🇦🇺Country guide · 2026 edition
Australia: the highest salaries we place, on a points test you can plan for.
SkillSelect rewards exactly what Indian professionals have — degrees, experience and English — and pays them more than anywhere else we file.
- Currency
- Australian dollar (AUD)
- Language
- English
- Time vs IST
- 2.5–5.5 h ahead
- Indian community
- 1 million+ — 2nd largest migrant group
- Delhi → Sydney
- ~12.5 h non-stop
- Average salary
- $85,000 AUD
- Processing time
- 8–15 months
- Our success rate
- 91%
- Professionals placed
- 650+
Stop 01 · Overview
Australia at a glance.
Australia runs the world's most transparent skilled-migration system: a points test, an occupation list and a published invitation round. If you know your score you know your odds, and our MARA-registered agents build files that clear the bar rather than hope.
Since late 2024 the temporary skilled route has been rebuilt as Skills in Demand, state nomination is doing more of the heavy lifting, and regional Australia is being rewarded with extra points. The direction is clear — Australia wants skilled people who will settle outside Sydney and Melbourne.
Stop 02 · Strategic pathways
Strategic pathways to relocate.
Six doors in. The right one depends on your degree, experience, money and how much patience you have.
Route 01
Skilled Independent (subclass 189)
For: High-scoring professionals on the skilled occupation list
Permanent residence with no employer or state tie; invitations go to the top scores.
Route 02
State Nominated (subclass 190)
For: Occupations a state or territory is actively short of
Nomination adds 5 points and a commitment to live in that state for two years.
Route 03
Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491)
For: Candidates open to regional cities like Adelaide, Hobart or Perth
15 extra points; provisional visa converting to PR (191) after three years.
Route 04
Skills in Demand (subclass 482)
For: Professionals with an Australian employer sponsor
Replaced the old TSS visa in 2024; leads to PR via subclass 186 after two years.
Route 05
Student (500) → Temporary Graduate (485)
For: Admits to Australian universities and TAFEs
Two to three years of open work rights after a degree.
Route 06
Partner & family visas
For: Spouses and de facto partners of citizens and permanent residents
Two-stage temporary-then-permanent grant.
Stop 03 · Visa & immigration
Visa & immigration details.
Australian skilled visas are won before you apply. Your occupation must be on the right list, your skills must be formally assessed by the relevant body, and your points must beat the round. Only then do you lodge an Expression of Interest and wait for an invitation.
What you'll need to show
- Positive skills assessment from your occupation's authority (ACS, Engineers Australia, VETASSESS, AHPRA…)
- English test — IELTS, PTE or OET; Superior English adds 20 points
- Points for age, experience, qualifications and partner skills
- Expression of Interest in SkillSelect, then a state nomination if pursued
- Health examination with a panel clinic after invitation
- Police clearances from India and any other country of residence
- Form 80 and full travel/employment history — inconsistencies are refused
Stop 04 · Study & education
Study & education.
Australia's Group of Eight universities sit alongside strong regional universities and a TAFE system that leads straight into trades and healthcare. Degrees are generally two years for a master's, and the Temporary Graduate visa gives you time to convert study into a skilled visa.
- Temporary Graduate visa: 2 years for a bachelor's/master's by coursework, longer for research
- Students may work 48 hours a fortnight during term
- Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) is mandatory for the whole course
- Genuine Student requirement replaced the old GTE statement in 2024
- Regional campuses earn extra points and longer post-study work rights
Stop 05 · Job market
Job market & opportunities.
Australian salaries are the highest of any country we serve, and the shortage list is long: nurses, engineers, IT, teachers, electricians, chefs and accountants all appear. Mining and infrastructure pay extraordinary money in Western Australia and Queensland for people willing to relocate.
Stop 06 · Can I afford it?
Can I afford it?.
Australia is expensive but pays for it. Sydney rents rival London; Adelaide and Perth are far kinder and come with extra migration points. Groceries, petrol and childcare are the everyday shocks; healthcare through Medicare softens the rest.
