Commonwealth of Australia vs Georgia
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines Commonwealth of Australia and Georgia government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- Department of Home Affairs — Immigration and citizenship
Department of Home Affairs (Australia) - verified
- Public Service Development Agency
Public Service Development Agency (Ministry of Justice of Georgia) - verified
- Department of Home Affairs — Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
Department of Home Affairs - verified
- Migration / Residence Permits - State Services Development Agency
Public Service Development Agency (Ministry of Justice of Georgia) - verified
Commonwealth of Australia
Australia operates a points-based SkillSelect system for permanent and provisional skilled visas alongside employer-sponsored subclasses (482 TSS, 186 ENS, 494 Regional), Working Holiday Maker subclasses, and student and global talent visas.
- Official portal
- Department of Home Affairs (Australia)
- Languages
- English
- Currency
- Australian dollar
Georgia
Georgia's Public Service Development Agency, under the Ministry of Justice, issues residence permits, and the country is known for an exceptionally open regime — citizens of around 95 countries can live and remote-work visa-free for up to a year. Other routes include work, investment and family residence permits, short-term residence for property owners, and permanent residence; naturalisation generally follows ten years of residence and Georgia does not usually permit dual citizenship.
- Languages
- Georgian
- Currency
- Georgian lari
How Commonwealth of Australia and Georgia differ
| Dimension | Commonwealth of Australia | Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 9 | 7 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 6 | 5 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 7 | 4 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | Arrival on 482 → 186 ENS after 2 years (Specialist Skills Pathway) or 3-4 years (Core Skills) → PR → citizenship after 4 years from arrival (minimum 12 months as PR). | — |
| Dominant skilled visa | Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) | Work Residence Permit |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | — | — |
| Skilled visa processing time | The Home Affairs processing-time tool, checked 10 September 2026 for subclass 189 Points-Tested, reports 50% processed in 7 months and 90% in 8 months. These are observed processing percentiles for recently decided visa applications, not a minimum/maximum range or a guaranteed decision date. SkillSelect invitation waiting is separate. | — |
| Skilled visa government fees | The subclass 189 points-tested visa application charge is A$6,135 for the primary applicant, plus A$3,070 per additional adult and A$1,540 per child under 18. A couple pays A$9,205 in first-instalment charges. Conditional English charges and separately paid assessment, testing and document costs are extra. | — |
| Official languages | English | Georgian |
| Currency | Australian dollar | Georgian lari |
| Primary regulator | MARA | GBA |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 1 | 1 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Commonwealth of Australia
Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- The subclass 189 points-tested visa application charge is A$6,135 for the primary applicant, plus A$3,070 per additional adult and A$1,540 per child under 18. A couple pays A$9,205 in first-instalment charges. Conditional English charges and separately paid assessment, testing and document costs are extra.
- Processing time
- The Home Affairs processing-time tool, checked 10 September 2026 for subclass 189 Points-Tested, reports 50% processed in 7 months and 90% in 8 months. These are observed processing percentiles for recently decided visa applications, not a minimum/maximum range or a guaranteed decision date. SkillSelect invitation waiting is separate.
- Sponsor required
- No
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Georgia
Work Residence Permit
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Recent policy activity
Last 6 months. Each entry links to its primary government source.
- 25 July 2026Commonwealth of Australia
Australia changes skilled-visa processing priorities under Direction 119
Direction 119 replaced Direction 105 on 25 July 2026, changing the priority order for covered skilled nominations and visa applications, including applications already waiting.
Australian Department of Home Affairs
Routes unique to Commonwealth of Australia
Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
skilled-migration
Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)
skilled-migration
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)
skilled-migration
Working Holiday Maker visa (subclass 417/462)
youth-mobility
National Innovation visa (formerly Global Talent)
work-unsponsored
Visa routes side by side
Commonwealth of Australia (9)
Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Up to 4 years; Hong Kong passport holders may be granted up to 5 years.
Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · 5 years provisional, with pathway to permanent residence.
Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
Working Holiday Maker visa (subclass 417/462)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · 12 months per grant; up to 3 visas with qualifying specified work.
National Innovation visa (formerly Global Talent)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
Australian Student visa (subclass 500)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Programme length plus small buffer.
Partner visa (subclass 820/801, 309/100)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial provisional to permanent residence.
Georgia (7)
Work Residence Permit
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Issued as a temporary residence permit, commonly for up to a year at a time and renewable; longer initial validity can apply - confirm on the official page.
Visa-Free 365-Day Stay (remote workers)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 365 days from the date of entry for eligible nationalities; it is an entry status, not a renewable permit.
Investment Residence Permit
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Issued for a longer fixed validity than ordinary temporary permits and renewable; can convert to permanent residence once conditions are met - confirm on the official page.
Short-Term Residence Permit (real-estate owners)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Short-term and renewable, commonly issued for up to a year at a time - confirm current validity on the official page.
Student Residence Permit
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Tied to the duration of the study programme and renewable while enrolled - confirm current validity on the official page.
Family Reunification Residence Permit
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Generally aligned to the sponsor's permit and renewable - confirm current validity on the official page.
Permanent Residence Permit
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent status, subject to conditions on continued residence - confirm current rules on the official page.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Commonwealth of Australia or Georgia?+
Commonwealth of Australia’s Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) is the dominant skilled route; Georgia’s Work Residence Permit is the dominant skilled route. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Which immigration system has changed more recently, Commonwealth of Australia or Georgia?+
In the last 6 months: 1 logged policy change for Commonwealth of Australia, 0 for Georgia. See the recent-policy section above for the details, each linked to its primary source.
Does Commonwealth of Australia or Georgia have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Commonwealth of Australia has more: 6 of its covered routes can be pursued without an employer sponsor, against 5 for Georgia. No-sponsor routes — such as digital-nomad, self-employment, and points-based skilled migration — matter most if you do not yet have a job offer.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Commonwealth of Australia vs Georgia immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/australia/vs/georgia. Last verified 25 July 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons