STAY IN AUSTRALIA
A lot of people that go backpacking in Australia fall in love with the country (and sometimes an Aussie) and never want to leave.
Unfortunately it's not easy to stay in Australia. However there are a few ways you can do it if you are really determined to stay. Some will give you an extra year or two and others can lead to permanent residency and eventually citizenship.
Below are some of the most common ways that will allow you to stay in Oz.
SECOND & THIRD
WORKING HOLIDAY VISA
If you travel to Australia on a Working Holiday Visa (WHV) you'll be able to work and travel in Oz for up to 12 months.
However if you do 3 months of farm work you can apply for a second and even third WHV. There's more info here.
Note: In early 2021 the Australian government announced that they will be ending the farm work requirement, so once borders re-open things will most likely be different.
TEMPORARY SKILL SHORTAGE VISA
This visa enables employers to address labour shortages by bringing in skilled workers where employers can't source an appropriately skilled Australian worker. The employer can sponsor you to stay for up to 2 years.
However your job will need to be on the Skilled Occupation List.
There's more info on this type of visa here.
EMPLOYER NOMINATION SCHEME
This visa lets skilled workers, who are nominated by their employer, live and work in Australia permanently. You can then apply for citizenship in the future.
You must work with the employer that sponsors you for at least 2 years after you've been sponsored. And your job will need to be on the Skilled Occupation List. There's more info on this type of visa here.
SKILLED INDEPENDENT VISA
If you have some skills that Australia needs then you can apply for this type of visa. It allows you to stay permanently and you don't need an employer to sponsor you. It's a points based system where you need to have a certain number of points to apply. You can then apply for citizenship in the future.
The list of skilled occupations is here.
And there's more info on this type of visa here.
JUST MARRY AN AUSSIE!
If you don't have the skills and experience to get sponsored by your employer or apply for a skilled independent visa then your only remaining option is to apply for a partner visa. You need to have been with your Aussie partner in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months or be married to them. Then you can apply for temporary residency, then permanent residency, then eventually citizenship.
There are details on this visa here.
