Information & Glossary of terms used in this Site
An Australian resident
This is a term for anyone who lives in Australia on a long-term basis,
either as a permanent resident or a citizen.
Illegal resident: If you are in Australia as a non-citizen without a visa you are classed as an illegal
resident, and are liable to deportation or detention.
More Information.
Assurance of Support, Form 28B
The assurance of support is a legal commitment to repay the Commonwealth of Australia for benefits paid to new migrants during the first two years of their settlement in Australia. 'Benefits' means any Social Security benefit, for example, Job search,
Newstart, youth training or widow allowance paid out from Centrelink (the Department of Social Security, and other Government departments).
Some child benefits do not need Assurance support.
An Assurance of Support is required for Family Migrants and Skilled
Migrants is the following classes:
- Parents, either the Contributory or the standard.
- Orphan relative under 18 years.
- Carer, who is migrating to care for someone in Australia.
- Aged dependent relative.
- Remaining Relative.
- Skilled Migrant, Australian Linked.
- Skilled Migrant, Regional sponsored.
- Sometimes a Spouse visa application, or a Fiancé visa, may require a Discretionary Assurance of Support, which has less strict criteria.
An Assurance of Support may also be required for any other applicant who is assessed by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA) as at risk of becoming a charge on the Australian welfare budget.
If you are applying under one of these sections, send off your application without any assurance of support, only the sponsorship form.
But make sure in advance that you have an Assurer. Your Assurer
need not be the same person as your sponsor. Or, you can have
two people who combine to be Assurers if neither has enough income on
their own to fulfil the requirements.
When the Australian Embassy or Consulate in your overseas country is ready,
they will write to you and request that your Assurer pays the Assurance of
Support to the Commonwealth Bank in Australia.
Who can give an Assurance of Support?
Usually the sponsor will provide Assurance of Support, but if the sponsor is not financially able to do this he (or she) may ask someone
else, or you can..
An Assurance must come from somebody who is able to support their own family
+ the immigrants. There are many details about assurers, for example one
assurer can only support two adults and their children. If more adults are
in the migrant family, another assurer will be required. Assurers also have
to be resident in Australia and have citizenship or permanent residence. For
more details, contact a Migration Agent.
See also Bonds and the Health Levy.
Australian Medical Council (AMC)
The AMC:
A) advises State and Territory Medical Boards on policy for medical
practitioners.
B) maintains State and Territory registers
C) administers examinations for overseas medical practitioners seeking to
work in Australia.
If you trained overseas, the AMC will assess your
qualifications by examination.
The State or Territory Medical Boards are the authorities who do the
actual registration (see below).
Balance of Family Test
This test applies to parents applying in the Family Migration program.
To pass the test you must have at least half of your children living in Australia, or more children living in Australia than in any other single country.
The following children are counted in the "balance of family" test:
children of both parents, including children of previous marriages or de facto
relationships of either parent, including adopted and stepchildren, and children in
institutions; children of both parents, whether they are dependent or self-supporting, single, married or divorced; and children whose whereabouts are unknown or cannot be verified are counted as being in their parents' country of usual residence.
There are more details, but basically it means if you have most of your children in Australia, then you can apply for a visa with this requirement, but you will have to prove that most of your family is here.
Bonds
A bond is part of the Assurance of Support requirement for the Family Migration program. It is designed to guarantee migrants social support during their first two
years of settlement in Australia. Many migrants do experience unemployment during this time.
The bond is $3,500 for the main applicant and $1,500 for each other adult family member. A bond is not required for children.
There are also bonds for the Contributory Parents Migration Visas of
AUD$10,000 for the primary applicant, and AUD$4,000
for other adults over 18 included in application. On the Contributory Parents
visa, the bond is held for an Assured period of 10 years from the date of
visa grant if you already live here, or from the date you arrive in Australia
if you apply from overseas.
Bonds are paid to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and held for a period of two years
(or ten years on the Contributory Parents Visa) after the migrants have arrived in Australia. At the end of the two
(or ten) year period
the bond will be repaid to the assurer, less any Social Security payments made to the
migrants, and plus interest on the deposit.
Bridging Visa - Only available in Australia.
This is a temporary visa that is granted to keep you legal in
Australia when one visa is due to expire, and your next visa is still
in process. If you are in Australia legally, and you put in an
application for a another visa, a Bridging A Visa is automatically
granted. You need to be careful. A Bridging visa has the same working
rights as the expiring visa. This means if you are here on a Tourist
Visa, and you apply for a de facto Spouse Visa, you will not be allowed
to work until your Spouse Visa is granted. Also, if you wish to travel
overseas and return to Australia, you must apply for a different type
of Bridging Visa.
Capping
Capping means to limit the number of migrants to Australia. A number of visa classes in the Family Stream
are capped, which means that once numbers have been reached, no more applications are accepted in the current financial year. There is a cap on Parent Migrants,
now raiseed after 1st July 2003.
