Pacific Engagement Visa: A New Visa Program for Pacific Islands and Other Countries

Pacific Engagement Visa: A New Visa Program for Pacific Islands and Other Countries

Pacific Engagement Visa (subclass 192), the visa program for Pacific Islanders and Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea citizens, will commence on 29 March 2024. The visa would be an answer for citizens of targeted countries looking for an unskilled working visa to allow them to live and work in Australia.

The Department of Foreign Affairs Trade and Department of Home Affairs previously announced the commencement of the visa at the end of 2023. The Pacific Engagement Visa will boost permanent migration from the Pacific and Timor-Leste, expanding Australia’s diaspora, strengthening people-to-people ties, and encouraging greater cultural, business, and educational exchange.

The Pacific Engagement Visa program, developed in collaboration with Pacific and Timor-Leste communities, will allocate up to 3,000 visas annually to Pacific islanders. The program promotes peace, prosperity, and resilience in the Pacific family.

Find the details of the visa requirements, process and charge below.

Update 14 May 2024: Pacific Engagement Visa Application Process

On 14 May 2024, the Department of Home Affairs officially set out the application process for Pacific Engagement Visa (subclass 192). You can submit the Pacific Engagement Visa through one of the following ways:

• Online application: by submitting Form 1556 (internet) through the IMMIAccount.
• Written form: complete Form 1556 and send it via email to the departmental email address set out in the written notice. This way is available only when you receive a written notice from the Department of Home Affairs. This may happen in the event of an IMMIAccount system outage.

Pacific Engagement Visa Program Commencement

On 19 March 2024, the Australian Government announced that the Pacific Engagement Visa program would commence on 29 March 2024. The announcement followed the release of the finalised legislative and administrative arrangements for the visa.

The Australian Government has also set detailed requirements and visa application charges for the Pacific Engagement Visa program for Pacific Islanders, Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea citizens.

Participating Countries and Allocations Process

The Australian Government is consulting Pacific countries and Timor-Leste about their interest in the program. It prioritises countries with limited permanent migration options and no citizenship rights with New Zealand, France, or the US.

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 may be eligible.

Visa allocations in Australia will be based on population size, migration opportunities, and participant perspectives, with consultation with Pacific partners to ensure shared needs and objectives.

Read more: Bring Your Loved One to Australia With Dependent Visa: How to Apply?

Eligibility Criteria for the Pacific Engagement Visa Program

The Australian Government announced specific eligibility criteria for the Pacific Engagement Visa program, which is open to Pacific Islanders and citizens of Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea.

Eligibility Criteria for Pacific Engagement Visa’s Primary Applicant

The primary applicant for the Pacific Engagement Visa must meet the following criteria:

• must be selected in the visa pre-application process (or ballot process)
• aged between 18 to 45 years old
• hold a valid passport from the participating countries
• was born in and a legal citizen of the participating countries
• must not be a citizen of New Zealand
• has a written employment offer for a genuine position in Australia
• has the ability to support themselves and any secondary applicants during the first 12 months as the holder of a Pacific Engagement Visa
• has complied with the previous substantive visa conditions
• satisfy specific English language requirements set by the Minister

Eligibility Criteria for Pacific Engagement Visa’s Secondary Applicant

The eligibility criteria for the secondary applicant of the Pacific Engagement Visa program include:

• must be a member of the family unit of a person who holds a Pacific Engagement Visa (subclass 192)
• must make a combined application with the family unit that holds a Pacific Engagement Visa (subclass 192)
• has compiled with the previous substantive visa conditions (if onshore)

What is the Pre-Application Visa Process, and How Much Does It Cost?

The Pre-Application Visa Process was previously mentioned as a ballot process. It is an electronic random selection process, and those drawn from it can apply for the Pacific Engagement Visa. Before being granted a visa, applicants must demonstrate that they meet all relevant criteria.

By randomly selecting the participants, the Pre-Application Visa process aims to provide eligible individuals from Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste with fair and transparent access to the programme. This includes allowing existing Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme (PALM) workers in Australia to join the process.

The ballot entry fee is AU$25. It must be paid at registration; otherwise, the applicant is considered never to have registered.

To ensure your migration plan goes well, avoid migration scams. This article will tell you how to migrate to Australia safely: Tips to Avoid Australian Visa Scams.

Pacific Engagement Visa Application Charge

The visa application charge for the Pacific Engagement Visa program is set at AU$ 325 for the primary applicant and AU$ 80 for secondary applicants aged 18 or older or less than 18.

Can I Lodge the Visa Application Onshore?

The Pacific Engagement Visa program application can be lodged either onshore or offshore. If the applicant is onshore, they must hold a valid substantive visa or Bridging Visa A, B, or C.

Suppose any secondary applicants join the visa application. In that case, it must be made simultaneously and combined with the primary applicant of the Pacific Engagement Visa. The application must be made on or before the date specified in the notice of selection given to the applicant.

For onshore applications, primary and secondary applicants must not be in immigration clearance at the time of visa grant. For offshore applications, ensure that you enter Australia on the first entry date specified by the Minister.

Read more: New Face of Australian Migration Program Coming in 2024

Benefits for Pacific Engagement Visa Holders

The Pacific Engagement Visa, as an unskilled working visa, offers some benefits for the holders. For example, once the Pacific Engagement Visa application is granted, the holders will have a permanent visa allowing them to travel and enter Australia for 5 years as many times as they want.

The visa holders will also have access to Medicare, government-funded schools and higher education places. There’s also post-arrival settlement support, including the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support program and the Adult Migrant English Program.

Immediate access to the following program will be available for eligible Pacific Engagement Visa holders:

• Family Tax Benefit A
• Austudy
• Youth Allowance (student and apprentice)
• Higher Education Loan Program (HELP); and
• VET Student Loans (VSL) program

What Does It Mean to You?

This is an excellent opportunity for you, who came from eligible countries, to reach your dream of migrating to Australia. Australia has provided many skilled working visas with complex requirements to be met, but the visa program seems to offer unskilled working visas that will allow you to live and work in Australia permanently.

Many benefits are provided in this visa program, including a direct permanent visa without being required to have potential sponsorship or reach specific points. There’s only a week left until the visa program is in place, so it’s best to discuss your migration plan with our registered migration agent by simply clicking below:

Are you ready to join the Pacific Engagement Visa program?

Don’t miss your chance to join the Pacific Engagement Visa Program! Our visa specialists at ONE derland Consulting will assist you with the application for the Pacific Engagement Visa, the unskilled working visa that allows you to live in Australia permanently. We have a 98% success rate and are one of Australia’s most highly recommended migration agents. Read our 4.9* score customer reviews.

We are complex visa specialists. As a registered Australian migration agent with the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA), we are regulated in our professional practice and bound by the profession’s Code of Conduct issued by the Migration Agents Registration Authority. Take the first step and get in touch with us. Our team members are professional and honest and speak various languages, such as Mandarin/ Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia, Arabic, Japanese, and Thai. Contact us by email at [email protected] or by phone at 1300 827 159. Alternatively, you may book your consultation online, and it is backed by our 100% Money Back Guarantee Program.