Skilled Sponsored (subclass 176)

Overview

This permanent visa replaced the State Territory Nominated Independent (subclass 137) visa, the Skilled - Australian Sponsored (subclass 138) visa, and the Skilled Australian Sponsored New Zealand Citizen (subclass 862) visa on 01 September 2007. New Zealand citizens can use this visa subclass regardless of whether they are within Australia or not when the decision is made.

This visa is scored on a points based system with 65 points required to pass.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for a Skilled - Sponsored (subclass 176) visa, applicants must meet certain requirements.

The person applying must be 50 years of age or under and be sponsored by an eligible relative living in Australia or a state/territory government.

Applicants must meet the English language requirement threshold of competent English.

The applicant must nominate an occupation listed on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) and have a suitable skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority for the nominated occupation.

The applicant must meet the points test threshold of 65 points and pass all health and character requirements.