Late last year, the Australian government announced the Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV) to promote Pacific permanent migration to Australia, thus building a stronger Pacific family. Under this new program, up to 3,000 nationals of Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste are allowed to migrate to Australia as permanent residents each year. Interested in it? Let’s move on to learn more about this new visa in the article.
What is the Pacific Engagement Visa?
The Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV) is a new permanent resident visa for participating countries across the Pacific and Timor-Leste. Annually 3,000 visas will be allocated to the Pacific and Timor-Leste nationals through a ballot process, which is inclusive of partners and dependent children. Those who are selected in the ballot will be invited to apply for permanent residence in Australia.
The PEV aims to make contributions to a peaceful, prosperous, and resilient Pacific family. With this visa, there will be a larger number of the Pacific and Timor-Leste diaspora in Australia. In the meantime, the PEV will further enhance people-to-people links and promote greater cultural, business and educational exchange among the participating countries.
How is it different to the PALM scheme?
The PEV is a permanent resident visa for nationals from Pacific countries and Timor-Leste, which is newly issued. It is seeking to create a greater link among Australia, the Pacific and Timor-Leste in people, culture, business, and education. On the other hand, the PALM scheme is a temporary migration program. It plays an important role in meeting workforce shortages in rural and regional Australia, supporting economic development in Pacific nations and Timor-Leste, and improving workers in their skills and experience. If you have participated in the PALM program and hold a valid temporary visa at present, you will qualify for entering a PEV ballot when registration opens.
Which countries will be involved?
The PEV program provides prior opportunities for permanent residence to people from countries with limited permanent migration opportunities to Australia, or citizenship rights with New Zealand, France and the United States. This could include Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. However, the program may be not limited to these countries.
When can I apply for the Pacific Engagement Visa?
No exact date has been announced so far. The PEV ballot will commence once all the related legislative and administrative arrangements are in place. Please keep your attention to the official website for updates from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
What are the eligibility requirements for the Pacific Engagement Visa application?
To be eligible to apply for the Pacific Engagement Visa, you must meet the following requirements:
- You must be between 18 and 45 years old.
- You must be selected through the ballot process.
- You must get a valid formal job offer in Australia, or your spouse/ partner must obtain a job offer.
- You must pass the checks on English language, character and health.
- You must be a passport holder from a participating country.
- You should have been born in or have a parent who was born in an eligible country.
Note that you can include a partner and legally dependent children in your application. Further program settings and details like ballot eligibility requirements will be informed when it is closer to the program commencement.
What documents do I need to prepare for the Pacific Engagement Visa application?
Currently, the Australian government has not issued the full list of documents required for the PEV application yet. Here are the documents usually needed in visa application:
- A completed application form.
- Your valid passport.
- Your birth certificate.
- Your job offer letter is in Australia.
- Proof of your work and education experience.
- Police clearance certificate if you are over the age of 16.
- Your marriage certificate if you are married.
- Other supporting documents.
What is the application process for the Pacific Engagement Visa?
The application for the Pacific Engagement Visa can be mainly divided into the following steps:
- Confirm if you qualify for the application.
- Log in on the official website of the Department of Home Affairs and then make a registration to enter the PEV ballot. Please remember to pay the charge for the ballot.
- If you are selected through the ballot process, you can step into the next stage. Following the guidelines, you need to gather all the required documents and complete the online application procedure for permanent residence in Australia within a specific timeframe and pay the application fees.
- If you are not selected, unfortunately, you have to submit a new registration to enter the next ballot.
- Wait for your application to be processed and for a decision on your visa status.
When can I know the result of my visa?
As you are applying for permanent residence in Australia, it will take longer to process your application than applying for a temporary visa. According to the Department of Home Affairs, the median processing time for permanent visas is about seven months. The actual time it needs varies depending on various factors such as the type of your job and the completeness of your documents. So it is important to be patient.
How to check my application result?
You can sign in to your account on the Department of Home Affairs website to check whether your application is approved or not. In addition, you will receive an email from the Australian government to inform you officially when you obtain approval for your PEV application.
FAQs
- What is the Pacific Engagement Visa ballot?
The ballot is an electronic random selection process. Its successful entrants are able to apply for a Pacific Engagement Visa with their immediate family members. This process offers the eligible applicants with fair and transparent access to the program by randomly selecting ballot participants.
- How much does it take to enter the PEV ballot?
The cost is estimated to be $25 for entering the ballot now.
- Will successful applicants be able to choose where they want to reside in Australia?
As this visa is a permanent visa, holders will be free to choose where they would like to live, work and study in this country.
- How will participants be supported by the program after their applications are approved?
A service will be established by the Australian government to connect successful applicants with employers in Australia, so as to provide a variety of jobs at different skill levels. Besides, the program will also deliver successful applicants various program outreach related to culture and language and inform them about life in Australia so that they can start their new life in the country successfully. Such services and support include:
- Schools and training programs
- Medicare benefits
- Family Tax Benefit Part B
- Settlement Engagement and Transition Support program
- Adult English Migrant Program.
In the future, there can be further legislative amendments to be made for the Pacific Engagement Visa to provide more services for the visa holders, such as the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP), VET student loans (VSL), Youth Allowance (Student), Youth Allowance (Apprentice), and Family Tax Benefit Part A.
- Can I reapply if I’m not selected this year?
Yes, as long as you meet the application requirements. But you need to submit a new registration so that you can enter a new PEV ballot.
- Can I still apply if I was not born in a qualifying country?
If any of your parents were born in an eligible country and you hold a passport for the country, you are still able to apply for the PEV program. If not, however, it’s sorry that in all probability you cannot participate in the program.
- How will I know if I am selected or not? Will I be notified?
Of course, you will receive an official notification email sent by the Australian government when the selection result comes out. Meanwhile, you can also check whether or not you are selected through the ballot process personally by signing in to your account on the Department of Home Affairs website.
Conclusion
The Pacific Engagement Visa provides a new way for people from the Pacific countries and Timor-Leste to migrate to Australia. On the other hand, it also allows the Australian government to attract a number of talented immigrants. Although this mutually beneficial program has not come into force so far, this guide offers a rather comprehensive introduction to it to help you have a basic understanding. If you are interested in this program, please pay attention to the official website of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to get the latest news.
Dolores Xiao