Wondering about the Skilled Worker Visa? Canada or Australia May Be Your Best Bet

Looking to move abroad?

Consider the skilled worker visa option.

Many countries offer skilled worker visas to attract professionals with in-demand skills, particularly in sectors like technology, engineering, healthcare, and business. If you have the requisite skills and experience, it’s one of the best routes to obtain residency and even citizenship in another country.

What’s notable is that, unlike investment visas and digital nomad visas, it’s probably safe to say skilled worker visa programs aren’t going anywhere. These programs are a win-win: the host country gets much-needed talent, while the applicant gets residency and the financial and social benefits of living and working there.

In this article, we highlight two countries with excellent skilled worker visa programs: Canada and Australia. See which destination and visa program suits you best.

Canada: Express Entry (Skilled Worker Visa)

Canada’s skilled worker visa programs are highly competitive. The Government of Canada uses a points system for work experience, education, language skills and more to rank and accept or deny applicants. The government also has language and financial requirements for each program:

• Canada requires proof of language ability through an IELTS exam or similar, even if you’re coming from an English-speaking country.
• Canada requires proof of funds to show you have the means to settle in the country. You do NOT need to show this if you have a valid job offer from a company in Canada.

What’s great is that the Express Entry program welcomes those with a wide range of skills as long as your experience falls within one of the National Occupation Classification (NOC) categories. Some examples include:

• Financial advisors
• Civil engineers
• Nurse practitioners
• Technical writers
• Paralegals

View the list here and below.

Canada’s Express Entry includes three different programs that provide a skilled worker visa and permanent residency in the country. See which one below suits you best.

Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW)

Who’s it for: Skilled workers with foreign work experience who seek permanent residency in Canada

Minimum Requirement: At least one year of continuous work in one of the National Occupation Classification categories (search the NOC page to make sure your field is included)

• Note: Canada’s NOC system is further divided in TEER categories (Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities). For the FSW program, your experience must be in the 0,1,2, or 3 TEER categories, meaning you must have management experience or be in a field that typically requires a college degree. 

Apply today! Visit Canada’s Federal Skilled Worker Program webpage to get started.

Federal Skilled Trades Program

Who’s it for: Skilled workers with certifications and experience in industries such as construction, transportation, manufacturing and industrial, and natural resources and agriculture

Minimum Requirement: At least 2 years of full-time work experience in the last five years; search on the NOC page to see if your field is included (the groups that qualify are listed below)

• 72: Includes air traffic controllers, crane operators, vehicle mechanics, etc
• 73: Drillers and blasters, bus drivers, railway conductors, etc
• 82: Farm supervisors, logging supervisors, landscaping supervisors, etc
• 83: Fishing masters, logging machinery operators, oil and gas well drillers, etc
• 92: Water and waste treatment plant operators, electronics manufacturing supervisors, power engineers, etc
• 93: Aircraft assemblers, mineral and metal processing operators, gas and chemical processing operators, etc

Apply today! Visit Canada’s Federal Skilled Trades Program webpage to get started.

Canadian Experience Class Program

Who’s it for: Skilled workers who have Canadian work experience and want to become permanent residents

Minimum Requirement: At least one year of work experience in Canada in one of the National Occupation Classification categories (search the NOC page to make sure your field is included)

Apply today! Visit the Canadian Experience Class Program to get started.

View all of Canada’s skilled worker visa programs on the Express Entry webpage. 

Australia: Skilled Visa

Australia’s Skilled Migration Program is designed for migrants who can fill positions where Australian workers aren’t available. The skilled occupation list specifies who qualifies for this skilled worker visa. Your visa can either be sponsored (by employer, government, or family member) or unsponsored (which allows you to work for a variety of employers). The good news is hundreds of positions fall within the Core Skills Occupation List, including:

• Actors, dancers and entertainers
• Biochemists
• Occupational therapists
• Secondary school teachers
• Software engineers

The government also has language and financial requirements for each program:

• Australia requires proof of language ability through an IELTS exam or similar.
• Australia has health and character requirements for all skilled worker visa applicants. See the health requirements here. See the character requirements here.
• For many of the skilled worker visas, you must obtain a skills assessment from a skills assessing authority in Australia. For more information, click here.
• For many of the skilled worker visas, you must pass a points test that determines you have suitable skills and experience. Check your skills using Australia’s points calculator here.

Now, let’s review the difference between Australia’s skilled worker visa schemes: Sponsored and unsponsored.

