For skilled migrants with job opportunities, the employer-sponsored visa subclasses are one of the most commonly used visas. They incorporate the temporary subclass - 482 Skills in Demand visa, the subclass 494 – Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa, and the permanent subclass 186 - Employer Nomination Scheme visa.

These visas are the temporary subclass 491 – Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa and permanent subclass 189 - Skilled - Independent visa, subclass 190 - Skilled - Nominated, and subclass 191 – Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa. Most of these visas are points-tested and applicants may want to seek state nomination or a relative to sponsor them as part of the application.

These visas are for people in relationships with Australian citizens or permanent residents who wish to migrate to Australia permanently. There is the onshore subclass 820/801 - Partner visa, and the offshore subclass 309/100 - Partner visa. Also, there is the subclass 300 - Prospective Marriage visa for fiancees of Australians who plan to marry in Australia.

For successful professionals, sportspeople, and those with a prominent record in the arts, academia and research, the subclass 858 - National Innovation visa is for those with an internationally recognised record of exceptional achievement.

The subclass 485 - Temporary Graduate visa is for overseas students who have graduated from an Australian education institution to remain and work after finishing studying. There are two streams available: a Graduate Work Stream and a Post-Study Work Stream. Depending on what qualification was obtained, this visa can be granted for a duration of 18 months, 2 years, or 3 years.

There are a number of visa subclasses for parents, children and relatives of Australian citizens, permanent residents and in some cases, New Zealand citizens. Parent visas can be fast-tracked by lodging a contributory parent visa. There are also visas for adopted children, orphaned relatives, remaining relatives, aged dependent relatives and carers.

Australia's education system is highly regarded and comparable globally. There are two different visas available: the subclass 500 - Student visa encompass varying levels of schooling from primary and secondary students to PhD candidates, and the subclass 590 - Student Guardian visa for guardians of students younger than 18 years old to accompany them in Australia.

There are some visas that do not fit easily into a category. These include: various Bridging visas, the subclass 417 - Working Holiday and subclass 462 - Work and Holiday visa, the subclass 408 - Temporary Activity visa, the subclass 407 - Training visa, the subclass 400 Short-Stay Specialist visa, and resident return visas, among others.

When visa applications are refused it may be able to be reviewed on its merits by lodging an application to the Administrative Review Tribunal. Whether this is the best option, though, requires a detailed analysis of the situation. Alternatively, when visa conditions have not been met, a visa may be subject to cancellation. Appeals to visa refusals or cancellations are subject to strict time limits and need to be actioned quickly once a decision has been made.