Australian immigration requires a specific set of documents — and missing or incorrectly prepared items are the most common cause of delays. Here's the complete checklist.
What Documents Do You Need to Migrate to Australia?
Document preparation is where many Australian visa applications slow down or fail. The Department of Home Affairs expects complete, correctly certified, and consistently presented documentation. Here is a comprehensive checklist for a skilled migration application.
Identity Documents
Passport: Valid for the duration of your intended stay. If your passport expires soon, renew it before applying.
Birth certificate: Certified copy. May require an apostille or official translation if not in English.
Marriage certificate: If applicable, certified and apostilled where required.
Divorce decree / death certificate: If applicable, to evidence your current relationship status.
Name change documents: If your name differs across documents, provide the legal name change evidence.
Skills Assessment Documents
These are specific to your assessing authority but typically include:
Your degree certificates and transcripts (certified copies)
Postgraduate qualifications where applicable
Professional registrations or licences
Certified translations of any documents not in English
Work Experience Evidence
Employment reference letters: From each employer, on company letterhead, signed by a manager or HR representative. Must include your position title, employment dates, hours worked per week, and a description of your duties.
Payslips or bank statements: As supporting evidence of employment dates and remuneration.
Tax records: Where available, these corroborate employment periods.
Contracts of employment: Optional but useful for complex or short-term engagement histories.
English Language Evidence
Your original English test results: IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge C1 Advanced, or OET (for healthcare workers).
Test results must generally be less than 3 years old at the time of invitation.
Health Documents
Health examination results: Completed by an approved BUPA or equivalent panel physician. The Department of Home Affairs directs you to complete the examination through the online HAP (Health Assessment Panel) system.
Chest x-ray results: Required in most cases, completed as part of the health examination.
Police Clearances
Required from every country where you have lived for 12 months or more in the past 10 years.
Police clearances must typically be dated within 12 months of visa application lodgement.
Each country has different processes — some are obtained online, others through police stations or embassies.
Apostilles may be required for documents from certain countries.
Relationship Documents (if including partner or children)
Marriage certificate or de facto relationship evidence (shared finances, photos, correspondence, statutory declarations)
Partner's passport and birth certificate
Children's birth certificates
Evidence of partner's English test results and skills assessment (if claiming partner skills points)
Financial Documents
Not mandatory for most skilled visas, but useful evidence of capacity to settle.
Some state nomination applications require proof of savings or assets.
Organising Your Documents
Every document should be clearly labelled, logically organised, and cross-referenced with the visa application form. The Department of Home Affairs does not chase missing documents — an incomplete application simply takes longer or may be refused.
New World Immigration prepares a personalised document checklist for every client and reviews documents before submission to ensure everything is correctly certified, translated, and presented.