Sponsored Skilled Visa

Sponsored skilled worker visas for Australia include subclasses 186, 187, 482, 491, and 494. These visas let an employer, local government, or family member sponsor you. Details on each are listed below:

Employer Nomination Scheme: Direct Entry Stream (subclass 186)

Who’s it for: Skilled workers, who are nominated by employers, to live and work in Australia permanently

Minimum Requirement: At least 3 years of relevant work experience, be under 45 years old, and be nominated for one of the occupations in the Core Skills Occupation List

Apply today! Visit the Employer Nomination Scheme webpage to get started.

Skills in Demand Visa (subclass 482)

Who’s it for: Suitably skilled workers, who are nominated by Australian employers, to fill a position in which the company can not find a suitably skilled Australian to fill; this visa is temporary, but allows for stays of up to 4 years

Minimum Requirement: Be nominated by an approved sponsor and have the right skills to do the job

Transition to Permanent Residency: After working on this visa, you can transition to a Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa (subclass 187), which allows you to live and work in Australia permanently.  The subclass 187 visa requires a nomination from a state or territory.

Apply today! Visit the Skills in Demand webpage to get started.

Skilled Worker Regional Visa (subclass 491)

Who’s it for: Skilled workers nominated by a state or territory government to live and work in regional Australia (outside major cities); the visa allows stays up to 5 years, but you can apply for permanent residency after 3 years

Minimum Requirement: Have a suitable skills assessment, pass the points test, and have an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List

Apply today! Visit the Skilled Worker Regional Visa webpage to get started.

Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Visa (subclass 494)

Who’s it for: Skilled workers nominated by an employer to live and work in regional Australia (outside major cities); the visa allows stays up to 5 years, but you can apply for permanent residency after 3 years

Minimum Requirement: Have a suitable skills assessment, pass the points test, be under 45 years of age, and have an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List

Apply today! Visit the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Visa webpage to get started.

Unsponsored Skilled Visa

Unsponsored skilled worker visas for Australia include subclasses 189, 190, 191, 485, 491, and 858. These visas are points-based, so the more critical your skills and experience are, the easier it will be to get approval. To apply for these skilled worker visas, you must first lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI), which you can do through SkillSelect here.

• A note about visa subclasses 190 and 491 (see above for more details): These visas require nomination from a state or territory. States and territories can nominate you after you lodge your EOI.
• A note about the visa subclass (485), the Temporary Graduate Visa: This visa is for international students who have completed studies in Australia. Stays range from 18 months to 5 years, depending on your skills, degree, and home country. See this webpage for more information.

Details on the other unsponsored skilled visa are listed below:

Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189)

Who’s it for: Invited workers and eligible Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) passport holders; this is a permanent residency visa

Minimum Requirement: For the points tested stream (available to anyone), you must be invited to apply via your Expression of Interest (EOI) acceptance; you must be under 45 years old

Apply today! Visit the Skilled Independent Visa webpage to get started.

Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190)

Who’s it for: Nominated skilled workers to live and work in Australia permanently

Minimum Requirement: Have an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List and be invited to apply by a state or territory (governments can invite you after EOI acceptance)

Apply today! Visit the Skilled Nominated Visa webpage to get started.

National Innovation Visa (subclass 858)

Who’s it for: People with outstanding achievements in a profession, sport, academia, or the arts; this is a permanent residency visa

Minimum Requirement: Be invited to apply and lodge your visa application within 60 days of invitation; have an approved nominator in your area of talent (Australian organization, citizen or permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen)

Apply today! Visit the National Innovation Visa webpage to get started.

View all of Canada’s skilled worker visa programs on the Skilled Visa webpage. 

Now’s the Time to Apply for a Skilled Worker Visa to Canada or Australia

Countries such as Canada and Australia offer accessible pathways to permanent residency and citizenship through skilled worker visas.  Since these visa programs attract talent from around the world, they’re usually subject to less policy volatility as other visa schemes are. This makes them an attractive option compared to other visas if you have the required skills and experience.

We hope this article has sparked your interest in exploring the skilled worker visa route. Make sure to check this article periodically, as we’ll be adding more countries soon!

Looking for more ways to go overseas? Check out our other guides:

• How to Move Abroad with No Money
• Digital Nomad and Remote Work Visas
• Easiest Place to Get Citizenship in Europe
• Easiest Countries for US Citizens to Get Citizenship

About the Author

Nick Callos has always had a passion for reading, writing, and discovering the new and unknown. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Nick holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Boston College. He currently splits his time between his hometown, Chengdu, China, and the open road. A full-time travel writer, Nick hopes his work can inspire others to explore the world more deeply and enjoy the digital nomad lifestyle.

Featured image by Andre Furtado on Pexels.