Australian Migration

SPONSORSHIP/ EMPLOYER NOMINATION SCHEME

If any of you here in Oz have managed to bag yourself a job that you love, are pretty damn good at, and want to stay on longer than your working holiday visa allows, then you can do it.

All you need to do is suck up to your employer and hope that they like you enough to want to sponsor or nominate you to the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to stay.

There are two sponsorship schemes you can apply for. First is the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS). This has been developed for Australian employers to recruit permanent, highly-skilled staff from overseas when the employers have been unable to fill a vacancy from within Australia.

The other one is the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS), which is designed to help employers in regional or low population growth areas of Australia, who are unable to fill skilled vacancies from the Australian labour market. All areas of Australia are considered except the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne and Perth.

DE FACTO/ PARTNER VISA

If you are going out with an Australian citizen or permanent resident and you want to stay on in Australia (or you are the citizen or permanent resident who wants their bit of fluff to stick around) then there is something you can do to get your way.

You can actually sponsor, or be sponsored by, your partner by applying for a de facto visa.

Because you aren't actually married, immigration will probe deeper into the account of your relationship with your partner, but as long as you’re not telling a pack of lies, you should be fine. Usually the requirement is that you and your boyfriend/ girlfriend will have lived together in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months before making your visa application.

You need to be able to show that you are in a genuine and continuing relationship, and there is mutual commitment between you both. Health and character checks will also be made. Please note that if your partner is travelling to Australia to marry you, but you are not married at the moment, then you need to apply for the Fiancé (Prospective Marriage Partner) visa. If you are in a same sex relationship, or in a relationship that is domestic but not intimate, then you should find out more about the Interdependent Partner Migration visa.

PERMANENT RESIDENCY

If you want to live in this great land permanently then you will need to apply for and be granted a permanent visa.

Applying from Australia, you are applying for permanent residency. But if it's time for you to return home, and once you get there you are busting to get back, then you will have to apply to migrate. Note that both these situations are covered by the term 'migrate' on the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs’ website. This also covers all you need to know about becoming an Australian resident.

All applicants for permanent visas will be required to undergo health examinations and character checks, and there will also be charges and fees for applying.

If you are successful in becoming a permanent Australian resident but wish to travel to and from Australia as often as you like, then you will have to apply for a Resident Return Visa (RRV), which is valid for three months or five years, depending on your circumstances. This still stands even if you will only be out of the country for a couple of days and means that you still maintain your status as a permanent resident.

CITIZENSHIP

To become a citizen of Australia you'll need to have been granted eligible permanent residency first of all.

Aside from gaining all the patriotism and national responsibilities that come with being a citizen of any country, becoming a citizen of Australia will mean that you will have the right to apply for an Australian passport, and be able to leave and re-enter the country as often as you like without a resident return visa. It also means that should you decide to have any kiddies in Oz or abroad, they too will hold the right to Australian citizenship.

Presuming that neither of your parents are Aussies, you will need to apply by way of grant, and being a permanent resident, you are eligible to do so.

Once you've established your eligibility, what you then need to do is get your hands on a form from DIMIA and fill it out. Before sending it off to the relevant department, you will need to include with it your birth certificate; the passport or travel documents you had when you came to Australia; any other passports or travel documents you have; evidence of your permanent residence; proof of any changes of name; and police clearance certificates. After that you will be called to attend a short interview and it will soon be required that you attend a citizenship ceremony to legally formalise your citizenship.