Temporary Residence Visa

Australia is a beautiful country with breath-taking natural beauty, mild weather, friendly people, a multi-cultural society and a striving economy. It embraces a wide variety of people and cultures from all over the world.

Temporary residence visa
General requirements and sponsorship

If you’re planning to live or work in Australia for between three months and four years, you must obtain a temporary residence visa.

Applications are made using form 147 Application for a temporary residence visa (non-business). Applicants may be required to have a medical examination and chest X-ray before a visa is granted, although this isn’t usual when the intended stay is 12 months or less. Some types of temporary residence visa require a fee.

Applicants are expected to stay for the full period of their planned stay. In most cases, temporary residents are granted a multiple entry visa for the period of their approved stay. Temporary visa holders have no access to social welfare benefits or national public health cover while they're in Australia.

Certain categories of skilled worker and professional are permitted to enter Australia for a fixed period (e.g. the duration of a contract) of up to four years to take up employment where it can be shown that a job cannot be filled by a resident. There are no set quotas for visas for most temporary workers, who may be engaged in a wide range of occupations, including academic staff; domestic staff; entertainers; executive, professional and technical people; foreign government officials; media and film staff; medical practitioners; occupational trainees; religious personnel; retirees; sportsmen/women; and working holidaymakers.