Chapter 3. The PR Application Process

This post sends us back to the time, when you need to prepare yourself to collect all the information you need to start the application process. I thought the following content might be of help to anyone thinking/starting the "Permanent Resident Visa" application.

Here are some of the useful questions that I had.

1. What is the eligibility criteria for a Permanent Resident (PR from now on) Visa?

2. What Type(s) of VISA am I eligible for?

3. Once I know I'm eligible, what are the next steps? 

4. What all documents do I need?

5. How long does it take for the PR to get approval? 

6. How much is the visa application fees?

7. Do I need to hire an agent or could I do it on my own?

The above questions more or less summarize the whole visa application process. A lot of people get intimidated by listening to other's experiences, and opt for the easy way of hiring an agency. I think whether someone decides to apply on her/his own or hire an agency to do it, the hard work still has to be done by the individual applicant. So, why not do the groundwork first and save your hard earned money.  Remember Australia's Resident Visa fees is on the higher side, so whatever you save in the application process is a bonus when you actually start to settle down here!

Before I move into the process, I think I need to make the following disclaimer.

Disclaimer: Consider the below information only for getting an overview. You should go into the finer details through the official website, as rules change frequently. I'm listing down my experience and make no claim to be an expert into the application process! 

The best way to seek the technical details of what is required, is to go the following official website

https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1

It captures a step-by-step way to arrive at the most eligible visa you might be interested in.

Keep in mind that the whole application process is based on points system. Points are based on:

1. English Proficiency
2. Years of experience in the chosen field of skill (Overseas or Australia)
3. Age of the applicant
4. Education (Overseas or Australia based)
5. Spouse skills
6. Sponsor - State/Relative

Following are critical documents which you would require from your side during the application process:

1. Valid English Proficiency Test Score (IELTS/PTE etc)
2. Verified transcripts for your educational/qualification
3. All work experience certificates (Notarized statement also work in case you don't have it on official letterhead)
4. Police Clearance
5. Medicals

I'm summarizing the sequence of events you might follow for a smoother processing:


Preparation

1. Go through the eligible occupation list. And decide which one fits your skill sets. 
2. Start collating the following important documents and get them verified/notarized 
• All your experience letters on the company's letter head. If your organization says that they don't provide "To whomsoever it may concern" letters, ask them to address it to "Australian Computer Society." The experience letter should include your "Responsibilities e.g. software development, design etc". The tools and technologies you used. This is probably the most time consuming step, so prepare well in time.
• Make sure that the experience letter is inline with the Occupation Code you choose from the occupation list.
• In case your previous organization has stopped operations or is no more in existence. It's perfectly find to capture your experience on a notarized statement from your senior of that organization. 
• Education Transcripts for your Bachelor's/Master's degree. Marksheets for your Xth/Xth grades.


3. Take English proficiency test. Make sure that you qualify in all sections of the test. Try to score the maximum as these add towards the Points. I believe the minimum cut-off is 60 points. And you don't want to miss out on these easy points. 
4. English proficiency test is mandatory only for the primary applicant. For your partner you could just submit the statement from the university he/she graduated stating that the medium of instruction was English. Same apply for kids. 

ACS (Australian Computer Society) Assessment 

1. You would submit the documents you prepared in STEP 2 above against the Occupation Code called ANZSCO code and pay the assessment fees.
2. Once your assessment is over you should receive a letter saying something like "assessed to be suitable for migration under <ANZSCO CODE>"

Submission of EOI

1. Each member of the family (part of the application) submits form80. Be prepared with all the  supporting documents like including the English proficiency, PCC  (Police Clearance) etc. 

Invitation & Submission

1. Once you get the invitation for applying. You need to use the all the documents and anything that is mentioned on the official website and pay the VISA application fees to submit your application.
2. The Invitation is valid only for 60 days. 
3. Make sure that you submit the whole application in one go. Which means that you gather all the information like Police Clearance Certificate, Medicals for all the members and then submit the application. If you don't do it, it would still be asked by the case officer at a later stage, thereby, delaying the whole process. 

Once, you're done with the application submission, you would be assigned a case officer who would check all the details and would ask for anything missing in the supporting documents. This usually is a long process and as per my experience people with higher points get a preference. So, make sure that you do focus on acquiring the maximum points. Understand the point system well, shine in your English Proficiency Test.

This post has become more of a pedantic "How To Do" types!! But, it took sometime to gather the information and put it in a cohesive understandable format.

Hope it's helpful! 

Phew...!! Next up, the interesting stuff related to Job Hunt.