Can I move to Australia without a job in 2021?

The answer to this question is yes, you can immigrate to Australia without a job in 2021. But moving to Australia with a job in hand gives you extra points and will help to give your profile a good score.  It will add points to the point-based Australian immigration system where a higher number of points will mean better chances of getting an Australian PR visa.

You can still move to Australia without a job in 2021. The Australian government offers many visa options based on eligibility criteria with which you can migrate to Australia. This post will give you details on these options.

Moving to Australia without a job offer

Australia offers several immigration pathways for individuals who are well-educated and highly skilled and can contribute to the Australian economy. Australia requires skilled workers who can contribute to the country’s development.

1. SkillSelect Program

The Australian government has the SkillSelect program to help individuals move to Australia without a job offer. Under this program you can move to Australia to find a job there. The program helps you to prove that you have the required skills and qualifications required to work in Australia.

Through this program, your information will be made available to employers and governments of the states and territories and they can decide to nominate you. When you send an Expression of Interest (EOI) via the Skill Select program, you let the government know you 're interested in working in Australia.

To submit an EOI your occupation must be on the List of Skilled Occupations. After getting your EOI, you'll be ranked based on a points test. If you have the required points, you qualify for the Skill Select program.

You are given points under the following criteria:

• Age
• English language proficiency
• Skilled employment
• Educational qualification
• Australian qualifications
• Regional study
• Community language skills
• Spouse/partner skills and qualifications
• Professional year

Skilled Independent visa (Subclass 189): Before submitting your application under this category, you must give an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect. This can be done within or outside of Australia.

Eligibility criteria The applications are by invitation only, for this you should: Have Experience in a nominated occupation on Australia's Skilled Occupations List Get a skill assessment report by a designated authority for that occupation Submit an Expression of Interest Age must be under 45 years Must pass the Skilled assessment test Score at least 65 on the points test Meet health and character requirements

Once you receive an invitation to apply for this visa, you must do so within 60 days.

The processing time for this visa takes around 4 to 7 months provided you follow proper filing and documentation procedures.

2. Skilled Nominated visas

Subclass 190

You qualify for this visa if you are nominated by an Australian state or territory. The privileges in this visa are the same as the Skilled Independent visa (Subclass 189)

The application requirements are similar except that you should have experience in a nominated occupation on the Skilled Occupations List.

The candidate must choose an occupation from CSOL i.e. Consolidated Sponsored Occupation List and submit their profiles accordingly with the key documents. The candidate’s skills must be relevant with the eligible skilled occupations that are in demand in that part of Australia.  The other eligibility requirements include:

Eligibility criteria Score of at least 60 points in the points test Have a score of at least 6 in the IELTS language test Submit an Expression of Interest or EOI to the Australian immigration authority Get the health and police clearance certificates

The processing time for this visa usually takes 7 to 13 months

Subclass 489 visa

Eligibility criteria Applicant must be nominated to apply by a state or territory government or be sponsored by an eligible relative Have an occupation in the relevant skilled occupation list Must have the skills assessment for the occupation Get an invitation to apply Applicant must score the required points (65 points) Have the required English proficiency level Be under 45 years of age

 3. Family Sponsorship program

You can move to Australia without a job under this program provided you have a family member in Australia who is a Permanent Resident or is a citizen of Australia. If your spouse, parent, sibling or any other close relative is willing to sponsor your PR visa, then you can use this option. Under this program it is not mandatory to have a job offer prior to your moving to the country.

4. Business Innovation and Investment program

Under this program you can own and manage a business in Australia or conduct a business or investment activity entrepreneurial activity in Australia.

Eligibility criteria Submission of your Expression of Interest in SkillSelect Nomination from a state or territory government agency or Austrade Invitation to apply

5. Global talent scheme

The visa was introduced to bring in highly skilled global talent to the country and encourage innovation. The goal of the scheme was to provide startups in Australia access to workers from other countries with cutting-edge skills that were lacking in local Australians.

Eligibility requirements No familial relationship with the directors and shareholders of the company Adherence to health, character and security requirements Matching of qualifications with the role applied for At least three years of work experience relevant to the position applied for Capacity to transfer skills to Australians

The scheme aims to fill niche roles in businesses that can’t be filled by local Australians or through the standard TSS visa program.

Migration program planning levels 2020-21

The Australian government released details of migration program planning levels for 2020-21. These are the details of places allotted to each migration program in this period:

Skilled Stream category	2020-21 Planning Levels
Employer Sponsored (Employer Nomination Scheme)	22,000
Skilled Independent	6,500
State/Territory (Skilled Nominated permanent)	11,200
Regional (Skilled employer sponsored/skilled work regional)	11,200
Business Innovation and Investment Program	13,500
Global Talent Program	15,000
Distinguished Talent	200
Total	79,600
Family Stream Category	2020-21 Planning Levels
Partner	72,300
Parent	4,500
Other Family	500
Total	77,300
Child & Special Eligibility	3,100

As you can see there are quite a number of places allotted to migration pathways that do not require you to have a job to move to Australia in 2021.

To help you check on the eligibility criteria and choose the best visa option, you can get in touch with an immigration consultant who will guide you through the immigration process.