Case Officer
A case officer is the person at DIMA who is responsible for your
case. In some visa applications, your case may go to
several case officers before finally arriving with the Officer who
will make a final decision. Each Case Officer will check one aspect of your application.
Child
In Australia a person reaches majority at the age of 18 years and ceases to be a child. They can then vote, drink in public, and be responsible for themselves at law.
However, a Police Clearance is not only required for adult migrants, but also for teenagers between 16 and 18 years.
Character - 'Good character'
For purposes of migration, someone is regarded as of 'good character' if they do not have a Police Record. Australia does not want criminals to immigrate. Minor
offences, such as traffic offences, are not a worry. However, a prison record is taken seriously and you would need to make inquiries before going ahead with a visa application. A
Migration Agent can make anonymous inquiries for you.
Citizen
An Australian citizen is someone born in Australia of Australian parents, or someone who has become an Australian by Grant. (It used to be called 'naturalisation'.)
If you are not a citizen, you are classed as a non-citizen by the Australian migration authorities. For example, if you are an Italian living in Italy you are a non-citizen of Australia. Non-citizens in Australia without a valid Australian visa are
illegal.
Compliance
Compliance is the term for obeying the Australian laws of visa grant. The Compliance Police are those officers who attend when someone from overseas is found to be in Australia without a valid
visa, or the visa conditions have been breached.
De Facto Spouse
If you are living with a member of the opposite sex in a permanent relationship, but you have not taken your marriage vows, you are said to have a de facto
marriage. Your partner is called a de facto spouse. It used to be called a common law marriage.
The causal term is 'partner'.
In Western Australia, 34% of children are now born from de facto partnerships. This is a very normal relationship in Australia.
Dependent Family Member
This person is financially dependent on the primary applicant -
usually a spouse and children, but can also include elderly relatives.
These dependents are called 'secondary applicants'. An
able-bodied adult over 18 is not normally permitted to be included in
the visa application as a dependent, unless they are a student.
Other family members, not dependent, are expected to apply for a visa
of their own.
DIMA - Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs.
This is the Australian government department responsible for migration. In overseas missions (Australian Embassies and
Consulates overseas) there will be staff from DIMA to process your visa applications.
Eligible New Zealand Citizen
An eligible New Zealand citizen is one who holds a special category visa and who has passed the public interest requirements of health and character on last entry. For purposes of sponsorship, the New Zealander should also be over 18 years of age and live in Australia.
English Language Skills
See our information section on English Language.
ETA Visa
Electronic Travel Authority - a type of visa that is granted free to people from eligible countries. See
ETA
under Short-Stay and Tourist Visas or get an
instant ETA by clicking here.
Health - 'Good Health'
You need to be in good health for migration, and have a history of reasonable health. The Australian government needs to be sure that you will not become a burden on their taxpayers soon after your arrival.
When you go for your health examination, you will be examined by an Australian Embassy approved doctor of good
reputation, called a 'panel doctor'.
In recent years there has been a special emphasis on screening people for tuberculosis.
See Your Health in our information list.
Health Levy for Family Migrants
The Health Levy is a second stage payment, after you visa is lodged. It is payable
to the Australia to the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, and is non-refundable, unless, for some reason, the person does not travel to Australia.
Highly Skilled
This means that you've had at least Diploma level training in your field, plus work experience.
IELTS Test
This stands for 'International English Language Testing
System'. It is the test used extensively by DIMA to assess
English ability in migrants and some other workers. To find out
more, look at www.ielts.org.
Illegal workers in Australia
This is an article on our website about the recent tightening of laws for people found working illegally in Australia.
The article gives telephone numbers to call in case of a compliance issue.
Click here for more information.
Interdependency
For migration to Australia, this is a relationship of mutual affection and partnership outside the family pattern of marriage and blood ties. Usually this will be a homosexual or lesbian relationship, but other dependent relationships may be considered.
Labour Market Testing
Tests that employers have to carry out on the local market - like advertising in newspapers and through professional associations - to see if there is anyone with the required skills in the Australian workforce. If there is not, then the employer may sponsor someone from overseas.
Medical Board
There are Medical Boards in each State or Territory where Medical
Practitioners can register for practise in that State.
Medical Boards are not run by the Australian government.
Their role is to:
- Regulate the medical profession in the interests of public safety.
- Maintain and foster high standards of medical practice in the registering
State or Territory.
To register, you must contact the Medical Board in the State or Territory
where you intend to practice.
Medical College
There are 12 Medical Colleges in Australia, overseeing the medical
practice in each specialist branch
of medicine. The colleges are responsible for education, standards and
quality issues in their particular branches of medical practice.
Medicare
Medicare is Australia's national health insurance scheme.
Medicare provides:
- Free treatment as a Medicare patient in a public hospital
- Fee or subsidised treatment by medical practitioners such as doctors
and medical specialists
- Subsidised treatment treatment from participating dentists and
optometrists
Migration Review Tribunal (MRT)
This tribunal hears cases of onshore visa refusal, and offshore visa refusal where there are Australian family sponsors or employer sponsors to present the case in Australia. Protection visa refusals are heard at the Refugee Review Tribunal.
