Guide Library
Glossary
An A-to-Z dictionary of Australian immigration terminology, from ANZSCO codes and SkillSelect EOIs to VEVO checks and HAP IDs.
40 guides available
A4
ABTC: APEC Business Travel Card Explained for Australian Travellers
The APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) is a travel document that gives holders pre-cleared entry to 21 APEC member economies without needing to apply for...
AFP Check: Australian Federal Police Criminal Record Certificate
An AFP check — formally known as a National Police Certificate issued by the Australian Federal Police — is a criminal record check required for many...
ANZSCO Codes Explained: Your Key to Australian Skilled Migration
ANZSCO (Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations) is the system that assigns a unique code to every occupation in the Australian and...
ART: Administrative Review Tribunal Explained
The ART (Administrative Review Tribunal) is Australia's independent tribunal that reviews government decisions, including migration and refugee decisions made...
C3
CoE (Confirmation of Enrolment): Your Student Visa Essential
A CoE — Confirmation of Enrolment — is the document that proves you've been accepted and enrolled in a course at an Australian education institution registered...
CRICOS & PRISMS: Education Registration for International Students
CRICOS — the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students — is the official government register that every Australian education...
CSOL: Core Skills Occupation List Explained
The CSOL (Core Skills Occupation List) is Australia's new unified occupation list for employer-sponsored skilled migration, introduced in December 2024 as part...
D2
DAMA (Designated Area Migration Agreements): Regional Labour Solutions Explained
A DAMA — Designated Area Migration Agreement — is a formal arrangement between the Australian Government and a designated regional area that gives local...
Department of Home Affairs: Australia's Immigration Authority
The Department of Home Affairs is the Australian Government department responsible for immigration, border protection, citizenship, customs, and national...
E2
EOI, ITA, IMMI: Australian Visa Acronyms Explained
If you've spent more than five minutes researching Australian skilled migration, you've probably been buried under a pile of acronyms. EOI, ITA, IMMI — they're...
Expression of Interest (SkillSelect): What It Is
An Expression of Interest is a formal declaration submitted through SkillSelect — the Australian government's online platform — that tells the Department of...
G2
GS Requirement: Genuine Student Test for Australian Student Visas
Updated: 13 May 2026
GTE to GS: The Genuine Student Requirement Explained
In 2024, Australia replaced the Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement with the Genuine Student (GS) requirement for student visa applications. The...
M3
MARA/OMara: Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority
The Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMara, formerly known as MARA) is the regulatory body that registers and oversees migration agents...
MLTSSL: Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List Explained
The MLTSSL (Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List) is one of several occupation lists used in Australian skilled migration. It contains occupations...
MRT: Migration Review Tribunal — Now Replaced by the ART
The Migration Review Tribunal (MRT) was the independent body that reviewed decisions made by the Department of Immigration on visa applications and related...
N3
NAATI: Translation Accreditation for Australian Immigration
NAATI — the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters — is Australia's national standards and accreditation body for the translation...
NARWP: Newly Arrived Resident's Waiting Period for Benefits
The NARWP — Newly Arrived Resident's Waiting Period — is the mandatory waiting period that most new permanent residents must serve before they can access...
NIV (National Innovation Visa): Australia's Talent Attraction Pathway
The National Innovation Visa (NIV) — subclass 858 — is Australia's premier visa for exceptionally talented individuals who can contribute to the country's...
P2
PALM Scheme: Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Explained
The PALM scheme — Pacific Australia Labour Mobility — is Australia's program for connecting workers from Pacific Island nations and Timor-Leste with Australian...
PAM: Procedures Advice Manual — The Department's Internal Playbook
The Procedures Advice Manual (PAM) is the internal guidance document used by Department of Home Affairs case officers when assessing visa applications and...
R3
RHCA: Reciprocal Healthcare Agreements with Australia
An RHCA — Reciprocal Healthcare Agreement — is a bilateral arrangement between Australia and another country that gives visitors and temporary residents access...
ROL: Regional Occupation List Explained
The ROL (Regional Occupation List) is an additional skilled occupation list that supplements the MLTSSL and STSOL specifically for regional visa pathways in...
RRT: Refugee Review Tribunal — Now Replaced by the ART
The Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) was the specialist body that independently reviewed decisions to refuse protection visas (refugee and humanitarian visas) in...
