The Australian government encourages migration that meets the needs of its labor market. Therefore, it grants permanent and provisional visas to skilled workers who have certain abilities that can contribute to the economic development of the country.

These visas are granted according to the parameters of a system called "General Skilled Migration", which requires the applicant to possess certain basic skills. Some of these required skills include: be under 45 years of age, have proficiency in English and hold academic credentials (preferably at a university level). The applicant must also be in a profession, occupation or trade that is on the list of high demanded professions in Australia, and have substantial work experience in their area of competence.

Due to low levels of population growth in certain regions of Australia, the Australian government promotes migration to regional areas. In this case, skilled applicants also need to meet the requirements of an Australian state or territory.

Australian employers are permitted to hire foreign workers when there are vacancies in the labor market that cannot be filled by Australian workers. This visa can include the following categories: labor agreements, distinguished talent, and transfer of employees to branches. It entitles Australian employers to recruit qualified personnel who are outside of Australia, or workers who are in Australia in temporary situations. It favors employers that are based in less populated areas of inland and rural Australia.

This type of visas is for business owners, investors and entrepreneurs who want to establish a business, to undertake entrepreneurial joint ventures or invest in Australia. Australian citizens or permanent residents must be employed as part of their investment in the country. 

Australia welcomes international students who would like to study full time at schools, language institutes, vocational and training institutions and universities.

International students who are taking study programs longer than 3 months need to apply for a Student Visa. Some of the main requirements to apply for this type of visa are: being considered as a genuine student, have a confirmation of enrolment for a study program from an Australian institution, have adequate health insurance and enough funds for your stay, being healthy and not having a criminal record. This visa can be applied for onshore and offshore.

A Training Visa permits foreigners to develop their work experience in Australia. It is used in situations where applicants wish to complete an internship or work experience placement in an established business. The business is the primary source of support for the applicant during the placement, and is responsible for any training the applicant receives. This visa can be applied for onshore and offshore.

This temporary visa allows international students to gain Australian work experience after graduating from certain study programs in Australia after 2 or more years of study. There are two streams in this visa:

Graduate Stream 

This stream is for those students who have completed a 2-year trade certificate, diploma or advanced diploma in Australia which is closely related or highly relevant to a skilled occupation listed in the current Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL). They also must have their skills provisionally assessed by the relevant Australian authority.

It allows eligible students to remain in Australia for an additional 18 months.

Post-Study Work Stream 

This visa is specifically for students who have completed a bachelor, master or PhD program of minimum 2 years of study in any discipline at an Australian university. 

It allows university graduates to stay from 2 to 4 years according to the level of their study. 

Australian citizens and permanent residents can sponsor their children, partners and fiancés, parents, certain relatives and carers for migration to Australia.

Partner Visas are the most common in this category. To sponsor a partner, you must be married, in a de facto relationship, have a registered relationship, or be engaged among other requirements.

This type of visas includes visitor visas, work and holiday visa, working holiday visa and transit visas. 

These are temporary visas that allow tourists or business visitors to visit Australia for a short period of time, international travelers to be in short transit in Australia and eligible young adults from selected countries to work in certain industries while they are on an extended holiday in Australia. 

Under this type of visas, Australia provides protection to genuine refugees and people who are persecuted or facing substantial discrimination or human rights abuse in their home countries.