A Guide to Visa Types and Work Permits in Australia

Jump right in:

• Overview of work permits & employment-based visas
• Australian work visa requirements
• Costs for a work visa
• How to apply for an Australian visa
• Self-employment visas for Australia
• Family visa for spouses or engaged partners
• Residence permits: temporary vs. permanent

Overview of work permits & employment-based visas

Australia offers a range of visas for experts moving for job-related purposes (see overview below). Additionally, there are options for visitors, students, dependents, and more. You can find a full overview of visa types provided by the Australian government: Visa list

• Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS, subclass 186) – permanent visa for skilled workers nominated by an Australian employer
• Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (SESR, formerly RSMS, subclass 494) – permanent, employer-nominated in regional Australia
• Skilled Independent (subclass 189) – permanent for invited skilled workers (through SkillSelect, no sponsor needed)
• Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) – permanent, nominated by state or territory
• Skills in Demand (formerly Temporary Skill Shortage, subclass 482) – temporary (short or medium/long term) visa for employer-sponsored skilled workers
• Skilled Regional (provisional, subclass 491) – temporary for skilled workers in regional areas via state or relative sponsorship
• Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist, subclass 400) – short-term (≤6 months) specialist work
• Temporary Work (International Relations, subclass 403) – for work under governmental or international-agreement frameworks
• Distinguished Talent (subclass 858/124) – permanent for those with internationally recognized excellence in arts, science, sports, or academia
• Business Talent (permanent, subclass 132 legacy, now under subclass  888) – for business owners and investors (see section on Self-employment visas for Australia)

So in summary, work visas exist for the following groups:

• skilled workers
• people participating in specific activities
• highly specialized workers
• trainees, short-term
• experienced business people
• investors

Australian work visa requirements

Requirements vary depending on the visa. Here’s a simplified overview of the most common ones:

Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) Visa

• Skills relevant to the job (assessment may be required)
• On the list of eligible skilled occupations
• Sponsored by an Australian employer
• Competent English
• Under 45 years old (some exemptions)
• At least 3 years of relevant work experience
• Health and character checks
• Signed Australian Values Statement

Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) Visa

• Sponsored by an employer in regional Australia
• Same general requirements as the ENS visa
• Must stay with employer for at least 2 years

Skilled Independent Visa

• Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI)
• Under 45 years old
• On the skilled occupation list
• Skills assessment and 65+ points on the immigration point system
• Competent English
• Health and character checks

Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Visa

• Sponsored by an approved employer
• On Short-Term or Medium/Long-Term Skilled Occupation List
• At least 2 years of experience
• Health insurance required
• Competent English

Skilled Regional (Provisional) Visa

• Sponsored by a state, territory, or eligible family member
• Under 45 years old
• Skills assessment
• 65+ points
• Competent English

Extended stay pathway: No age limit if holding certain previous visas (e.g., 475, 487, 495, 496)

Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) Visa

• For short-term, specialized work (up to 6 months)
• Adequate funds and health insurance

Temporary Work (International Relations) Visa

• Requires support letter depending on stream (e.g., bilateral agreement, foreign government)
• Must meet health, character, and insurance requirements

Distinguished Talent Visa

• Must be internationally recognized in a specific field
• Nominated by an eligible person or organization
• Must demonstrate benefit to Australian community
• Functional English

Costs for a work visa

How to apply for an Australian visa

Most applications are done online through the ImmiAccount portal.

If your visa requires an invitation to apply, you must first submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) via SkillSelect.

Medical exams

Depending on your visa type and personal circumstances, you may be subject to a health examination. This could include a medical exam, TB screening, chest x-ray, HIV test, hepatitis B and C test, or syphilis test.

You can arrange your health examination within Australia with Bupa Medical Visa Services.

If you’re outside of the country, you can book your medical exam with one of the Department of Home Affairs’ approved panel physicians or clinics. For information on this, contact an immigration office near you.

Australia’s immigration point system

If your visa type requires a points test, this is an overview of the points system:

Self-employment visas for Australia

Australia offers two main options under the Business Talent (Permanent) visa for people who want to be self-employed or run a business:

• Significant Business History stream – for experienced business owners looking to start or manage a business in Australia
• Venture Capital Entrepreneur stream – for applicants who have secured venture capital funding from a registered Australian fund and want to build a new or existing business

Requirements for self-employment visa

For the Significant Business History stream, you need:

• a net value of at least 1.5 million AUD (around 1 million USD);
• an annual business turnover of at least 3 million AUD (more than 2.1 million USD) for at least two of the past four fiscal years immediately before being invited to apply;
• ownership interest worth at least 400,000 AUD (290,000 USD) in one or more qualifying businesses, again for at least two of the past four fiscal years;
• to be under 55 years old, unless your business would offer exceptional economic benefit to the region.

For the Venture Capital Entrepreneur stream, you’ll have to show:

• at least 1 million AUD (~730,000 USD) in funding secured from a member of the Australian Investment Council.

Both streams require you to:

• be nominated by an Australian state or territory government agency before being invited to apply for the visa;
• meet the health and character requirements;
• read or have been explained the Life in Australia booklet, and sign the Australian Values Statement;
• have at least functional English language skills.

The cost of this Australian visa is 7,855 AUD (~5,750 USD).

How to apply for an Australian self-employment visa

Step 1 — Submit an EOI

Use SkillSelect to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). If a state or territory government is interested, they’ll nominate you and invite you to apply.

Step 2 — Gather your documents

Prepare your ID, evidence of funding or assets, and documents supporting your business plans and past activity.

Step 3 — Apply for your visa

Once invited, you can find the application form on ImmiAccount. Your official invitation letter will come with detailed instructions on how to submit your application.

Step 4 — Wait for processing

Once you’ve submitted your visa application, you’ll get confirmation that your application and documents were received. Your application can be tracked and managed online via ImmiAccount.

Step 5 — Receive your result

If approved, you’ll get your visa grant number, start date, and any visa conditions.

If refused, you’ll be told why and whether you can request a review. Note that the visa fee is not refunded in case of unsuccessful applications.

Family visa for spouses or engaged partners

If you’re planning to join your partner in Australia, there are two options:

Prospective Marriage visa (fiancé visa)

This lets you enter Australia to marry your partner. After the marriage, you can apply for the Partner visa.

Partner visa (spouse visa)

If your partner is already an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you can apply for the Partner visa. You’ll first get a temporary residence permit, and later, a permanent one.

If your partner is in Australia on a temporary residence permit, you may be able to join them with a subsequent entrant visa. Applications for both types are submitted through ImmiAccount.

Residence permits: temporary vs. permanent

Temporary residence permits

The application for a temporary resident permit is the same as applying for one of the many temporary residence visas for professionals, outlined in the section above. For workers, those can include:

• Temporary Skill Shortage visa
• Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa
• Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) visa
• Temporary Work (International Relations) visa

Permanent residence permits

You can become a permanent resident by applying for a visa that allows you to live in Australia indefinitely. These include:

• Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa
• Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) visa
• Skilled Independent visa
• Skilled Nominated visa
• Distinguished Talent visa
• Business Talent (Permanent) visa

For information on Australia’s permanent resident application, please refer to the section above, which outlines the requirements and fees for each particular visa.

Benefits of being a permanent resident

Australian permanent residents can:

• stay in the country indefinitely
• work and study in Australia
• enroll in the country’s national health scheme, Medicare
• apply for bank loans to buy property
• sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
• apply for citizenship (if eligible)
• work in New Zealand
• travel freely to and from Australia (within the visa’s limits)
• access free English language classes provided by the Adult Migrant English Program