If you’re thinking about studying a trade in Australia as a way to achieve PR, it’s worth considering which industries and/or occupations are likely to have strong employment prospects in the future, and what kinds of skills will be in demand in the Australian labour market.

A good indication of whether your chosen study path and career may have a pathway to permanent residency is by reviewing the skilled occupations lists that are categorised to be more responsive to Australia’s genuine skill needs.

The Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL)​ features occupations that are deemed in greater demand and as such, gives you the opportunity to become eligible for a permanent residency visa in Australian.

On the other hand, the ​Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL)​ features occupations more likely to qualify you for a short-term visa, which is likely for between 2 – 4 years.

With this in mind, if you are seeking permanent residency in Australia, you should study a trade course(s) that trains you for a position that features on the (MLTSSL). This list includes a host of trade occupations in a range of industries like Automotive, Engineering Trades, Building & Construction, and Hospitality.

If you would like to know more about these trade courses for PR in Australia, you should download our latest Ebook.

Here are the steps you need to take if you study a trade in Australia:

Step 1) Get your Provisional Skills Assessment (PSA)

You can apply for the Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485) once you have completed the two-year trade qualification that trains you to work in an occupation listed in the MLTSSL. To apply, you will need to obtain a Provisional Skills Assessment (PSA) from Trade Recognition Australia (TRA).

What will you need?

• A valid student visa to study in Australia, and
• Completed a CRICOS registered qualification, relevant to your occupation assessed by the TRA.
• Proof of relevant paid employment or vocational placement in an Australian workplace, with a minimum of 360 hours, relevant to your qualification and nominated occupation.

The Australian Workplace experience and/or vocational placement must have been completed within three years before your submission of the PSA application.

A successful PSA Outcome can be used to apply to the Department of Home Affairs for a Temporary Graduate (work-stream) visa (subclass 485), if the occupation assessed appears on the MLTSSL.

Step 2) Apply for the Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) Visa

Once you have applied for your PSA, you can then apply for the Graduate Temporary Visa.

What will you need?

• Completed the two years of the Australian study requirement.
• Have an IELTS score of 6 overall, with no band less than 5.
• The occupation choose must feature in the Medium and Long Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL). 

Step 3) Begin the Job Ready Employment

The next step is to get a full skills assessment by registering in a Job Ready Program, once you are granted the Graduate Temporary Visa. This step is in place so you can develop your skills by working in your chosen trade in an Australian workplace. Applicants are required to find paid employment in their specific job and provide evidence of employment to TRA. Many applicants choose to complete their employment in ​regional Australia​, as there are more employment opportunities available.

For those applying as chefs, you need to find employment in a hospitality establishment, carpenters and painters in a construction company and motor mechanics in an automotive workshop etc. You must complete at least 1725 hours of paid employment over a minimum of 12 months from your JRE start date in an Australian workplace that has been approved by Trades Recognition Australia (TRA). Employment must be in the occupation, or one closely related to the one assessed in Step 1 – Provisional Skills Assessment (PSA).

What will you need?

• A successful PSA outcome.
• Hold or have lodged an application with the Department of Home Affairs for a visa that has full (unrestricted) work rights and is valid for no less than 12 months.
• Secured eligible employment in your nominated occupation
• Less than 4 months remaining on your student visa, if applicable.

Step 4) Job Ready Workplace Assessment (JRWA)

From when you start to work in a TRA approved Australian workplace, you must complete at least 1725 hours of paid employment over a period of one year. Throughout this time, you will be asked to keep a monthly Job Ready Journal and Quarterly Progress Reports providing evidence of your pay and examples of the kinds of duties that you have been carrying out relevant to your job.

Once the applicant has completed 673 hours employment over a minimum of 6 months, he or her is then eligible to take the next step in their Job Ready Program – the workplace assessment. This assessment takes place at the applicant’s workplace. So, if the applicant is a chef, the workplace assessment takes place in the commercial kitchen of the restaurant that he or she works.

During this assessment, the Assessor evaluates if the applicant works at the required skill level for their job in Australia. If an applicant does not prove to the Assessor that they can work at the required skill level, they can continue to work for the employer and complete another workplace assessment at a later date.

What will you need?

To be eligible for a JRWA, your workplace must have been approved by the TRA and you must have provided the TRA with:

• Acceptable pay evidence to substantiate that you have been in paid employment for at least 673 hours, over a minimum of six months from your JRE start date.
• Acceptable QPRs, EVRs and journals covering a minimum of six months of employment.

Step 6) Complete Job Ready Final Assessment (JRFA)

The final step of the Job Ready Program is when you are eligible to apply for JRFA once you have successfully completed the PSA and JRWA. The final assessment can only happen once the applicant has completed at least 1725 hours of paid employment over a minimum of 12 months. To be eligible for this, applicants must submit proof of employment such as payslips. Once the 1725 hours of paid employment has been verified, the applicant has then satisfied the skills assessment required by the Department of Home Affairs and can apply for an independent skilled migration visa.

What will you need?

• Acceptable pay evidence to substantiate that you have been in paid employment for at least 1725 hours over a minimum of 12 months from your JRE start date
• Quarterly Progress Reports and Employment Verification Reports covering a minimum of six months of employment
• You will receive your Full Skill Assessment from TRA once this is all complete.

What do you need to apply for Australian Permanent Residency?

If you want to continue working in your chosen trade occupation in Australia, and would like to apply for permanent residency, you can do so through the points-based system as part of the General Skilled Migration program. That is once you’ve completed the JRFA and have achieved a Full Skills Assessment from the TRA. As the aforementioned occupations feature on the MLTSSL, the skilled migration visa categories you can pursue are the Skilled Independent (189) visa, Skilled – Nominated (190) visa and Skilled – Regional (491) visa. Keep in mind, as you have a qualification that links to an occupation on the MLTSSL, provided you have completed two years post-qualification work experience in your nominated occupation, you could be eligible for employer sponsorship, the Temporary Short Skilled Subclass 482 Visa in the medium-term stream which also has a PR pathway.

For more questions about why to study a trade in Australia, Ask the Migration Agent is a platform dedicated to answering your valuable questions regarding all kinds of immigration pathways in Australia.

Bill Mitroulas

Head of Migration at Questra Immigration. Managing and overseeing the growth and performance of Questra’s team of migration agents, while maintaining a client-centric and quality-driven approach. A registered migration agent since 2015 and a member of the Migration Institute of Australia, with over 15 years’ experience in international education and 11 years in Australian Migration law.