S9
SAF Levy: Skilling Australians Fund Levy Explained for Employers
The Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) Levy is a mandatory payment that Australian employers must make when they nominate a worker for certain employer-sponsored...
SBS, SID Visa, TSMIT, and SAF Levy: Employer Sponsorship Explained
Employer-sponsored migration in Australia involves several interconnected terms that can be confusing at first glance. SBS (Standard Business Sponsorship) is...
Schedule 1 and Schedule 2: Understanding Visa Requirements in the Migration Regulations
Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994 are the technical documents that set out, in granular detail, every visa subclass available in...
Section 351 and 417: Ministerial Intervention Powers Explained
Sections 351 and 417 of the Migration Act 1958 give the Minister for Immigration personal powers to intervene in individual migration cases — overriding...
Section 48 Bar: Why You Can't Apply for Another Visa in Australia
Section 48 of the Migration Act 1958 is the provision that prevents certain people from making further visa applications while they're in Australia. If you've...
Section 501: Visa Cancellation on Character Grounds Explained
Section 501 of the Migration Act 1958 is the provision that allows the Australian Government to refuse or cancel a visa if a person doesn't pass the "character...
SOL: Skilled Occupation Lists for Australian Migration Explained
SOL (Skilled Occupation List) is a generic term that refers to the various occupation lists used in Australia's skilled migration program. If your occupation...
STSOL: Short-term Skilled Occupation List Explained
The STSOL (Short-term Skilled Occupation List) is one of Australia's skilled occupation lists used in the migration system. It contains occupations that have...
SVP (Streamlined Visa Processing): What Replaced This Ceased System
SVP — Streamlined Visa Processing — was a risk-based framework that simplified student visa applications for students enrolling at participating Australian...
All Glossary40
ABTC: APEC Business Travel Card Explained for Australian Travellers
The APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) is a travel document that gives holders pre-cleared entry to 21 APEC member economies without needing to apply for...
AFP Check: Australian Federal Police Criminal Record Certificate
An AFP check — formally known as a National Police Certificate issued by the Australian Federal Police — is a criminal record check required for many...
ANZSCO Codes Explained: Your Key to Australian Skilled Migration
ANZSCO (Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations) is the system that assigns a unique code to every occupation in the Australian and...
ART: Administrative Review Tribunal Explained
The ART (Administrative Review Tribunal) is Australia's independent tribunal that reviews government decisions, including migration and refugee decisions made...
BIIP (Business Innovation and Investment Program): Closed but Still Relevant
The BIIP — Business Innovation and Investment Program — was Australia's suite of business and investor visas designed to attract entrepreneurs, business...
CoE (Confirmation of Enrolment): Your Student Visa Essential
A CoE — Confirmation of Enrolment — is the document that proves you've been accepted and enrolled in a course at an Australian education institution registered...
CRICOS & PRISMS: Education Registration for International Students
CRICOS — the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students — is the official government register that every Australian education...
CSOL: Core Skills Occupation List Explained
The CSOL (Core Skills Occupation List) is Australia's new unified occupation list for employer-sponsored skilled migration, introduced in December 2024 as part...
DAMA (Designated Area Migration Agreements): Regional Labour Solutions Explained
A DAMA — Designated Area Migration Agreement — is a formal arrangement between the Australian Government and a designated regional area that gives local...
Department of Home Affairs: Australia's Immigration Authority
The Department of Home Affairs is the Australian Government department responsible for immigration, border protection, citizenship, customs, and national...
EOI, ITA, IMMI: Australian Visa Acronyms Explained
If you've spent more than five minutes researching Australian skilled migration, you've probably been buried under a pile of acronyms. EOI, ITA, IMMI — they're...
Expression of Interest (SkillSelect): What It Is
An Expression of Interest is a formal declaration submitted through SkillSelect — the Australian government's online platform — that tells the Department of...
GS Requirement: Genuine Student Test for Australian Student Visas
Updated: 13 May 2026
GTE to GS: The Genuine Student Requirement Explained
In 2024, Australia replaced the Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement with the Genuine Student (GS) requirement for student visa applications. The...
HAP ID: Your Health Assessment Protocol Identifier Explained
A HAP ID (Health Assessment Protocol Identifier) is a unique reference number generated through ImmiAccount that links your medical examination to your...
ImmiAccount Explained: Australia's Online Visa Application Portal
ImmiAccount is the Australian Government's online system for lodging and managing visa applications. Operated by the Department of Home Affairs, it's the...
