Australia Visa and Immigration Guide for Applicants in India

November 15, 2026

Team of Boldvoices · 15 November 2026 · Official guidance checked 15 November 2026

Start with the visa subclass and stream that matches your purpose. For skilled migration, an employer-sponsored visa and a points-tested permanent visa have different application steps.

Jump to your route

Study · Work · Official job openings · Visit · Join family · Settle

Opportunities and rule changes

Home Affairs announced 185,000 places for the 2026–27 Permanent Migration Program. This is a national planning level. Check the criteria and nomination or invitation process for your own subclass.

Student visa (subclass 500)

Check your education provider’s Confirmation of Enrolment and the Genuine Student requirement. Use the document checklist to confirm financial or English-language evidence, and check Overseas Student Health Cover requirements. If you hope to stay after graduation, verify graduate visa eligibility separately before choosing a course.

Official job openings by industry

Verified total of open vacancies that support a work visa, by industry: No official total verified as of 15 November 2026. Where a portal displays a filtered count, use it as a count of results for that search and check individual adverts for overseas eligibility and visa support.

Search Workforce Australia for the occupation or industry you want. For an employer-sponsored route, check the exact job ad for sponsorship and compare it with Home Affairs’ stream requirements. A keyword result may mention sponsorship restrictions.

Before counting an opening, check that the advert is active, accepts applications from overseas, and supports the specific work-visa route or provides the job offer needed for it. Count one advert once and record the number of positions separately if the employer publishes it.

Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)

A sponsoring employer nominates a position. Match the offer to the appropriate stream, then check its occupation, experience, English and salary rules. If family members plan to join later, review the subsequent entrant instructions for this subclass.

Visitor visa (subclass 600)

For tourism from India, check the overseas Tourist stream. Prepare evidence of the trip, available funds and reasons to return. Business visitor activities have a separate stream, so use the checklist that fits the visit.

Partner and dependant routes

The offshore partner route uses subclasses 309 and 100. Check the sponsor and relationship requirements, including the evidence requested for your situation. Dependants of a temporary visa holder should check that visa’s family or subsequent entrant rules.

Skilled migration and settlement

The points-tested subclass 189 route requires an invitation. Check the occupation list, skills assessment and points rules before submitting an expression of interest. Follow the permanent subclass criteria if you already hold a temporary visa.

How to apply from India

Use Home Affairs’ application instructions for your subclass, usually through ImmiAccount. Gather identity and stream-specific documents, and respond to any requests for health checks or biometrics. Check the decision letter for the visa conditions.

Fees and processing

Use the Home Affairs pricing estimator for charges in Australian dollars and the processing-time guide for your subclass. Family members and extra charges can change the total.

Common question

Does an expression of interest start the visa application? For the invitation-based skilled route, submit the visa application after an invitation and follow the instructions and deadline in it.