Australia 
Work Visa Types

A global talent visa has two pathways available depending on what your skills are- for the streamlined pathway you will need to submit an expression of interest. A global talent visa is permanent and you can stay in Australia indefinitely. It’s for those that have exceptional talent and have an international reputation of achievement.

This is also a permanent visa, but you must have had a previous subclass 494 visa and work for the employer for three years in regional Australia.

With a 494 visa, you will be allowed to work in specific areas (regional areas which exclude Metropolitan Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney) where your sponsoring employer has nominated you. This visa is temporary and it’s valid for five years- you may apply for permanent residency after three years if you are eligible.

Visa 189 is points-based and you must have at least 65 points from the skills table to be eligible for this visa. If you are granted a 189 visa, you can stay in Australia indefinitely. You don’t need an offer of employment to qualify for this type of visa.

Visa 190 is a permanent work visa that you can only get if you are invited to apply through nomination by a state government. Once again you don’t need an offer of employment to apply for this visa.

Visa 476 is issued to recent engineering graduates from recognised academic institutions. This visa is temporary, valid only for 18 months.

Visa 887 is a permanent visa you can apply for if you previously had a short-term work visa. It’s been superseded by the 191 visa mentioned above.

You can apply for a 489 visa if you previously had a skilled regional visa. Visa 489 is also temporary, but you can apply for a permanent visa after a few years. This visa has been replaced by the 491 visa.

It’s a points tested visa, you don’t need an offer of employment to be eligible) and there are two types of 491 visas i.e. those nominated by state governments and those sponsored by family members living in regional parts of Australia. submit an expression of interest. After three years with a 491 visa, you can apply for permanent residency.

This is a visa given to students who have studied in Australia for the requisite period of time. For a 485 visa, you can choose between two streams depending on your occupation. For example, if you want to apply for the graduate work stream your occupation must belong to the skills occupation list. No matter what stream you choose, visa 485 is temporary valid only for two to four years. To get a permanent visa you have to apply for another work visa.

You can apply for this visa if you have a specialized skill that is in short supply in Australia. It’s not for longer term periods of ongoing employment. This visa is usually issued only for 3 months, but in some cases, it can be valid for 6 months.

To get this visa, you must be nominated and sponsored by your employer. This visa is temporary and to progress to permanent residence you need to apply under one of the permanent resident visas available. There is no age limit on temporary visas for Australia whereas there are age restrictions for permanent resident visas.