🇦🇺 Australia · Permanent Residency
Permanent-residence routes: eligibility, required years of residence, and the official application steps — including any investment routes where a country offers them.
Quick answer
Australian permanent residence comes through skilled (points-tested or employer-sponsored), family, or business/investment streams. PRs can live and work indefinitely; a separate Resident Return Visa is needed to re-enter after the initial travel period.
Australia grants permanent residence mainly through skilled, employer-sponsored, business/investment and family streams. The headline skilled options are the points-tested Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) and the state-nominated Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190); employer sponsorship runs through the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186); plus partner and other family visas. The Department of Home Affairs is the authority.
- Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent) is points-tested and needs no sponsor; you submit an Expression of Interest and must be invited to apply.
- Subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated) requires state/territory nomination (which adds points) and a commitment to live there.
- Subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme) is an employer-sponsored permanent route with several streams.
- Skilled routes generally need a positive skills assessment, an eligible occupation and (usually) age under 45 — check current points and occupation lists.
Step-by-step
- 1
Choose your permanent-visa route
Main routes are skilled migration (points-tested or employer-sponsored), family, and business/investor permanent visas.
- 2
Submit an Expression of Interest
For skilled routes, get a skills assessment and submit an Expression of Interest (SkillSelect) with your points score.
- 3
Get invited and apply
Receive an invitation (or employer/state nomination), then lodge the visa application with Home Affairs and supporting documents.
- 4
Complete health, character and biometrics
Meet health and character requirements (medical exam and police checks) and provide biometrics.
- 5
Receive the permanent visa
On grant you get a permanent visa with a 5-year travel facility; you can live, work and study in Australia indefinitely.
- 6
Understand rights and path to citizenship
Permanent residents access Medicare and most services and can apply for citizenship after 4 years’ residence (including 1 year as a PR).
Checklist
- Permanent-visa route (skilled / family / business)
- Skills assessment + EOI (SkillSelect) + points
- Invitation / nomination + Home Affairs application
- Health + character + biometrics
- Permanent visa (5-year travel facility)
- Live/work/study indefinitely + Medicare
- Citizenship after 4 years (incl. 1 as PR)
- Migration-agent advice if complex
Official authorities
- Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) — Home Affairs
Headline points-tested permanent skilled visa.
- Department of Home Affairs — Find a visa
Full official visa list, including permanent routes.
Frequently asked questions
How do skilled migrants get PR?
Through points-tested visas (e.g. subclass 189/190) or employer-sponsored permanent visas, often after a skills assessment and invitation.
Can PR lead to citizenship?
Yes — permanent residents can apply for citizenship after meeting the residence requirement.
Do I need a visa to re-enter as a PR?
PR includes a travel facility for five years; after that you need a Resident Return Visa to re-enter.
Official-information aggregation, not legal advice. Always verify on the authority's own site.
Government portals
- Australian Government — Australian Government's official entry point — quick access to all department services
- Dept of Home Affairs — Student/work visas, skilled migration (189/190/491 subclasses), and citizenship applications
- Australian Tax Office (ATO) — TFN application, tax refunds, GST, superannuation, and personal income tax lodgment