We have prepared an information sheet outlining the steps and key information regarding eligibility, ballot and visa process involved.
STEP 1: REGISTER FOR PEV BALLOT
To be eligible to apply for a PEV, primary applicants will need to first be randomly selected in the ballot.
The PEV ballot opens on 3 June 2024 and closes on 1 August 2024.
To register for the ballot, applicants must:
· Be aged between 18 to 45
· Hold a valid passport for a participating country
· Have been born in, or have a parent who was born in, an eligible country
· Pay a $25 registration fee
Hold a valid passport for a participating country: Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.
How to register
You can register for the ballot online in ImmiAccount as follows:
1. Log in or create an ImmiAccount
2. Complete all the details required on the form:
· your name
· your date of birth
· your valid passport details
· the number of your members of the family unit you wish to include in your visa application
· your email address to contact you
· declare you understand the eligibility requirements to register in the ballot
3. Submit the registration form
4. Pay the ballot registration fee online
After the ballot period closes, the Department of Home Affairs (the Department) will run a selection process for each participating country. The Department will send randomly selected participants a Notification of Selection Letter.
Stay Lawful
A registration in the PEV ballot is not a visa application. If your visa is about to expire, you must apply for another visa to remain in Australia lawfully.
Submitting a registration in the PEV ballot does not mean you will get a bridging visa. You are only eligible for a bridging visa after you are selected in the ballot and apply for the PEV visa.
STEP 2: RECEIVE AN INVITATION TO APPLY FOR THE PEV
If you are randomly selected in the ballot, you will receive a Notification of Selection Letter inviting you to apply for the PEV.
Applications for the PEV must be submitted on or before the invitation expiry date specified in the Notification of Selection Letter, which will likely be within 120 calendar days of Notification.
The visa application fee payable to the Department is currently AUD$325 for the primary applicant and AUD$80 for each secondary applicant.
STEP 3: APPLY FOR THE PEV
Eligibility for PEV
Applicants will need to demonstrate that they meet all relevant criteria before being granted a visa, including, but not limited to:
be in or outside Australia, but not in immigration clearance, when applying for this visa
if applying in Australia, you must hold:
a substantive visa; or
bridging visa A, B or C
you or your spouse or de facto partner included in your application must have an offer of employment in Australia
meet English language requirements
meet health and character requirements
compliance with previous visa conditions.
Visa scams
We are aware of the increasing risk of visa scams, including scams targeting Pacific Island nationals. To protect yourself from visa scams you should only deal with official Australian Government channels. These include websites for the: