What is Australian Permanent Residency (PR)?
Permanent residence generally means being granted a permanent visa that allows you to remain in Australia indefinitely. The Department of Home Affairs identifies family-stream and skilled permanent visas as common routes, alongside other permanent visa categories.
What RightWay can help you understand
- Your current visa and immigration history
- Occupation, skills, qualifications, English and any skills assessment requirements
- Points, invitation and state or territory nomination considerations where relevant
- Employer sponsorship, nomination and employment requirements where relevant
- Family relationship, sponsorship and location requirements where relevant
- Regional residence or work requirements for regional pathways
- Health, character and other visa-specific requirements
- Whether a temporary or provisional visa may form part of a later PR strategy
Common pathways or topics
A points-tested permanent visa for eligible skilled workers who are invited to apply.
A permanent skilled visa for eligible applicants nominated by an Australian state or territory.
A permanent employer-sponsored visa with different streams and eligibility requirements.
A permanent regional pathway for eligible holders of qualifying regional provisional visas who meet the applicable requirements.
Permanent residence can also be available through eligible partner, child, parent and other family-stream visas.
Australia also has other permanent visa categories, each with its own specialised criteria and application process.
PR is not a single visa
“PR” is a status or outcome rather than one universal visa subclass. The pathway depends on the applicant’s circumstances. A skilled worker may be considering a points-tested or employer-sponsored route, while a family applicant may have a completely different set of requirements.
This is why RightWay starts with the person’s circumstances rather than presenting one pathway as suitable for everyone.
Temporary visas can sometimes connect with permanent residence
Some temporary or provisional skilled and employer-sponsored visas may have a pathway to permanent residence if the applicant later meets the relevant requirements. A pathway is not automatic: eligibility, work history, sponsorship, occupation, regional and other criteria must be satisfied at the relevant time.
PR planning should be based on current rules
Occupation settings, invitation priorities, state or territory nomination arrangements, income thresholds, visa criteria and government charges can change. A strategy that was suitable for an applicant in an earlier year may not be suitable when they are ready to apply.
- Home Affairs — Permanent resident overview
- Home Affairs — Permanent resident visa options
- Home Affairs — Skilled migration program
- Home Affairs — Visa Finder