Appellant and supporting witnesses may appear, together with a solicitor or a Migration Agent.
MODL - Migration Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL)
When there are not enough skilled people in Australia to fill a particular occupation or profession, then the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs will issue a MODL list. In
2003, Australia is desperately short of nurses and and some other medical
personnel, also hairdressers. If you have a job skill that is listed, you will gain
10 extra points in the Skilled Independent Points Test. If you have a listed skill and also a job offer from an employer
who has at least ten full-time employees for the last two financial years, then you gain
15 points. Click here for the Jobs List.
Points System and the Points Test
This web site contains details of the DIMA points system which has been devised for screening applicants for migration. If you score highly in enough areas you should be able to migrate, providing your health and character standards are satisfactory.
The points are adjusted from time to time according to the labour market in Australia and other social factors. Your points score is judged from the time you are assessed, not the time you lodged your application.
Pool System
This is part of the points system for Independent Skilled Migrants and Skilled Migrants with Family Sponsorship. If you do not have enough points to pass, but you are close, then you will be placed in the pool. People in the pool do not go on to the next part of the migration procedure, but the pool is looked at periodically. In that time things can change. If, during the time your application is in the pool, your circumstances change, then let the immigration authorities know.
The pool and pass marks change with conditions in Australia so you should check this site regularly for changes in the figures. If the marks change during the time your application is being processed, it is the time of assessment, and not the time of
lodgement of your documents, that is critical.
Principal Business
You may have several business enterprises. For migration choose your business with the largest turnover, or your business with the best prospects in Australia.
Skill Matching
Skill matching helps migrants to find employment, and some employers to find good staff, and is relevant to all the skilled migration component of Australia's migration program.
Step Relatives
For some sections you can be sponsored by family members who is related to you in a step relationship. The step relationship occurs when somebody in the family, or yourself, remarries. This information is best demonstrated with a technical diagram. Click each diagram to display as full screen.
Sponsor or Nominator
Someone in Australia who is to help you while you settle in, usually a close
relative or an employer. The sponsor's responsibilities are to help you with accommodation, employment, and the financial difficulties of getting started in a new country. A sponsor
will look after you and help you find your way around, and this responsibility lasts for
two years.
In the case of an employer sponsor, he or she is offering you a job and will help you find somewhere to live.
The sponsor or nominator must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, and be 18 years of age or older.
Partners must be sponsored by their partner in Australia.
Children must be sponsored or nominated by a parent, relative or guardian in Australia.
Parents must be sponsored by their child (natural, adopted or stepchild) in Australia.
Other family members must be sponsored by a close relative in Australia.
The following migration categories require a sponsor:
- A spouse or partner (de facto spouse)]
- A fiancé who is arriving in Australia to get married
- An interdependent, same-sex partner
- A child
- A child for adoption
- Parents
- An orphaned unmarried relative under 18
- A carer who is arriving to take care of an Australian
- An aged unmarried relative
- Remaining relative
- Skilled migrant - Australia linked
You may also have to find an Australian sponsor when you apply for some other sections, if the immigration authorities doubt that you will be self-supporting. Apply without to start with.
State or Territory Agency or Sponsor
These are government departments in each state that deal with the development of commerce and trade.
You can start by contacting:
Refugee Review Tribunal
This Tribunal only hears Protection Visa cases. Other cases go to the Migration Review Tribunal. The appellant may appear with supporting witnesses and a solicitor or a
Migration Agent.
The Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme
This is a DIMA initiative to help migrants and employers. If your employer is offering employment in a district of Australia away from the main coastal metropolitan areas, in a region of low population growth and slow economic development, you will have a better chance of application approval. Either you or your employer can inquire about the RSMS, either in Australia or at an Australian Embassy or Consulate overseas.
The RSMS can apply to The Employer Nomination Migration Section,
and the Skilled Migrant - Australian Linked sections, and to the other
skilled and business applications where the applicant is going to settle in
a remote area, and has a sponsor.
Retirement Ages in Australia
All men over 65 years qualify as Retired - and can apply in a 'Aged' visa
category. Women's qualifying age is slowly moving up to give them
equality with men. It is dependent on date of birth. If you are born
before 1 July 1935, you must be 60 years of age to qualify
| Born between this Period | Retirement Age |
| 1 July 1935 - December 1936 | 60˝ |
| 1 January 1937 - 30 June 1938 | 61 |
| 1 July 1938 - 31 December 1939 | 61˝ |
| 1 January 1940 - 30 June 1941 | 62 |
| 1 July 1941 - 31 December 1942 | 62˝ |
| 1 January 1943 - 30 June 1944 | 63 |
| 1 July 1944 - 31 December 1945 | 63˝ |
| 1 January 1946 - 30 June 1947 | 64 |
| 1 July 1947 - 31 December 1948 | 64˝ |
| 1 January 1949 and all years after this | 65 |
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