How to apply for Australia PR from India in 2021?

Australia continues to be a popular destination for Indians to seek permanent residency. The trend will continue in 2021. The country is a preferred choice because citizens here enjoy a better quality of life and live in a multicultural society where there is peace and harmony.

The PR visa is valid for five years and lets you work and live anywhere in the country with your family. You can apply for citizenship after three years of living under the PR visa.

Australia’s net migration is expected to fall in 2021 due to the impact of Covid-19. The migration is expected to fall as much as 80% owing to the travel curbs introduced due to Covid-19. This is expected to impact Indian who are the largest source of permanent residents because the processing time is expected to take much longer than usual.

The net overseas migration to Australia is expected to come down to 31,000 in this financial year (July 2020- June 2021) according to the Economic and Fiscal update for Australia compared with 1,54,000 in 2019-20. However, the process to apply for a PR visa has not undergone any major changes. In this post, we will discuss the process of applying for a PR visa from India in 2021.

Assessment of PR visa applications:

PR visa applications are usually done through the General Skilled Migration (GSM) program. Australia uses a points-based system to assess PR visa applications.

To be eligible for a PR visa, you should score enough points. The minimum score is 65 points and comprises of age, qualification, work experience, adaptability etc. Three visa categories come under the points-based system:

Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189):

This visa option is suitable for skilled workers. However, this visa cannot receive sponsorship.

Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190):

This visa is applicable to skilled workers who have a nomination from an Australian state/Territory. For this visa, you will have to prove that your occupation exists in the Skilled Occupation List.

Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Subclass 491 Visa:

This visa has replaced the Subclass 489 Visa as a pathway to a PR visa. Under this visa, skilled workers and their families must live, work and study in designated regional areas for 5 years. They will be eligible for a PR visa after three years.

Eligibility criteria for PR visa:

Points required: Applicants must score at least 65 points in the Points Grid.

• Age: Applicants should be below 45 years
• English proficiency: A competent level of English language proficiency is required
• Health and character: Applicants should have good health and character
• Skills: Applicants must have their skills assessed by certifying authorities in Australia
• Occupation: The applicant must nominate his occupation in Australia’s Skilled Occupation List

Steps to get your Australia PR from India in 2021:

Step 1:  Check the eligibility requirements

Ensure you meet the eligibility requirements.

Check if your occupation features in the list of occupations in demand.

Verify if you have the required points based on the points table.

Step 2: Take the English proficiency Test

You must have the required score in English language proficiency. For this, you should take the specified English language test. Australian immigration authorities accept scores from various English ability tests like IELTS, PTE, TOEFL, etc. So, you can take any of these tests to get the specified score.

Here is a table that explains the IELTS score requirements for various Subclasses and the points you will score:

Visa subclass	IELTS requirements	Points
Subclass 189, 190 and 491	Competent English (IELTS 6 or equivalent in all skills)	0
	Proficient English (IELTS 7 or equivalent in all skills)	10
	Superior English (IELTS 8 or equivalent in all skills)	20

A functional standard of English that can be either an average band score of 4.5 of IELTS or an overall band score of 30 in all four components of the PTE will be required by the end of 2021 for new partner visa applicants. Another option is for applicants to show that they have made attempts to learn the English language by completing 500 hours of English language classes through the AMEP.

Step 3: Select your occupation from the Skilled Occupation List (SOL)

You can select your occupation from any of the following lists:

• Short-term Skilled Occupation List (SOL)
• Consolidated Sponsored Occupation List (CSOL)
• Medium and long-term Strategic Skills List (MTSSL)

Step 4: Register your Expression of Interest

Submit your Expression of Interest (EOI) in Australia’s Skill Select website. Please take care to provide all the required information in the online application.

Step 5: Get your Invitation to Apply (ITA)

If your application meets all the requirements, you will get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for your PR visa.

The government of Australia conducts invitation rounds for PR applicants on a monthly basis. The ITAs can vary depending on the number of candidates who have applied for the nominated occupation and the current occupation ceiling and the time of the year.

The invitation numbers can also vary based on the number of applications that are processed by the immigration department in that month.

Invitation process and cut off: Applicants with the highest score in the points grid are invited to apply for the relevant visa. For applicants who have equal scores, priority is given to those who first reached their points score under the subclass that they have applied for. Similarly, Expressions of Interest submitted at earlier dates are given priority over later ones.

Step 6: Submit your PR application

Submit your PR application within 60 days of getting your ITA. The application must include all the supporting documents for processing your PR visa. These are your:

• Personal documents
• Immigration documents
• Work experience documents

Step 7: Get your clearance certificates

The next step is to submit your police and medical clearance certificates. You must submit your medical clearance certificate after a medical examination.

Step 8:  Get your visa grant

The last step is getting your visa grant.

This is a brief description of the steps involved in submitting your application for an Australia PR visa in 2021. An immigration consultant will guide you better with the process.