Australia Work Visa Essentials

Begin these steps as soon as possible after your education provider has confirmed you have successfully completed your course.

Make sure you have a passport

You need a valid passport for this visa. If you plan to get a new passport, do so before applying for this visa.

Check your visa conditions

If you have a current visa with a 'No further stay' condition 8534 or 8503 on your current visa, you can’t apply for this visa online. You will need to apply for and have the condition waived using Form 1447 No Further Stay waiver. You will then need to submit an ImmiAccount technical support form.

To see your conditions see VEVO.

Organise health exams

You might need to have health examinations. You can complete them before you apply or you can wait until after you apply.

Find out the examinations you need and how to arrange them if you want to have them before you apply.

Get help with your application

Only some people can help you with your application. If you appoint someone to give you immigration assistance they must be:

• a registered migration agent
• a legal practitioner, or
• an exempt person.

You can appoint anyone to receive documents on your behalf relating to your visa matter.

Arrange a skills assessment

A relevant assessing authority must assess your skills as being suitable for your nominated occupation.

Each authority assesses the skills against its individual professional standards.

Contact the relevant authority to find the requirements for your occupation

The relevant authority for your occupation can be found in the list of eligible skilled occupations. Most authorities will only give a positive assessment if you have a post-secondary qualification. Authorities may accept relevant work experience for some occupations.

Organise your skills assessment with the relevant authority

• Organize your skills assessment with the relevant authority. Please note that each assessment is only valid until the expiry date on the assessment, or 3 years from the date of issue, whichever comes first.
• Keep in mind that you can get more than one skill assessed, but you can only have one nominated occupation when you apply. Additionally, you cannot change your occupation after you are invited to apply for a points-tested skilled migration visa.
• Remember that assessing authorities are only responsible for undertaking skills assessments. They cannot help you find a job or tell you if you are likely to get a visa.
• Some authorities provide provisional or subclass 485 skills assessments. However, these assessments are only for subclass 485 visas and cannot be used to apply for a points-tested skilled migration visa.

Provide proof of your study, qualifications, skills assessment, identity and relationships. You will also need to provide documents for your family members.

Provide accurate information

Provide accurate information. See what happens if you can't prove your identity or don't provide true information.

Identity documents

Submit passport pages with personal details, photo, and issue/expiry dates, along with national identity card and proof of name change (e.g. marriage certificate or official documents).

Study documents

To prove completion of your course, provide a letter from your education provider with start and end dates and CRICOS code, along with certified course transcripts. If you've used course credit to meet Australian study requirements, provide those details too.

English language requirement documents

Skills assessment documents

(Note: this is not required for applications lodged between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023)

Provide evidence that your skills have been assessed as suitable for your nominated occupation by the relevant assessment authority.

If you haven’t got one yet, you can provide evidence that you have applied to the relevant assessment authority to have your skills assessed and send the completed assessment before we make a decision on your visa.

Attach the completed assessment as soon as you can in ImmiAccount.

Health insurance documents

Character documents

Tell us you are getting help

To nominate someone to:

• receive your correspondence, use Form 956A Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient (301KB PDF)
• provide immigration assistance, use Form 956 Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person (308KB PDF).

Upload your written notification or your forms to ImmiAccount.

Partner documents

For partner documents, provide:

• Identity documents
• Character documents
• Documents about other family members, if applicable

If married, provide:

• Marriage certificate or other evidence of a valid marriage in Australia

If in a de facto relationship, provide proof that:

• You have a mutual commitment with your partner to the exclusion of all others
• Your relationship is genuine and continuing
• You either live together or don't live permanently apart
• You are not related by family

Additional proof of a de facto relationship:

• Evidence of being in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months before applying for the visa
• Evidence of registration of the relationship by a participating Australian state or territory, if applicable.

Dependants under 18 documents

• For dependents 18 years old or younger, provide copies of their birth certificates, adoption papers (if applicable), and parental responsibility documents.
• Consent is required from anyone who has a legal right to decide where the child lives and is not coming to Australia with the child.
• Consent can be given through Form 1229 or a statutory declaration.
• An Australian court order or proof of laws allowing the child to migrate can also be provided.
• Include an identity document of the person who completed the form or declaration, as well as adoption papers or court documents if applicable.