LMT: Labour Market Testing Requirements for Australian Employer-Sponsored Visas
Labour Market Testing (LMT) is the requirement for Australian employers to demonstrate they've genuinely tried to fill a position with an Australian worker...
MARA/OMara: Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority
The Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMara, formerly known as MARA) is the regulatory body that registers and oversees migration agents...
MLTSSL: Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List Explained
The MLTSSL (Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List) is one of several occupation lists used in Australian skilled migration. It contains occupations...
MRT: Migration Review Tribunal — Now Replaced by the ART
The Migration Review Tribunal (MRT) was the independent body that reviewed decisions made by the Department of Immigration on visa applications and related...
NAATI: Translation Accreditation for Australian Immigration
NAATI — the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters — is Australia's national standards and accreditation body for the translation...
NARWP: Newly Arrived Resident's Waiting Period for Benefits
The NARWP — Newly Arrived Resident's Waiting Period — is the mandatory waiting period that most new permanent residents must serve before they can access...
NIV (National Innovation Visa): Australia's Talent Attraction Pathway
The National Innovation Visa (NIV) — subclass 858 — is Australia's premier visa for exceptionally talented individuals who can contribute to the country's...
OSHC and OVHC Explained: Health Insurance for Visa Holders
OSHC (Overseas Student Health Cover) and OVHC (Overseas Visitors Health Cover) are two types of private health insurance designed specifically for people on...
PALM Scheme: Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Explained
The PALM scheme — Pacific Australia Labour Mobility — is Australia's program for connecting workers from Pacific Island nations and Timor-Leste with Australian...
PAM: Procedures Advice Manual — The Department's Internal Playbook
The Procedures Advice Manual (PAM) is the internal guidance document used by Department of Home Affairs case officers when assessing visa applications and...
RHCA: Reciprocal Healthcare Agreements with Australia
An RHCA — Reciprocal Healthcare Agreement — is a bilateral arrangement between Australia and another country that gives visitors and temporary residents access...
ROL: Regional Occupation List Explained
The ROL (Regional Occupation List) is an additional skilled occupation list that supplements the MLTSSL and STSOL specifically for regional visa pathways in...
RRT: Refugee Review Tribunal — Now Replaced by the ART
The Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) was the specialist body that independently reviewed decisions to refuse protection visas (refugee and humanitarian visas) in...
SAF Levy: Skilling Australians Fund Levy Explained for Employers
The Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) Levy is a mandatory payment that Australian employers must make when they nominate a worker for certain employer-sponsored...
SBS, SID Visa, TSMIT, and SAF Levy: Employer Sponsorship Explained
Employer-sponsored migration in Australia involves several interconnected terms that can be confusing at first glance. SBS (Standard Business Sponsorship) is...
Schedule 1 and Schedule 2: Understanding Visa Requirements in the Migration Regulations
Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994 are the technical documents that set out, in granular detail, every visa subclass available in...
Section 351 and 417: Ministerial Intervention Powers Explained
Sections 351 and 417 of the Migration Act 1958 give the Minister for Immigration personal powers to intervene in individual migration cases — overriding...
Section 48 Bar: Why You Can't Apply for Another Visa in Australia
Section 48 of the Migration Act 1958 is the provision that prevents certain people from making further visa applications while they're in Australia. If you've...
Section 501: Visa Cancellation on Character Grounds Explained
Section 501 of the Migration Act 1958 is the provision that allows the Australian Government to refuse or cancel a visa if a person doesn't pass the "character...
SOL: Skilled Occupation Lists for Australian Migration Explained
SOL (Skilled Occupation List) is a generic term that refers to the various occupation lists used in Australia's skilled migration program. If your occupation...
STSOL: Short-term Skilled Occupation List Explained
The STSOL (Short-term Skilled Occupation List) is one of Australia's skilled occupation lists used in the migration system. It contains occupations that have...
SVP (Streamlined Visa Processing): What Replaced This Ceased System
SVP — Streamlined Visa Processing — was a risk-based framework that simplified student visa applications for students enrolling at participating Australian...
TFN, ABN, and ACN Explained: Tax and Business Numbers in Australia
If you're working or doing business in Australia, you'll encounter three key numbers: the TFN (Tax File Number), ABN (Australian Business Number), and ACN...
VEVO Explained: Visa Entitlement Verification Online
VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online) is the Australian Government's free online service for checking visa details, conditions, and entitlements. Whether...
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