Dear Andrew, As a family we have decided to Immigrate to Australia. We have family based in Australia who are willing to sponsors us as well. Kindly advise the way forward…. Kind regards
This would be a typical enquiry for a family who may perhaps have a sibling or uncle or even a parent already in Australia.
So what is family sponsorship and will it actually assist ones application? The subject can get confusing as the family visas are mainly restricted to
Child visas
Parent visas
Partner visas
This is no standalone family for siblings or nephews per se. What there is though is the Skilled Regional (Provisional) Subclass 489 visa which is a 4 year provisional visa which requires holders to live and work in a regional area to obtain permanent residence.
To qualify, you would need be nominated or sponsored by either a relative living in a designated area. The following relatives can sponsor for the Subclass 489 visa:
Parents
Brothers and Sisters
Uncles and Aunts
Nephews and Nieces
First Cousins
Grandparents
To apply for a Subclass 489 Family Nominated visa, you must first lodge an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect and be invited by the Department of Home Affairs to apply. You would need to be under 44 of age, have an occupation on the MLTSSL skilled occupation list and satisfy the requirements for the skills assessment in that occupation, as well as, meet the pass mark in the skilled migration points test which is currently 65.
According to the latest Skillselect information there are currently ONLY around 10 invites per month sent to this cohort of people. Therefore to stand any realistic chance of receiving an invite for this stream of visa a points score would be required to be in excess of the 65 threshold.
If you lucky enough to be one of these 10 people who are sponsored by a relative, you will need to live for 2 years and work full time for 12 months in a regional or low population growth area to qualify for permanent residence through the Skilled Regional Subclass 887 visa.
If you believe that you satisfy the requirements for a Skilled Regional (Provisional) Subclass 489 visa, family nominated or sponsored please contact me for further assessment. There may also be other migration strategies available to you.