Australian Permanent Residency
Australian Permanent Residency Visa Overview
When applying for a Australian permanent residency visa and hoping to move to Australia, it’s often best to attempt to gain permanent residency. A permanent resident is defined as someone who has a permanent visa, but they are not an actual citizen of Australia.
While this differs from citizenship in a few main ways, it’s also a great way to live in Australia for a long period of time. Additionally, having Australian permanent residency allows someone to live in Australia for a number of years, and this often satisfies a requirement for citizenship.
At The Migration Place, we’re experts on all aspects of applying for Australian permanent residency, and we can help you in any way you need.
Australian Permanent Residency vs. Citizenship
For most aspects of everyday life, permanent residency offers the same benefits as citizenship. However, there are a few differences between the two. For example, a citizen can vote in Australian elections, and a permanent resident is not allowed to.
Australian Permanent Residency Requirements
Determining Australian permanent residency visa requirements isn’t a simple thing to do. This is because there are many different pathways to gaining this status.
In short, you must hold a visa that grants permanent residency status. There are a wide range of options for these, but they are most commonly offered for skilled workers. Additionally, some visas grant permanent residency straight from the time of issuance, but others follow a more complicated process. For example, there are certain migration schemes that make it easy to come work for a set period of time in Australia (such as two years), and the holder of the visa can apply for permanent residency status after this.
The Australian permanent residency requirements really need to be examined on a per-case basis. So, please contact our office if you’d like to find out about your situation, and we can give you many details about your options!
Australian Permanent Residency Benefits
Even though it isn’t as beneficial as citizenship, there are numerous benefits to holding Australian permanent residency. For example, permanent residents can generally qualify for receiving social security benefits if they need them. Also, permanent residents can be covered under Medicare, the national health scheme that provides medical care to Australians. Additionally, permanent residents have access to numerous educational benefits. Not only are they allowed to attend state-funded schools, but they can also qualify for the Higher Education Loans Program which can help pay for higher level schooling.
As a long term plan, Australian permanent residency is a great step on the pathway to citizenship. Also, permanent residents are often eligible to sponsor relatives to come to Australia, so this can be a great way to reunite a family.
An immigration expert can help clarify all of these points for you, and they can examine your particular situation to make sure you qualify for as many as possible.
Applying for Australian Permanent Residency
The guidelines about applying for Australian permanent residency are about as complicated as talking about the requirements. This is again because there are many different pathways and they all have a different process.
However, the good news is that you have more options to be flexible when applying for an Australian permanent residency visa. There are ways to apply from outside of Australia if you’ve never been there, and there are methods to apply for a different visa that grants permanent status if you’ve already been in the country for a few years.
International Travel
Even with permanent residency, not all visas grant the holder unlimited international travel for an indefinite period of time. Therefore, you must be sure that you completely understand the rules and conditions surrounding the visa that you hold. There are certain cases when leaving Australia will terminate the permanent residency status. The good news is that holders of this type of visa can usually apply for another status after this time, and the experts at The Migration Place are happy to assist you if you need any help with this.
Permanent Residency for New Zealand Citizens
It is fairly easy for New Zealanders to move to Australia for the purposes of living, working, or studying. The Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement means they qualify for a special visa that is generally granted on arrival. On the other hand, if they want to become a true permanent resident of Australia, they will have to apply separately. This can be beneficial if staying for a long time because it grants access to additional benefits that the Special Category visa given to New Zealand citizens doesn’t offer.
Awards Won
- Finance Monthly – Law Awards 2017: Migration Law Firm of the Year – Australia
- Lawyer Monthly Legal Awards 2016: Migration Lawyer of the Year
- AI M&A Award 2015: Most Innovative Migration Firm Australia