First step to move to Australia starts with VISA application.It is important to go through the list of available visas and decide which one suits you best.Here I am explaining the process to file PR application by your own
PR Application can be broadly categorised into 2 sections:
Every year, Australia lists out a list of nominated occupations. Each nominated occupation is associated with an ANZSCO code (Australia and NewZealand Standard Classification of Occupations). It is important that the candidate carries out his/her Skills Assessment by choosing any one of the nominated occupation.
The assessing authority for ICT (Information and Communication Technology) is ACS while for Non-ICT is VETASSES.
List of eligible skilled occupations for the year
The Skills assessment not only determines whether the candidate is suitable for the nominated occupation but also determines the total work experience in that nominated occupation. For eg. a candidate with Non-ICT education qualification who chooses to apply for a ICT occupation, then first 6 years of work-ex are considered null, so if the candidate had 8 years of work-ex then in this scenario, the total work-ex will be considered as 2 years only.
Generally, the Skills Assessment takes around a month but sometimes it may depend on the workload and may take longer as well.
The Visa program is a Point-tested program and the candidate needs to score at-least 60 points to be eligible to submit EOI (Expression of Interest). But yes, the more you score above 60, more is your chances of getting invite.
Check the Points table to understand how many points you are eligible for
There are ways to increase your total Points, for eg:
Congratulations!! if you are 60 points and above, you are eligible to submit EOI.
After successful Skills Assessment and gathering more than 60 points, you are now ready to send your Expression of Interest (EOI) to the Australian Government by filling out online form and then waiting invitation to apply for Visa.
And, once you receive the invitation then its time to Gather all the documents, Fill online Visa application and Pay the Visa fees .
After this you need to choose an ANZSCO code based on your occupation. This is the code under which you will apply for PR. The Australian government every year nominates a certain number of jobs under these codes which help people to know which sector has more vacancies. Details can be found in their website
Next step is to carry out your Migration Skills assessment through ACS (Australia Computer Society) if you applying under ICT nominated occupations or VETASSESS in case you are applying under general non-ICT nominated occupation.
The process is based on a points system. The candidate has to score atleast 60 points to be eligible to file an Expression of Interest (EOI). EOI is the name of the final visa application that a candidates submits after his/her skills are assessed and the point are greater than or equal to 60.
The points are based on following criteria: Age, Education, Work Experience, English language test, there are additional points for Australia work experience, knowledge any regional of local languages, points for your partner skills and finally additional points if you apply under State sponsorships.
One question that boggles the mind (well it boggled mine definitely) is whether to seek help from professional consultant for a successful PR application? The answer is not straight-forward.
It depends on how prepared you are. If you give yourself enough time to read and go through the details which are made available online by the government then you will be able to make an informed decision.
I will suggest to first try and make an attempt to do it yourself and if you find it hard then you may approach any consultant. The knowledge which you would have acquired during the course of previous attempt will definitely help you to make an informed decision and have a two side discuss with your consultant.