qualify.

We recommend contacting a company like New World Immigration www.nwiaustralia.co.za , to find out if you qualify. If you do qualify based on the points system, you must next complete a Skills Assessment.  Your skills will be assessed either using a paper based system or a practical exam or sometimes both. You are showing that your qualifications and experience match their criteria for that profession.  Once your assessment is approved, you are put into a pooling system and the Australian government then invites the candidates with the highest number of points to lodge a visa application. A normal application should take about a year to a year and a half to process.

It is often confusing as to the difference between the 190 State Sponsorship Skilled Visa and the 489 Regional Sponsorship visas .If you could not pass the points test by achieving a points score of at least 60 then these routes will give you the extra points.  State will give you 5 extra points and Regional will give you 10 extra points. You will still need to nominate an occupation included in the skilled occupation list; to have your skill assessed by a qualified assessing authority to determine if one’s skill is suitable for the nominated occupation; and meet the English language requirements, and to be less than 50 years old at the time of the SkillSelect invitation issuance.

The main difference with these visas is location and time of obtaining permanent residency. Holders of Subclass 190 State Sponsorship visa can live and work in any part of the state in Australia where they need your skills. With the 489 Regional visas, one needs to live and work in the designated post codes in the Region where your skills are in highest demand.

To obtain Permanent Residence, the holder of the State Sponsor visa receives Permanent Residence as soon as they enter Australia. They just need to live and work in that state for 2 years time. For Regional Sponsorship, you agree to live and work in that region for a minimum of 2 years and are then able to apply for Permanent Residency under the 887 visa.