# 461 to Perminant Resident



## jasperparkinson (Mar 25, 2014)

Good Afternoon - hope you can help me.

I am currently coming up to 2 years in Australia. I am on a Class 461 VISA as my wife is New Zealand. The VISA is for 5 years so I am good to live and work in Australia for that period.

I am looking to purchase a house and it has been cited that I need to have Permanent resident status to clear the mortgage process.

Can anyone advise how I can proceed to apply for permanent residence from a Class 461 VISA? I thought I would be able to apply after 2 years but I am unsure what VISA I now should be applying for?

Hope you can help

Jasper


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## Maggie-May24 (Jul 24, 2011)

I assume your wife doesn't have her PR status (in which case she could sponsor you for a partner visa).

There is no transition from a 461 to permanent residency. You'll need to see what other visas you may qualify for, such as the work related visas, which would have to be one of the work-related visas.

If your occupation is on the CSOL, you could speak with your employer about sponsoring you for a 186 visa (otherwise you could see about state sponsorship under a 190 visa), or if your occupation is on the SOL you can look into a 189 visa. There are also regional visas which also have criteria to be met.

If you aren't eligible for any of these, it's unlikely you'll qualify for PR (unless your wife could qualify for one of these in which case she could then include you as her partner).


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## kimkiwi (Sep 4, 2014)

Hi Jasper, I'd be interested to find out how you ended up going with this? I'm in the same situation (Me from nz, my partner from the UK) and are experiencing the same problem and can't seem to find anyone who knows much about it


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## Mazzikaa (Sep 4, 2014)

jasperparkinson said:


> Good Afternoon - hope you can help me.
> 
> I am currently coming up to 2 years in Australia. I am on a Class 461 VISA as my wife is New Zealand. The VISA is for 5 years so I am good to live and work in Australia for that period.
> 
> ...


Following
Same Problem Here


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## CollegeGirl (Nov 10, 2012)

Kimkiwi and Mazzikaa - please read MaggieMay's post just above yours. She answers your question there. There is no route directly from a 461 to a PR visa. If you want Australian PR, you have to qualify for it through either having an in-demand occupation or by being the partner (or certain other family members) of an Australian PR or citizen. 

(This all assumes your partners are not an "eligible NZ citizen.")


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## kimkiwi (Sep 4, 2014)

Thanks Collegegirl, have noted the above. I should have been more specific, I was wondering more about how it affected the mortgage situation and if they found an alternative route. Can't be the only people to purchase a property without pr on the 461


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## CollegeGirl (Nov 10, 2012)

Ah, I see. Best of luck to you.


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