Dependants over 18 documents

To include your child in your visa application, they must be:

• Over 18 but not yet turned 23 and dependent on you or your partner, or
• Over 23 and unable to support themselves due to physical or cognitive limitations and dependent on you or your partner.
• Provide identity documents, documents about their relationships, if applicable, and character documents.
• Proof of relationship with the dependent, such as birth certificates or adoption papers, is required.
• Completed Form 47a Details of a child or other dependent family member aged 18 years or over (307KB PDF) are required.
• Proof of financial dependencies, such as bank statements, money transfers, and rent receipts, is required.
• If the child is over 23 or is likely to turn 23 during the application process, a report from a qualified medical practitioner stating that they are dependent on you or your partner due to the total or partial loss of their bodily or mental functions is required.

Prepare your documents

Translate all non-English documents into English. Australian translators must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.

Translators outside Australia do not have to be accredited but must include their full name, address, telephone number, qualifications, and experience in the language they are translating in each translation in English.

Note that there is no need to have any documents certified.

Scan or photograph

Scan or photograph all documents (English and non-English) in color.

The scans and photos must be clear.

If a document is more than one page, save it all as one file.

You must apply for this visa online.

Provide accurate information

Provide accurate information. See what happens if you can't prove your identity or don't provide true information.

Apply online

• Create an account or log in to ImmiAccount
• Attach documents
• Have family applications processed together. Each family member must still have their application charge paid and documents attached to their application
• Pay the application charge.

We will not process your application until you pay the charge.

• When you submit your application you must pay for yourself and your family members or your application will not be valid.

Note:

• Choose visa stream carefully - it is not possible to make changes after you apply
• A valid application must be made within the eligibility timeframe. Late applications cannot be accepted.
• Applications are received at Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) (or Australian Eastern daylight standard time (AEDST) when applicable).

When you submit your application you must attach the following information:

• evidence of successful course completion
• evidence of the required level of English
• evidence all applicants over the age of 16 years have applied for an AFP check
• evidence of adequate health insurance for all applicants
• evidence you have applied for a skills assessment in your nominated occupation on the skilled occupation list

If you have a technical problem with your ImmiAccount or online application see how to resolve error messages when submitting online.

We will let you know when we have received your application and documents. See what you can and must do after you apply.

Status updates

If it is within standard processing times do not call. We can't provide any further updates on the application's progress.

You can see if we have asked for more information in your ImmiAccount.

Travel after you apply

Tell us if you want to travel outside Australia while we process your application. We need to know because you must be in Australia when we make our decision.

If you leave Australia, make sure you have a valid visa to return.

Learn about visa expiry.

Health exams

We will let you know if you need health examinations.

Attach more information

• If documents are missing, attach them in ImmiAccount as soon as possible
• The department may request additional information
• Respond by the deadline given by the department
• Failure to provide information may result in a decision based on available information

Stay lawful

To stay lawful while your visa application is being processed, make sure to:

• Hold a valid visa
• Do not cancel your current visa
• You were granted a bridging visa when you applied for your current visa
• If your current visa expires before a decision is made, the bridging visa will start
• You can stay in Australia on the bridging visa while your new visa application is processed

Learn more about visa expiry

Add family

• To add your dependent child to your 485 visa application, complete Form 1436 with a clear statement and attach supporting documents such as the child's passport, birth certificate, and relationship/custody proof.
• Your family can also apply to join you in Australia as a subsequent entrant after the visa is granted.
• If your child is born after you apply but before the visa decision, notify us immediately and provide a copy of the child's birth certificate, completed Form 1022, and supporting documents including the child's passport if available.

Mistakes on your application

Let us know as soon as you can.

Complete Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers (168KB PDF)

Help with your application

Let us know if you no longer want someone to:

• receive your correspondence - complete Form 956A Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient (301KB PDF)
• provide immigration advice - complete Form 956 Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person (308KB PDF).

Upload your written notification or your forms to ImmiAccount.

For more information see Who can help you with your application.

Tell us if things change

Things you need to let us know about include:

• changes to the child's phone number, address or passport
• changes to the child's relationship status
• the birth of a child
• you want to withdraw the application

See how to tell us if your situation changes.

• You can be in or outside Australia but not in immigration clearance, when we decide on your visa application
• Subsequent entrants can be in or outside Australia when we decide on their application
• Visa decision will be communicated in writing, including grant number, start date, and conditions (if granted)
• Refusal reasons will be communicated, with information on review rights
• Visa application charge will not be refunded in case of refusal

If your visa application is approved

If we grant your visa, we will tell you:

• your visa grant number
• your visa grant date
• your visa conditions

Keep a copy of the email with you when in Australia.

If your visa application is refused

We will notify you via email, explaining the reason for the refusal and whether you can request a review of the decision. Please note that the application charge will not be refunded in case of refusal.