Information on Immigration and Visas

There are currently two immigration programs that allow permanent migration to Australia.
These are:

• the migration program; and,
• the humanitarian program.

Foreigners currently living in Australia under one of a number of temporary visas can apply to be granted permanent residence. New Zealanders are a special case and can migrate to Australia without official permission.

Migration program
To be accepted into Australia under the migration program a person must be a skilled migrant or sponsored by a family member who is "an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen aged 18 years or over who lives in Australia". A third class covers special eligibility migrants which includes Australians returning to Australia that had to give up citizenship to live overseas.

Humanitarian program
The humanitarian program is designed for refugees and others in special humanitarian need. A major component of the humanitarian program is the offshore resettlement program, which assists people in humanitarian need overseas for whom resettlement in another country is the only option. The onshore protection component is for those people already in Australia who arrived on temporary visas or in an unauthorised manner, and who claim Australia's protection.

	Web www.migrationcircus.com