How to become an Australian Permanent Resident
There are different pathways to become an Australian permanent resident depending on your individual circumstances. These are the most common types of temporary to permanent pathways:
482 Skills in Demand visa to Australian Permanent Residency
Holders of the Skills in Demand 482 visa (which replaced the TSS 482 visa on 7 December 2024), and existing TSS holders, can apply for permanent residence through the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream of the 186 visa once they have worked in Australia on the 482 for 2 years. Since November 2023 this pathway is open to all 482 streams, not only medium-term occupations, and time worked for other approved sponsors can count towards the 2 years. Your employer must nominate you for the 186. There are also pathways to permanent residency for DAMA visa holders.
457 working visa to Australian Permanent Residency
If you held a 457 visa or had applied for a 457 on or before 18 April 2017, transitional arrangements let you apply for permanent residence under the 186 ENS or 187 RSMS Temporary Residence Transition stream, regardless of your 457 occupation. The 457 visa has been closed since 2018 and the 187 visa is now closed, so former 457 holders who are still in Australia generally apply through the 186 TRT stream in the same way as 482 holders.
Regional visas to Australian Permanent Residency
Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa and subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored both have a pathway to permanent residency through the subclass 191 Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional): To meet the requirements of the permanent visa (since 16 November 2022) applicants must have held a subclass 491 or 494 visa for at least 3 years, have complied with the conditions on that visa and have met minimum taxable income requirements.
Student visa to Australian Permanent Residency
You can express your interest in applying for permanent residency through the SkillSelect system, which could lead to permanent residency through a Skilled visa if you have enough points.
485 Graduate visa to Australian Permanent Residency
If you hold a 485 graduate visa, the most common pathways to permanent residency are:
- employer sponsorship, usually through a Skills in Demand 482 visa first and then the 186 visa, or the regional 494 visa
- a points-tested skilled visa if you have enough points and your occupation is on the right list: the 189 Skilled Independent, 190 Skilled Nominated or 491 Skilled Work Regional visa (the 491 replaced the 489 in November 2019)
Check your points with our PR points calculator.
489 skilled provisional visa to Australian Permanent Residency
If you hold a 489 visa, it remains a pathway to permanent residency by allowing you to apply for the permanent Skilled Regional (Residence) visa (subclass 887), subject to meeting the other criteria for that visa, including living and working in a specified regional area.
State sponsorship for Australian PR
The Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) allows points-tested skilled workers to live and work in Australia as a permanent resident. The Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) is a permanent residency skilled migration visa for people with an occupation in high demand in Australia’s labour market.
Select a state below to see its requirements:
Australia
State and territory requirements
Each state and territory has its own list of occupations, requirements and processes you must follow.
More information about the requirements and processes on how Australian states or territories nominate applicants is available.
New Zealand citizen to Australian Permanent Residency
On arrival in Australia, most New Zealand citizens are automatically granted a Special Category visa (SCV). An SCV is a temporary visa, but it allows the holder to live and work in Australia indefinitely.
Since 1 July 2023, New Zealand citizens on an SCV who have lived in Australia for at least four years can apply directly for Australian citizenship, without first getting a permanent visa. Because of this, the New Zealand stream of the 189 visa closed to new applications on 1 July 2023. New Zealand citizens can still apply for other permanent visas, such as employer sponsored or partner visas, if they want permanent residence for another reason.
Family related visas to Australian Permanent Residency
As an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen, you may be able to sponsor your family to live in Australia. They may arrive in Australia as temporary residents and after meeting certain criteria may be granted permanent residency.
Australian permanent resident benefits
Australian Immigration Webinar
Book an appointment for a commitment free briefing with a Registered Migration Agent in Melbourne to find more about your temporary to permanent visa options. Register for our free immigration webinar on this topic here.
Other pathways
National Innovation visa (858)
The National Innovation visa replaced the Global Talent visa in December 2024 and leads straight to permanent residence. It is for people with an internationally recognised record of exceptional achievement in their profession, sport, the arts or academia and research, and it has no occupation list. You need an expression of interest and a nominator with a national reputation in your field.
Partner visas
If your partner is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, a partner visa leads to permanent residence, usually in two stages.
