Australian Visas

Being an Aussie citizen who has never had to apply for a visa, this topic will be a little difficult for me to write about from experience… Still, I’ve done my best to at least summarise all the relevant information and point you in the right direction. If this post generates enough interest, I’ll get in touch with some health professionals who have actually been through the process and do an interview for you – let me know if this is something you’d be interested in and I’ll get on it!

If the Border Force TV series is anything to go by, everyone knows how difficult it is to get into Australia. But it’s not impossible, and Border Force is just a pretty average piece of Aussie daytime TV (hope they don’t detain me for saying that!).

Anyway I digress… Upon looking into the visas we have available for those interested in coming to Australia for work I was initially a bit flabbergasted by just how many options there were (44 in case you were wondering!). But I persevered with scouring through the many pages of the Department of Home Affairs Immigration and Citizenship website just for you, and after many hours of very dry reading have come up with this list of your options. It’s up to you as an individual to see what you might be eligible for…

Disclaimer: This information is up to date as of 2020. Please make sure you check the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs website for all the latest and most accurate information – it’s changing all the time!

Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462)
- Stay for 12 months, but apply up to 3 times – a possibility of 3 years in total!
Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417)
- I’m sorry to say I’m not sure what the difference is between subclass 462 and 417, form the outside they look the same to me! I suggest making some enquiries with an expert before you apply
Student Visa (subclass 500)
- This one is for you if you want to come and study e.g. a Masters program
Training Visa (subclass 407)
- This is for workplace training, for example if you’d like to complete clinical placement towards your Qualification
Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186)
- This one allows you to stay permanently
Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189)
- Also for staying permanently
Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190)
- Stay permanently
Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485)
- You will require a “Skills Assessment” provided by the Australian Physiotherapy Council to be eligible for this. Check out the websites of both organisations for more details
- Based on your eligibility stay from 18 months to 5 years
Skilled Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 489)
- Stay for up to 4 years
Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (subclass 482)
- Based on different conditions stay for up to 2, 4 or 5 years
Regional Sponsor Migrations Scheme (subclass 187)
- Stay permanently
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Visa (Provisional) (subclass 494)
- Stay for up to 5 years
Skilled Work Regional Visa (Provisional) (subclass 491)
- You will require a “Skills Assessment” provided by the Australian Physiotherapy Council to be eligible for this. Check out the websites of both organisations for more details
- Stay for up to 5 years

Take note, the processing times on some of these visas are crazy (the longest one I saw was 14 months!) so you should get on this very early.

In addition to the ones I’ve listed here, there are a whole bunch of other visas that allow you to study, extend your stay, join family or live here permanently. If you do intend to stay in Oz after your initial entry visa it may be worth your while checking which of these long-term options suits your needs first, then working backwards from there to ensure you choose the best entry visa subclass initially (thus ensuring you’re eligible and saving you a lot of headaches and legal fees in the future). This falls very far beyond my scope of expertise, so if you do have any questions about these processes it’s best to chat to your potential Australian employer or the Department of Home Affairs.

Good luck!

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