An attractive option for students is to seek Permanent Residence (PR) after they complete their studies in Australia. Permanent Residency (PR) in Australia is similar to the Green Card in USA where a person can retain ones nationality to live and work in the country.

In addition to providing an outstanding educational opportunity, once you have completed a registered course of 2 years study in Australia you may be eligible to apply within Australia for a Skilled Permanent Residency Visa under the Graduate Overseas Student Subclass. This will entitle you to permanent residency status thus allowing you unrestricted work rights in Australia.

Your Australian qualification will allow you to claim extra points in the Skilled Visa Points test, which is for a total of 120 points.

While grant of PR is based on the Points System as determined by the Australian Government, it is interesting to note that some parts of Australia are ‘special’. That is, if a student completes his/her education in those areas, they will get an ADDITIONAL FIVE POINTS for PR purpose.

Applicants who have completed an Australian doctorate as a result of at least 2 years' study in Australia will now be eligible for 25 points.

To be eligible for 15 points, applicants must complete a total of three years' study in Australia that has resulted in the applicant completing:

Any applicant who has one or more Australian degrees, diplomas or trade qualifications and who meets the 2 year study requirement will continue to be eligible for 5 points.

Furthermore if you studied in a regional area of Australia you may be eligible for additional points.

Most importantly, if you study for an Australian Bachelor’s degree or higher qualification (the result of 2 years full-time study in Australia), then you may be able to be nominated for a 60-point occupation from the Skilled Occupations List (SOL) and be able to remain in Australia after completion of your course and lodge a skilled visa application.

If one studies in the following universities within NORTHERN TERRITORY and SOUTH AUSTRALIA, they get this additional benefit:

Please note you must gain a skills assessment result and submit your visa application within 6 months of completing your qualification. As an onshore overseas student, you will receive a concession for not having recent work experience. Provided you have suitable qualifications for your nominated occupation and you receive a positive skills assessment, you will be exempt from the recent work experience requirement. This could make gaining a skilled visa much easier.

If your skills assessment processing is likely to take longer than the expiry date of your student visa you can apply for a Graduate Skilled Temporary Visa which will keep you in lawful status.

About Permanent Residency
Permanent Residency (PR) in Australia is similar to the Green Card in USA where a person can retain ones nationality to live and work in the country. After completion of their 2 years educational program in Australia, international students can apply for Australia PR. Else one have to accomplish the course along with the occupation category accumulating to 2 years, which will be assessed to secure 120 points (which was previous 60 points) as an eligibility to clear the pass mark for Permanent Residency. In the mid of 1999, the government of Australia has stated that students with a diploma from the universities or business college can get the citizenship of the country.

How to Get Australian Work Permit
Since 2000, Australian student visa has been set a policy that international students are not permitted to work without the consent of immigration authority. The process of obtaining work permit will be initiated with the course in Australia. Students have to enroll for the work visa at least 3 months before the expiry of the student visa. Students have to approach DIMIA with a letter signed by the school, confirming your enrolment and attendance, along with your passport and pay the tax of about Aus$ 60. Whereby, you will get a stamp permitting you to work in Australia. The whole application process can be performed through online and will take one week of time period. The work permit will be applied for all the international students.

To stay in Australia after completion of the studies, you have to apply for the work visa. There are various choices to get work permit in Australia based on the skills and competence of the individual, their profession and even their home country. In such situation it is always recommended to contact DIAC or any registered immigration agent.

New List of Occupations Under MODL, as on 17th May 2008
MODL (Migration Occupations in Demand List) is the list of all the professions that are recognized as the highly demanded occupation in Australia. This list of occupations is identified by DEEWR (Department of Education and Workplace Relations). The following table provides you the current list of occupations that are in demand for obtaining Australian Permanent Residency.

Students nominated for any of the above specialised occupations will be awarded MODL points. These points are considered by ACS (Australian Computer Society) to evaluate their skills required to reach the expectations of the assessing body.

For full details about working or PR in Australia, please visit www.immi.gov.au