Ptlabs Consulting

General Skilled Migration (GSM)

Introduction
Australia continues to welcome highly skilled migrants from overseas to settle permanently in Australia as permanent residents. The General Skilled Migration (GSM) program is a points-based system which is administered by the Australian Department of Immigration & Citizenship (DIAC) to facilitate the smooth entry of highly skilled workers into Australia.

There are several major visa subclasses within the GSM program, and they are as follows:
• Skilled Independent (Subclass 175)
• Skilled Sponsored (Subclass 176)
• Skilled Regional Sponsored (Subclass 475)
• Skilled Graduate (Temporary) (subclass 485) for onshore overseas students
• Skilled Residence (subclasses 885, 886, 487) for onshore overseas students

Each GSM visa has its own set of "threshold" requirements and some may be points-tested. There are complex legislative requirements and departmental policies that underpin each visa subclass that aspiring migrants must meet in order to be successful in a visa application under the GSM program.

Threshold requirements
An applicant under the GSM program must generally be under 45 years of age, have good English skills, have obtained a positive skills assessment from the relevant skills assessment authority, and meet other legislative requirements depending on the applicant's personal circumstances.

Points Test
Most GSM visas are also generally points-tested. The most popular visa subclasses of 175, 176, 885 and 886 are all points-tested. Applicants must meet the specified passmark in order to be considered for the grant of the particular visa subclass applied for.

Skills Assessment
A distinct feature of the GSM program is that all primary applicants for a GSM visa is obliged to have their qualitications and/or work experience assessed by the relevant skills assessing authority. This is called the Pre-Application Skills Assessment (PASA). For example, all IT professionals wishing to apply for a GSM visa must be assessed by the Australian Computer Society. Ptlabs Consulting provides assistance and advice for our clients for the PASA stage where applicable.

Health and Character
All visa applicants must be of good character and must meet certain health requirements before the visa applied for can be granted.

Initial Assessment Service
If you would like to get an initial assessment on your eligibility for an GSM skilled visa, please use our Assessment tool.