Destination
Australia Immigration and Visa Support from Saudi Arabia
Australia's skilled migration system is points-based and competitive, its employer-sponsored routes were restructured in December 2024, and its business and investment programme closed to new applicants in 2024. Any advice that does not reflect all three is out of date.
Why people in Saudi Arabia consider Australia
Points-based routes that do not require an employer. Recognised skills assessments for engineering, healthcare, trades and IT, all fields strongly represented among expatriate professionals in the Kingdom. State and regional nomination options that can lift a borderline score.
Routes we cover
- Skilled Independent (subclass 189)
- Points-tested applicants with no sponsor
- Skilled Nominated (subclass 190)
- Applicants nominated by a state or territory
- Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491)
- Applicants nominated for a regional area
- Skills in Demand (subclass 482)
- Applicants sponsored by an approved Australian employer
- Student visa (subclass 500)
- Applicants with an offer from a registered provider
Route and Who it suits
What changed in December 2024
The subclass 482 visa was renamed the Skills in Demand visa on 7 December 2024, replacing the former Temporary Skill Shortage name. The restructure introduced Core Skills, Specialist Skills and Labour Agreement streams, consolidated most nominations under a single Core Skills Occupation List, and reduced the required work experience from two years to one.
If you are reading material that still refers to the “TSS visa” and a two-year experience requirement, it predates this change.
How skilled migration actually works
- Confirm your occupation appears on the relevant list and that your duties match it
- Obtain a skills assessment from the assessing authority for that occupation
- Sit an approved English language test
- Submit an expression of interest and receive a points score
- Wait for an invitation, or pursue state or regional nomination
- Lodge the full application within the invitation period
The skills assessment and language test usually control the timeline. Both should start early.
Documents from Saudi Arabia
- Passport and Saudi residence permit (Iqama)
- Detailed employment references covering every claimed period, with dates, titles and duties
- Payslips, contracts and salary evidence from Saudi employers
- Qualification certificates and transcripts, attested and translated where required
- English test results
- Police clearance certificates from Saudi Arabia and each country of prior residence
- Health examination results at the appropriate stage
Official sources
We check this page against the authorities below. Where you are making a decision, read the authority itself rather than any summary of it, including ours.
- Department of Home Affairs
- Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority: register of migration agents
Last reviewed 13 October 2026. Next review due 13 January 2027. Immigration and business rules change between reviews, so confirm the current position with the relevant authority before you act on it.
Questions
Frequently asked
Is the Australia 188 investor visa still available?
No. It closed to new applications on 31 July 2024. The National Innovation visa replaced that space from 7 December 2024, and it assesses achievement rather than investment.
How many points do I need?
The published minimum and the score being invited are different, and invitation scores vary by occupation and round. We will show you both against current published data.
Do I need a skills assessment before applying?
For points-tested skilled routes, yes. It is not optional and it takes time.
Can I apply from Saudi Arabia?
Yes, skilled routes can be lodged from outside Australia. Your Saudi employment history is usually a strength, provided your reference letters are detailed enough.
Does the Skills in Demand visa lead to permanent residence?
It can, through employer nomination, subject to the current requirements.