Here’s another article in our Australian Employer Series.
Categories of Australian Visas
There are only two fundamental categories of Australian visas.
They are,
- Substantive visas, and,
- Non-substantive visas.
There are two types of substantive visas:
1. Permanent Visas
Permanent visa holders have full work rights and may work for any employer. Permanent residency visas include Skilled Independent (Subclass 189) or Employer Nominated (Subclass 186), by way of example.
Permanent residents are granted a five-year travel facility on their visa and can apply for a Resident Return Visa when it expires.
Once residency requirements are met, permanent visas lead to Australian citizenship.
2. Temporary Visas
Temporary visas permit people to reside in Australia for a limited time, with or without work rights.
Examples of temporary residence visas include Visitor Visas, Subclass 482 TSS (Temporary Short Stay) Visas, Student Visas, and Working Holiday Visas, amongst many others.
Unlike permanent residence visa holders, temporary residence visa holders may not have guaranteed work rights and may face additional visa restrictions based on their visa type.
Non-substantive visas
Non-substantive visas include bridging and special purpose visas, such as maritime crew visas, granted to visiting ships’ crews upon arrival in an Australian port.
Bridging visas generally allow individuals to remain in Australia whilst another Visa application is being processed or is granted to enable a person to stay lawfully in Australia while preparing to leave the country after a Visa expiry.
Non-substantive visas may have work rights, but many still need to.
Do you need help working out which visa is best for you? That’s why we’re here!