Australia Immigration PR Visa Process

Australia’s official government site states that for the year 2026, the planning level is set to 132,200 places. Workforce shortage being the key reason for ramping up the number of allocations, it is great news for skilled aspirants from India to go ahead and apply for Australian PR through the General Skilled Immigration Program. The different pathways under you can apply for a Australia PR includes:

Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189)

Applicants can get an Australian PR through this pathway with a mandate that the occupation be present in the Skill Occupation List and a positive skill assessment. It is a points-tested stream and lets visa holders work and live indefinitely anywhere in Australia. The skilled independent visa doesn’t require a sponsor or state nomination. Both onshore and offshore aspirants can apply for a visa under this subclass. A 65+ score is the basic requirement; however, the higher the score, the better are the chances of invitation.

Cost : The approximate visa cost involved is AUD 4910.

Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190)

You can Australian permanent residency via the skilled nominated stream on getting nominated/ sponsored by a state or territory. In the EOI, aspirants have to express their interest in working and living in a particular state, and upon sufficient points, eligibility criteria and other factors, the state will decide to sponsor. State sponsorship will fetch you an additional 15 points in the overall PR score.

Cost : The cost involved for a skilled nominated visa is approximately AUD 4910.

Skilled Regional Visa (subclass 491 - Provisional)

It is a pathway for aspirants who want to work and stay in a regional place in the country for a tenure of 5 years. This ain’t directly a PR, but subclass 491 lets you enter Australia, work in the relevant occupation for 3 years, after which you can apply for a PR.

Cost : The visa fee for a skilled regional visa (subclass 491) is AUD 4,240.

While the requirements may vary depending on the pathway one chooses to apply for, listed below are the generic requisites to apply for an Australian PR through the Skilled Immigration Program.

1. Satisfy the basic eligibility criteria (age below 45, education, work experience)
2. Make sure your occupation is on Australia’s Skilled Occupation List
3. Demonstrate adequate language proficiency in IELTS or PTE
4. Get a positive skill assessment from your respective assessing authority
5. Submit an EOI (Expression of Interest)
6. Apply for the PR on receiving an invitation

Skilled Immigration Program is a points-based system and hence, to begin with, you can self-evaluate your profile with our Australia PR points calculator to analyze where you stand before taking the next step in your visa process since only those with 65 points and above are eligible to apply.

First and foremost, you ought to be able to score 65 points to be eligible to apply under the skilled immigration program. However, this is done only after confirming your occupation is listed in Australia’s Skilled Occupation List.

While you can always use our Australia PR calculator for the same, talking to our experts at GreenTree would be the best step to initiate with.

Demonstrating language proficiency in IELTS or PTE is a key mandate and we provide you guidance in helping you achieve this with flying colors in all bands.

Then, we document all your proof of age, education, and work experience letter to create a profile and apply for skilled assessment. Only with a positive skill assessment, will you be able to proceed further.

On a positive result, an impactful EOI ought to be submitted.

Now, an invitation to apply is issued, following which we assist with your visa application.

Once you get through, we assist you with getting your health evaluation and the final step, the police clearance certificate.

Year after year, Australia welcomes an increasing number of immigrants from India as industries continue to keep growing paving way for a multitude of opportunities for skilled immigrants via Australia PR.

1. The Australian government has allocated 185,000 places for skilled migration in its 2026 immigration planning levels.
2. The number allocated for skilled migration is 132,200, for the family program is 52,500, and for special eligibility is 300.
3. Due to the skill shortages in a diverse range of industries, more skilled migrants will be welcomed next year.
4. The partner visa is said to be processed on a demand-driven basis.
5. The parent visa for permanent migration program has 8500 places allocated.
6. Visa application backlogs will be reduced on a priority basis the coming year.

Skill Stream Visa
Visa Category	2024-25 Planning Levels
Employer-Sponsored	44,000
Skilled Independent	16,900
State/Territory Nominated	33,000
Regional	33,000
Business Innovation & Investment	1,000
Talent and Innovation	4,300
Global Talent (Independent)	-
Distinguished Talent	-
Total (Skilled Stream)	1,32,200
Family Stream Visa
Visa Category	2024-25 Planning Levels
Partner	40,500
Parent	8,500
Child	3,000
Other Family	500
Total (Family Stream)	52,500
Special Category Visa
Special Eligibility	300
Overall Allocations Total	1,85,000

Skilled Immigration Program is a points-based system and hence, to begin with, you can self-evaluate your profile with our Australia PR points calculator to analyze where you stand before taking the next step in your visa process since only those with 65 points and above are eligible to apply.

Australia Labour Market Updates

According to the recent reports by the Australian Labor Market, the following are the industries in top demand for the next few years till November 2026.

Growth in jobs by industry in Australia

149,600
Education and Training

206,600
Professional, Scientific and Technical Service

Growth in jobs by occupation group in Australia

14.7%
Professional

9.2%
Manager

3.3%
Sales

6.1%
Technical

Latest Australia Immigration News

The Australian government has announced visa allocations for the 2025-26 Skilled Migration Program. Eight states and territories have been allocated 20,350 visa places for the Subclass 190 and Subclass 491 visas. This opens up exciting opportunities for skilled workers seeking permanent residency in Australia.

2025–26 state and territory nomination allocations

State	Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190)	Skilled Work Regional Visa (Subclass 491)
Australian Capital Territory (ACT)	800	800
New South Wales (NSW)	2,100	1,500
Northern Territory (NT)	850	800
Queensland (QLD)	1,850	750
South Australia (SA)	1,350	900
Tasmania (TAS)	1,200	650
Victoria (VIC)	2,700	700
Western Australia (WA)	2,000	1,400
Subtotal	12,850	7,500
Total Allocations	20,350