Expensive
Sydney · Melbourne
The biggest job markets and the tightest rental markets in the country.
Balanced
Brisbane · Perth · Canberra
Strong employers, more space, and Perth counts as regional for points.
Easier
Adelaide · Hobart · Gold Coast · Newcastle
Regional bonuses, lower rents and states that nominate generously.
Budget for these before you fly
- Four weeks' bond plus rent in advance
- Skills assessment and English test fees before any visa fee
- Private health cover until Medicare applies to your visa
- A car — public transport thins out fast outside city centres
- Childcare, which is among the costliest in the world
Stop 07 · Why go
Why Australia?.
Highest salaries we place
Median full-time earnings well above the UK and Canada, with a strong dollar.
A points test you can plan
Transparent scoring — we can tell you exactly what to improve and by how much.
PR from day one on 189/190
Land as a permanent resident with Medicare, schooling and full work rights.
Weather and lifestyle
Beaches, sunshine and an outdoor culture that Indian families take to instantly.
Same time zone as work
Only a few hours ahead of India — easy calls home and easy remote work.
MARA-registered filing
Our agents are regulated by the Australian government, and accountable to it.
Stop 08 · Life there
What's it like to live there?.
Australia is relaxed, sunny and sport-mad. Work ends on time, weekends are for the beach or the barbecue, and every suburb has a cricket net. Indian communities in Parramatta, Harris Park and Melbourne's west are thriving; the flip side is distance — everywhere else is a long flight away.
Stop 09 · Long-term
Long-term: residence & citizenship.
Australia grants permanent residence outright on the main skilled visas, so the long game is short. Citizenship follows four years of lawful residence, at least one of them as a permanent resident, and Australia allows dual nationality — India does not, so most clients take OCI.
- Stage 1
Provisional or sponsored visa
Subclass 491 or 482 — regional or employer commitment for 2–3 years
- Stage 2
Permanent residence
Direct on 189/190, or via 191/186 — five-year travel facility, Medicare, schooling
- Stage 3
Citizenship
4 years lawfully resident incl. 12 months as PR, plus the citizenship test
Stop 10 · Relocation process
Relocation process, step by step.
Eight stops from first call to first paycheque. We run them in parallel wherever the rules allow.
- 01
Profile assessment
Points calculated honestly, occupation matched to the current lists.
- 02
Pathway selection
189, a state nomination, a regional plan or employer sponsorship.
- 03
Skills assessment
Filed with your occupation's authority — the slowest step, so it goes first.
- 04
English test
PTE or IELTS coaching aimed at the exact band that lifts your score.
- 05
Expression of Interest
Lodged in SkillSelect and, where useful, with one or more states.
- 06
Invitation & lodgement
Full application within 60 days of invitation, with health and character checks.
- 07
Grant
Visa grant notice — PR visas require an initial entry by a set date.
- 08
Landing
Tax File Number, Medicare card, bank account, superannuation fund and a home.
Stop 11 · Taxes
Taxes in Australia.
Australia taxes residents on worldwide income through a progressive scale, and employers pay a compulsory superannuation contribution on top of your salary into a retirement fund you own. The Medicare levy funds public healthcare.
- Apply for a Tax File Number (TFN) online as soon as you land
- Tax year runs 1 July to 30 June; returns are due 31 October
- Employers pay 12% superannuation into your fund — on top of salary
- Medicare levy of 2% is added to income tax for most residents
- Tax-free threshold on the first $18,200 for residents
- India–Australia treaty stops double taxation of Indian income
General orientation, not tax advice — rates and thresholds change every year. We confirm the current figures when we plan your move.
Stop 12 · Departure
Ready to start your Australian journey?
Send us your occupation, experience and English scores and we'll calculate your points, name the states most likely to nominate you and tell you how many rounds you're from an invitation — free, within 24 hours.
Your file could be the next one stamped.
Get a free, honest read on your profile — which country fits, which program to file, and what it will really take.
Free profile review · Response within 24 hours · Mon–Sat, 10 AM – 7 PM