Permanent Visas

Main permanent visas include Skilled Independent (189), Skilled Nominated (190), Employer Nomination (186), Partner (801/100), Parent (103/143) and National Innovation (858). The 491 is a provisional visa that leads to the permanent 191. The Business Innovation (888) visa is available only to existing holders of a 188 visa, because no new 188 applications can be made.

PR allows indefinite stay and work rights. Citizenship adds voting rights, Australian passport, and protection from deportation. You can apply for citizenship after living in Australia on a valid visa for 4 years, holding a permanent visa for the last 12 months, and spending no more than 12 months outside Australia in those 4 years.

A permanent visa lets you stay in Australia indefinitely. The travel facility on the visa lasts 5 years from the grant date. To travel and re-enter Australia as a permanent resident after that, you need to apply for a Resident Return visa.

PR can be cancelled for character grounds (criminal convictions), providing false information, or failing to meet visa conditions. Maintain compliance to protect your status.

PR holders can access Medicare, work without restrictions, study at domestic rates (some institutions), and access social security after waiting periods.

Yes. A settled Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen can sponsor a spouse or partner and dependent children. They can also sponsor parents through the Parent (103) and Contributory Parent (143) visas, where an eligible child is usually the sponsor and agrees to support the parent for their first 2 years in Australia. The 103 costs from AUD 8,665 and the 143 from AUD 49,900 for a single applicant, each paid in two instalments.

Processing time depends on the visa. Home Affairs publishes a processing time guide for each visa based on recently decided applications, and it is only a guide. Since 19 September 2026 the skilled visas (186, 189, 190, 191 and 491) have been processed in priority order under Ministerial Direction 122: applications relating to construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources, or to law enforcement and defence interests, come first; then applicants who were in Australia when they lodged; then applicants who were outside Australia; then all others. An applicant applying from outside Australia, for example from India, is therefore processed after onshore applicants unless the application relates to a priority sector. Parent visas (103 and 143) are capped and queued, and Home Affairs processes them in the order it receives them, with long processing times.

189 is independent (no state nomination required), 190 requires state nomination but adds 5 points. Both grant immediate permanent residence.

Yes, PR holders have unlimited work rights with no restrictions on employer, occupation, or hours. You can also study or start a business.

Common requirements include skills assessment, English test results, education credentials, work experience evidence, police certificates, and medical examinations.