The lowest, driest, flattest continent on the earth. That is Australia. Nearly seven times as big as South Africa yet with less than half the population. A first world country with all the amenities that such a dynamic society has to offer.

This water-locked continent has come a long way since 1770, when it was proclaimed by Cook, on behalf of Great Britain. Once a penal colony, Australia has emerged in the past 25 years as one of the most economically powerful countries in the Southern Hemisphere and a serious industrialized competitor on the world markets.

Australia consists of six states and two territories. Western Australia (Perth), South Australia (Adelaide), Victoria (Melbourne), New South Wales (Sydney), Queensland (Brisbane), Tasmania (Hobarth) and Capital Territory (Canberra) and the Northern Territory (Darwin).

Canberra is the Capital City where most of the legislature is housed. Sydney however, is the economic and social hub of Australia. Very few visitors leave Sydney without being awestruck with its beauty, vibe and dazzle. The Sydney Opera House is a world famous landmark and the Sydney Harbour has been the setting for many movies including Mission Impossible 2.

The Australian economy relies on many sectors, some of which include; mining industry (coal, gold, aluminum, lead, zinc etc), agriculture (beef, wool, wine, wheat, fruit etc), a broad base manufacturing industry and many sectors of the service industry.

Australia’s strong economy provides employment opportunities across the board and in all sectors of industry. Most Australians live in or near the big Cities and along the East Coast of Queensland. In addition to everything that the Australian continent has to offer, the East Coast is a hugely popular tourist destination with all the beaches, sun and surf that you can wish for, not to mention the Great Barrier Reef.

Education and health care are matters of primary concern to most migrants to Australia. Most health care costs are covered by the National Health Care system known as Medicare. Permanent residents are immediately eligible to claim from Medicare. Private Health care (similar to Medical Aid) is available through private insurers at relatively low monthly premiums. Specialist health care such as dental and optical costs are not covered through the Medicare system and therefor-private health cover is necessary.

Most children attend schools financed and administered by the state governments. Private schooling is available but tends to be expensive. There are sometimes long waiting lists for admission. In some States a fairly strict zoning system applies so be sure to secure accommodation in the correct zone if you want your children to attend a particular school. The schools run from the end of January to mid December when there is a six-week summer holiday.

The public transport systems in most Australian cities are excellent and will often partially or entirely eliminate the need for a vehicle or additional vehicles of your own.

Whether you are an outdoor enthusiast, sports nut, TV addict or you just like strolling down the beach at sundown, Australia and its people have a lot to offer its new arrivees. Go and see!

The Australian Department of Immigration Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) revised their immigration policies in 1999 and with certain tweaks in the interim they have devised a fairly efficient, albeit overloaded, system for processing their migration applications. Australia has many different types and classes of visa that potential applicants can utilise to get them into Australia. By far the most popular visa is the General Skills Visa.

General Skills Visa

These visas are based on an individual who attains the pass mark of 115 points. In order to attain this pass mark the applicant needs to have a qualification, current work experience, English language ability, be under 45 years of age and have an occupation that is on the current Occupations List for DIMIA. Additional points can be obtained by proving spousal skills, having studied in one of the community languages, lodgment of money or family relationship in Australia. This visa affords the successful applicant and his/her family permanent residency.

Skills Matching Visa

This visa is similar to the General Skills Visa and is usually used by applicants who do not attain the pass mark of 115. This visa is available to applicants whose skills are in demand in rural areas and these applicants may not initially settle in the three main metropolitan areas of Australia being Perth, Brisbane and Sydney.

Business Visa

There are numerous business visas that a business person can pursue to obtain permanent residency in Australia. On the 1st of March 2003 DIMIA revisited and implemented a new range of visas on the business front. These visas are complex and have various different criteria attached to them that potential business applicants must achieve in order to obtain Permanent Residency. Some of the business visas include Business Owner visa, Investment Visa, Retirement Visa, some of the above linked with State sponsorship. Should you have queries in this regard please do not hesitate to contact us.