Live in Victoria
About Victoria
Victoria is one of the most culturally diverse and liveable places in the world. It has a long history of welcoming migrants, the first of whom began making it their home in the 1850s. Today, one in four of Australia’s migrants choose to live and work in Victoria, creating communities with rich cultural diversity and cosmopolitan vibrancy.
The growing Victorian economy is creating exciting opportunities for skilled and business migrants. Strong economic conditions, world-class health and education systems, and vibrant multicultural communities make Victoria an ideal place to live, work and raise a family. More than 300,000 thriving small businesses operate in Victoria, and nearly one third of small business operators were born overseas.
Victoria’s capital Melbourne is well-known for its major sporting events, including the Australian Open tennis tournament and the Melbourne Cup Carnival. Melbourne is also well known as Australia’s cultural heart offering a feast of international and local entertainment and exhibitions, and hundreds of bars, cafés, restaurants and boutiques.
Regional Victoria
Regional Victoria’s large regional centres offer unique, close-knit communities and a wide range of career and business opportunities. Victoria’s regional communities offer affordable housing, superb recreational facilities and locally based migrant support services. These flexible services help skilled and business migrants and their families settle into work and life in regional Victoria.
Services for skilled and business migrants in Victoria
The Victorian Government’s Skilled and Business Migration Program provides free services for professionals, tradespeople, business owners and investors who want to live, work and do business in Victoria. Free services for prospective skilled and business migrants include:
- Free visa sponsorship
- Information about migrating, living and working in Melbourne and in Victoria’s regional communities
- Links to public and private employment and business services
- Priority visa application processing by DIAC for state-sponsored visas
- Support for exploratory, short-term stay business visas.
Employment opportunities
The Victorian Government revamped its occupations in need list in early 2009 to better reflect the current needs of the state to meet its most prolific skilled shortages.
Changes noted in Victoria’s labour market have led to the state introducing significant changes to its list of occupations eligible for sponsorship under the Subclass 176 visa. All changes have been effective since 12 January 2009.