Fact Sheet 47 - Temporary Residence in Australia
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Australia’s temporary residence program is designed to allow overseas people to come to Australia for specific purposes that benefit Australia. The program consists of three categories:
- skilled
- social and cultural
- international relations.
Temporary residents are required to pay taxes on income earned in Australia. They do not have access to social welfare benefits or national public health cover.
Applicants must be assessed to satisfy Australia's strict health and
character requirements.
See: Fact
Sheet 22 The Health Requirement
Information on Student visas and short term Business and Tourist visas
is available.
See:
Fact Sheet 50 Overseas
Students in Australia
Fact Sheet 48 Helping
Skilled and Business People
Citizens of countries where Australia has Reciprocal Health Care Agreements (RHCA) are entitled to emergency medical cover in Australia. This cover does not extend to pre-existing medical conditions. RHCA countries include Finland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Travellers should check if they need to maintain private health insurance.
Skilled visa classes
Business Entry visas - allow employers to recruit skilled
people from overseas for a stay of up to four years. The position being
filled must meet minimum skill and salary thresholds.
See: Fact
Sheet 48 Helping Skilled and Business People
Educational visas - allow education and research institutions or organisations to fill academic, teaching and research positions, unable to be filled from the Australian labour market.
Temporary Medical Practitioner visas - allow employers, or in some cases Government or community bodies to sponsor suitably qualified medical practitioners into positions which satisfy labour market requirements, for a stay of up to four years. Visa grants to medical practitioners have a strong focus on providing service to rural and remote communities.
Social and cultural
Temporary residence visas are also available for people taking part in sporting, entertainment and cultural activities. They cover:
Entertainment visas - are for people involved in a wide range of social and cultural events and activities taking into account the need to protect the employment of Australians in the industry.
Investor Retirement visas - are for self-funded retirees who are 55 years or older, have no dependants (other than a partner) and are able to make a significant long term financial investment in Australia. The visa is temporary and will not lead to Australian permanent residence or citizenship.
Media and Film Staff visas - are for correspondents or other professional media staff members posted to Australia by overseas news organisations. Also for visiting photographers, film and television crews making documentaries or commercials for overseas use.
Religious Worker visas - are for religious workers, including ministers, priests and spiritual leaders, to serve the spiritual needs of people of their faiths in Australia.
Retirement visas - are available to current Retirement visa holders and their partners, and to certain former holders of this visa who have not held another substantive visa since their last Retirement visa ceased. New or first time applicants considering spending a period of their retirement in Australia should consider the Investor Retirement (Subclass 405) visa.
Special Program visas - are for people coming to Australia under approved programs to participate in youth exchange or community-based, non-commercial programs or the Seasonal Labour Mobility Scheme.
Sport visas - are for amateur or professional sports people to engage in competition with Australian residents and to improve general sporting standards in Australia through high calibre competition and training.
Visiting Academic visas - are for people whose presence in Australia will contribute to the sharing of research knowledge.
International relations
Working Holiday visas - allow young people from certain
arrangement countries to experience Australian culture and lifestyle
through an extended holiday and short term employment, with special focus
on regional Australia.
The program is an integral part of Australia’s tourism industry
and also supports the Australian economy by providing supplementary labour
for industries requiring short-term casual workers.
See: Fact
Sheet 49 Working Holiday Program
Work and Holiday visas – are similar to the Working
Holiday program, except that the Work and Holiday visa program requires
additional documentation from arrangement countries. Applicants may need
to provide a letter of approval from their government agreeing to their
stay in Australia, hold university education qualifications and have functional
English.
Note: These extra provisions do not apply to applicants
from the United States of America.
See: Fact
Sheet 49a Work and Holiday Program
Diplomatic visas - allow for temporary entry of people wanting to travel to Australia in a diplomatic or official capacity, on advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Eligible people should apply for this visa regardless of their intended period of stay in Australia.
Domestic Worker (Diplomatic/Consular) visas - are for domestic staff working in diplomatic households and consular staff posted to Australia, on advice from DFAT.
Domestic Worker (Overseas Executive) visas - are for domestic staff of certain subclass 457 - (Long Stay) temporary business entry visa holders. This visa may only be granted where it is shown that the entry of domestic staff is necessary for the proper discharge of an executive's representational duties.
Exchange visas - are for skilled people overseas wanting to broaden their work experience and skills under reciprocal arrangements which allow Australian residents similar opportunities overseas. Includes people seeking entry under certain bilateral exchange agreements.
Foreign Government Agency visas - are for foreign government employees conducting business or teaching duties on behalf of their governments, who do not have diplomatic or official status in Australia.
Occupational Trainee visas – allow people from
overseas to complete structured and supervised workplace-based training
programs or academic research that will provide additional or enhanced
skills in their present occupations, tertiary studies or fields of expertise.
See: Fact
sheet 52a Occupational Trainee visa
Professional Development visas – allow for the
temporary entry of groups of professionals, managers and government officials
from overseas who are seeking to enhance their professional/managerial
skills by taking part in tailored training programs designed by an Australian
sponsoring organisation.
See: Fact
Sheet 51 Professional Development Visa
Special Program visas - for people coming to Australia under approved programs to participate in youth exchange or community-based, non-commercial programs.
Access to retirement savings
Eligible temporary residents are able to access their retirement savings (superannuation) upon permanent departure from Australia.
More information on accessing this money is available on the Australian
Taxation Office's website (temporary residents).
See: Australian
Taxation Office > Superannuation
See also: Accessing
Superannuation Benefits
Statistics
| 2004—05 | 2005—06 | 2006—07 | 2007—08 | |
| Skilled visa classes | 55 675 | 74 666 | 89 384 | 112 678 |
| Social/Cultural Stream | 26 550 | 27 782 | 29 100 | 28 930 |
| International Relations Stream | 116 048 | 125 408 | 146 795 | 167 648 |
| TOTAL | 198 273 | 227 856 | 265 279 | 309 256 |
Further information is available on the department's web site.
See: www.immi.gov.au
The department also operates a national telephone service inquiry line.
Telephone: 131 881
Hours of operation: Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4 pm (recorded information available outside these hours) for the cost of a local call anywhere in Australia.
Fact Sheet 47. Produced by the National Communications Branch, Department
of Immigration and Citizenship, Canberra.
Revised 1 July 2009.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2009.