[Australia Or Bust]

I've started looking into immigrating to Australia or Canada. It looks like it can take years for pr in Canada. I'm hoping Australia's quicker. How long after you submit the paperwork does it take to get permanent residence in Australia?

[PamInPerth]

Hi,

If you qualify for priority processing then, according to the latest info from DIAC, your visa application should only take 12 months or so. You would need to have employer sponsorship or an occoupation on the critical skills list (http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/pdf/critical-skills-list.pdf) to qualify.

From the DIAC website:

The Minister has set priority processing arrangements which apply to the following visas from 23 September 2009:
•
Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS)
•
Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS)
•
General Skilled Migration (GSM) visas except for:
o
Skilled – Recognised Graduate Subclass 476
o
Skilled – Designated Area – Sponsored (Residence) Subclass 883
o
Skilled – Regional Subclass 887.

Under the Ministerial Direction, the following processing priorities (with highest priority listed first) apply:
1. applications from people who are employer sponsored under the ENS and the RSMS
2. applications from people who are nominated by a State/Territory government and whose nominated occupation is listed on the Critical Skills List (CSL)
3. applications from people who are sponsored by family and whose nominated occupation is listed on the CSL
4. applications from people who are neither nominated nor sponsored but whose nominated occupation is listed on the CSL
5. applications from people who are nominated by a State/Territory government whose nominated occupation is not listed on the CSL
6. (i) applications from people whose occupations are listed on the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) and
(ii) applications from people who are sponsored by family and whose nominated occupation is not listed on the CSL.
7. all other applications are to be processed in the order in which they are received.

Q10 How long will it take for my application to be finalised if my nominated occupation is on the CSL?If you have applied for an onshore or offshore GSM visa and your nominated occupation is on the CSL, it is estimated that your application will be finalised within 12 months from your lodgement date.
Q11 My application does not fall into one of the priority categories. When can I expect to have my application finalised?
If your nominated occupation is not on the CSL and you have applied for an offshore GSM visa or intend to apply for an offshore GSM before the end of 2009, it is unlikely that your visa will be finalised before the end of 2012.
If your nominated occupation is not on the CSL and you applied for an onshore GSM visa or intend to apply for an onshore GSM before the end of 2009, it is unlikely that your visa will be finalised before the end of 2011.

http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/pdf/faq-priority-processing.pdf

[quincy]

As Pam says, once the application is in, it will take a year to be processed if you qualify under the new guidelines.

However I would allow a few months to get the paperwork together and bargain for 15 - 18 months till approval.

[quincy]

It can take up to 24 months if you are in priority groups 1 - 4.

For priority group 5 it is a very long wait.

http://www.immi.gov.au/about/charters/client-services-charter/visas/8.0.htm