Application for Assessment of Professional, Paraprofessional or Technical Qualifications Form - Form 44
This form is required by the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs to make an initial assessment of a migrant's job skills and qualifications.

Assurance of Support - Form 28B
The assurance of support form guarantees financial assistance for a sponsored migrant, or a migrant family, for the first two years.

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. The assurance of support is a legal document and carries penalties for false information. In addition, if the migrants get into financial difficulties, and the guarantor does not fulfil his (or her) financial responsibilities in supporting the migrants, he will be billed by the Department of Social Security for the amount expended in social security payments.

The sections in this book that require an assurance of support have it listed in the documentation box.  For some other sections it may be needed, and this too is noted in the box.

If you are applying under one of these sections, send off your application without any assurance of support, only the sponsorship form. When the Australian Embassy or Consulate in your overseas country is ready, they will write to you and request that you organise an assurance of support.  Then you contact your Australian sponsor and ask him (or her) to fill out Form 28B and take it to the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs in Australia.

(Read the above carefully. It is confusing.)

Birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates>
These official documents should be obtained from the government offices in the country where the event took place. For example, if you were married in country A, that is the place you must write to for your marriage certificate, no matter where you may be living now. For migration you will need a full birth certificate.

DO NOT SEND THE ORIGINALS - Remember to get them copied and certified.

Business Registration Form for registration with the State Government - Form 927

This form should be lodged before visa application for the Business Skills Section and the Senior Executive Section. Send this form to the appropriate Regional Authority.

Business Skills Declaration - Form 926

This declaration is for migrants applying for visas under the Business Skills Section and the Senior Executive Section. It is a declaration of intent that these migrants will make genuine efforts to further business enterprise in Australia.

Certificate of Intention to Marry

This certificate is needed for the Prospective Marriage Section. It is a certificate from either a religious or a civil marriage celebrant stating that you and your prospective partner have made arrangements to get married once you arrive in Australia.

Child Welfare approval for adoption

This is approval for adoption and it is granted by a government authority with responsibility for the welfare of children. If you are applying to bring in a child for adoption in Australia, then you must approach the Australian Child Welfare Authorities for approval before you apply for migration. Also, if a migrant child has recently been adopted overseas, within the last twelve months, the adoptive parents will need to gain the approval of the Australian Child Welfare Authorities.

Custody of children documents

If you are divorced you will need to prove to the immigration authorities that you have sole custody of the children migrating with you, and that there is no restriction on your removing the children from their present country.

Custody is normally handled by a welfare agency or a law court, or other official agency with authority for the welfare of children.

Details of Child or Other Dependent Family Member Aged 18 Years or Over - Form 47A

If you have family members who are financially dependent on you, then you will need to fill out this form. You must fill the form out whether or not the dependent is migrating with you. An adult child or other family member cannot be considered dependent on you if they are married or engaged to be married. Take care that it is the principal applicant who fills out and signs this form.

Evidence of your business and personal assets (Three copies of each are needed)

Evidence of your assets needs to be given under the Business Skills Section and the Senior Executive Section.

The evidence should be given in an independent appraisal by certified property and business assessors in the overseas country.

Family relationship documents

Not every country issues these documents. The Australian immigration authorities will accept them as proof of your family relationship, birth and marriage, providing they have been issued by an approved authority.

Nomination for Entry to Australia - Form ENS 783

This form is completed by an Australian employer for a prospective migrant employee.  It is lodged at the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs in the State where the employer is resident.   It is only needed for the Employer Nomination Section.

Notarised or Certified Documents

The Australian immigration authorities do not want your original documents.  For example your birth certificate.  Get your birth certificate photocopied.  Then take both the original and the photocopy along to a recognised authority in your country, and get him (or her) to certify that the photocopy is a true copy of the original.

You do this with all your original documents your marriage certificate, your qualifications, your work testimonials. It's a good idea to make a collection of all the documents you will be sending with your application, and then get them all photocopied and certified at once.

The only documents sent in the original are the forms you fill out from the Australian immigration authorities. At a later date, you might be asked to show your originals, but this is rare.

If your originals are not in English, photocopy them as they are and send a translation as well. You will also have to get it certified that the translation is a true and accurate translation by somebody who knows both languages.

Personal Particulars for Character Assessment - Form 80

All adults have to fill out this form for character assessment.

Photographs

Four photographs of each person are required to be submitted with applications. These photographs should be "passport type" photographs of the person's head and shoulders, with a plain background.

The photographs should have been taken within the last six months.

Principal Applicant and the Application Form - Form 47

When you fill out the Application Form, the principal applicant is the family member with the best chance of filling the requirements of the Section you are applying for. If you are a single person travelling on your own or with dependants, it is no problem you are the principal applicant.  But if you are travelling with a spouse, then the other partner may be the one who best fills the requirements.  For example if it is the wife who has a sister in Australia, then she is the principal applicant.

If you are applying for a Section where job skills are important, then consider if it is the husband or the wife who best fits the criteria. In most cases it is number of years trained that gets the points, rather than seniority of position or salary. A wife with full nursing qualifications would be a better principal applicant than a selftaught electrician.

Qualification and training documents

These are certificates, diplomas, degrees and awards relating to your training.  This includes training in an apprenticeship, or at tertiary level. You will need these documents for any section where your application depends on your work skills.

DO NOT SEND THE ORIGINALS - Remember to get them copied and certified.

Sponsorship Form - Form 40

The sponsorship form is an assurance by an Australian resident or citizen to help a migrant, or a migrant family, settle into Australian life. This would mean providing help with finding work, a place to live, schools for children, and health care. Also an Australian sponsor is asked to guarantee financial assistance for a migrant, or migrant family, for up to twelve months, if needed. It is a legal document, and carries penalties for false information.

A completed sponsorship form must accompany your application for Sections 8, 9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17, 20 and 21. 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.

If you are applying for a visa under Interdependency, then you will also need Form 1036, Sponsorship for migration to Australia on interdependency grounds. This should be filled out and sent to you as with Form 40.

Supplementary Information - Form 928

This form provides additional information about your business skills and financial assets, and should be signed by you and your spouse.

It is only needed in the Business Skills Section, and the Senior Executive Section.

Tripartite Negotiated Arrangement - Form TNA

This form is only used when the Commonwealth Government, the unions and the employer all agree that an employee should be sought from overseas. They only agree to employ someone from overseas when it has been established that the position cannot be filled by anyone in Australia.

The form is lodged at the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs in the State where the employer is resident. It is only needed for the Labour Agreement Section.

Work references

Work references should be on the employer's headed notepaper. A certified translation will be needed if the reference is not in English. Your will need work references for any section where your application depends on your work skills.

Written plan of proposed business venture for Australia (Three copies needed)

This plan has to be made by migrants applying for a visa under the Business Skills Section and the Senior Executive Section. It is an outline of the proposed business venture that applicants intend to establish and manage when they get to Australia.