While it may seem like a hard and arduous process to get permanent residence in Australia (PR Visa), compared to many other countries around the world it’s actually quite easy. In fact, Australia is continually listed as one of the easiest countries to grant PR.
Who wouldn’t want to live in Australia? The many employment opportunities, relaxed lifestyle, and quality of life make it a sought-after destination for those overseas wanting to make it their home. The fact that Australia’s immigration program is one of the most efficient and regulated programs makes the immigration process easy.
But if Australia is such a great place and everyone wants to live here, why do we make it so easy to get PR Visa? If something is considered valuable, shouldn’t it be harder to get?
The Albanese Government increased the annual permanent migration intake to 195,000 places in its 2022/23 migration program. This was an additional 35,000 places on top of the Morrison Government’s pre-Covid permanent migration figure of 160,000.
These changes were made to address skills shortages and reduce the reliance on temporary workers. The reliance on temporary workers became evident when during the Covid-19 pandemic Australia experienced a cumulative loss of approximately 600,000 temporary visa holders.
In October 2022, a new Ministerial Direction came into effect which saw the occupation lists relaxed and formalised the government’s processing priorities for the health and education sectors. Taking it further, New South Wales eliminated visa application requirements in relation to work experience and minimum points scores for their skilled-nominated visa category. All these actions helped reduce the difficulty of obtaining PR in Australia.
How Do You Get PR Visa in Australia?
To become a PR Visa in Australia, you need to apply and be granted a permanent visa. The four most common permanent resident pathways are:
- The family stream permanent visa
- The skilled Stream permanent visa
- The work stream permanent visa
- The business or investor stream permanent visa
Each of these visa streams has requirements that need to be met in order to be eligible for a visa. Of course, the type of visa you are applying for will have an impact on the difficulty level of obtaining permanent residence.
Once someone is granted permanent residence, they are entitled to many benefits that citizens are entitled to, such as:
- Access to Medicare
- Permanent employment
- Being able to buy property with the local tax rate
- Being able to work in New Zealand
- Local public education for children
- Being able to apply for Australian citizenship if eligible.
Is It a Big Deal if Gaining Permanent Residence in Australia is Easy?
It may not seem like a big deal that getting an Australian PR Visa is easy, but like most things, there are many points of view. The overall value of Australian permanent residence is a big consideration. If Australian permanent residence is so coveted, why are we just handing it out?
Secondly, there are flow-on effects. More permanent migrants put a strain on many aspects of life in Australia such as housing, healthcare, and infrastructure. Australia is already experiencing a housing crisis so how will it accommodate an increase in population? Will our already struggling healthcare system be able to cope?
Overall, there are benefits to granting migrants a PR Visa, both to Australia and the migrants wanting to make Australia their home permanently, but shouldn’t the government make it something worth working for?
If you would like to learn more about PR Visa in Australia or any other aspect of migration, speak to the experienced team of registered migration agents at Visa Solutions. Book a consultation.
