From 3 June to 1 August 2024, citizens from selected countries in the Pacific and Timor Leste will be able to register in an open ballot, hoping to be one of the lucky 3,000 people who will be invited to obtain permanent residency in Australia under the Pacific Engagement Visa (visa subclass 192) scheme.
To take advantage of the full PEV quota of 1,350 visas for Papua New Guinea, active forward planning is required by individuals to enter the ballot and then to secure a visa if successful in the ballot.
The ballot
First, you must be between 18 and 45 years of age at the time of completing the online registration. You must be a PNG citizen and be born in or have one parent born in PNG or Australia, NZ or another Pacific country. You don’t have be in PNG to make your application. Those in Australia on another visa, such as students (500 subclass visa holders) and PALM workers (403 and 482 visa holders) are eligible to apply for the PEV.
Second, if you do not already have one, you’ll need to secure a national identity card or birth certificate and then a passport. You can include your family (partner and legally dependent children) in your application and if you are successful your family will also get permanent residency. However, only the primary applicant needs a passport. Long processing times and black-market fees make this hurdle formidable.
Third, you must be able to afford data to access the internet to complete the online ballot registration and have a valid email address to monitor the progress of your registration. PNG has only three mobile network operators (Digicel, Vodafone and Telikom) and around 22% of its population is connected to the internet. Limited competition drives high internet costs. Smarter data usage at high-speed times during the day on combo plans will help ensure that costs remain low and connectivity good.
Fourth, you’ll need a credit card or access to something like PayPal to pay the A$25 (K65) registration fee, which is the same whether the application is for a single person or for a family. Alternatively, you need to find and pay an intermediary to make the application and payment on your behalf.
After your ballot application is complete, you’ll be waiting anxiously to receive an invitation to progress to the next steps of the PEV. You don’t need a job offer to enter the ballot, you just need to meet the eligibility criteria. However, the waiting period should be used to access popular Australian job seek portals to get a sense of labour market needs and prepare job applications so you are ready to apply if an invitation email arrives.
After the ballot
If your name is randomly selected from the ballot, you will start the visa process by confirming your participation online. There are several associated post-ballot hurdles to obtaining the visa. Costs will depend on how many dependants were included in your ballot registration and their ages.
The first hurdle is to get a job offer. The Australian government will help you do this through the Pacific Engagement Visa Support Service it has established in each of its participating countries that will run outreach campaigns to explain the visa requirements.
The second hurdle is a medical health assessment with a registered panel physician. These assessments are only available in Port Moresby, Lae, Goroka, Mt Hagen and Enga.
Third, you’ll need to meet the PEV English language requirements. This is automatically taken care of if you can show you are a secondary school graduate or if you have worked or studied at the secondary level in Australia for a year, or lived overseas in the UK, US, Canada or New Zealand for a year. If not, you’ll need to do an English language test and meet the prescribed standard, or undertake to improve your English via study in Australia.
Fourth, a police clearance must be obtained from the PNG authorities.
Fifth, you’ll need passports for other family members on the application if they don’t already have one.
Sixth, applicants will have to show they can support themselves for the first 12 months in Australia. However, whether this requires more than a job offer remains to be seen.
Applicants will have only four months (120 days) to meet these requirements. Once you do so, you can then apply for a visa (A$325 for the main applicant and A$80 per family member).
The costs involved to enter the ballot and post-ballot costs are illustrated below in Figure 1. As per this example (which assumes no dependants and work in Brisbane), the cost to enter the ballot is only K185 and the cost of applying for the visa is about K2,405.
However, the cost of actually moving to Australia is closer to K10,000 because you’ll also need to purchase an airfare to Australia and require some settling-in funds. You might need to buy kitchen goods, bedding and furniture for your accommodation. Landlords also usually require an accommodation bond payment in addition to rent.
This cost of living calculator is a useful tool to figure out how much it would cost to live in different parts of Australia. For example, in Brisbane the estimated cost of living for one month based on living in a one-bedroom apartment and using bus transport is A$2,400. I have included this amount in Table 1 as indicative of settling-in costs, which will vary according to individual circumstances and location.
While the costs are substantial, the PEV is a great opportunity. It will be attractive to the many PNG citizens who cannot wait for the PNG Government’s promise of one million jobs to be created by 2030. Like permanent residents, PEV holders will have immediate access to Medicare, Family Tax Benefit B and the Child Care Subsidy. They will also receive additional benefits including access to Family Tax Benefit A, the Higher Education Loan Program, Vocational Education and Training Student Loans and other study and training support.
New Zealand offers a visa similar to the PEV to several Pacific countries (not PNG) and it receives many more applicants than visas available. If PNG’s PEV participation rate is low, similar to that seen in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme, it would be another missed opportunity for Australia and PNG.
The Pacific Engagement Visa Support Service has now launched a website at pev.gov.au. Follow the Pacific Engagement Visa Facebook page for updates to this website.
The Australian Department of Home Affairs website contains full details on the PEV visa and the PEV ballot.
Go to this page on 3 June 2024 to get the link for your ballot application:
https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/pacific-engagement/ballot-registration/ballot-country-status
See also our previous PEV blogs.
The Development Policy Centre will post up-to-date information on the PEV visa and ballot on our 2024 PEV application factsheet.
Can I apply for a visa if I have not enough money in my bank account?
Hi Natasha
Do you still remember mama Helen from Madang?
congradulations on your achievement.
very good write ups and set up for the Pacfic seasonal work. please more information. you I have church youth Groups that are eager to work in Australia. For a youth group how do we help them.
thankyou.
Hi Natasha,
I have a question.
Apart from the primary applicant, will the dependants need to do medical and police clearance in order to lodge the PR application?
Hi Peter,
Yes. Depending on the ages of your dependents they will be required to do a medical and police clearance that you upload into your immi account as part of your application. If you don’t complete these steps for them, they will not have met the visa requirements.
For more information about these specific requirements, check the “How to apply” tab at https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/pacific-engagement/pacific-engagement-visa-subclass-192#HowTo
You will need to know where your nearest registered medical panel physician is and the days you can apply and collect your PNG police clearance.
All the best,
Natasha
When will be the next registration for PNG regarding the PEV?
It’s an annual ballot. When the next round opens up next year, information will be posted on the DFAT and PEV websites. DevPol will also provide updates.
Hi Natasha,
I think the selection done is unfair. Many applicants who genuinely applied have missed out on the selection. About 10+ interested applicants here in Port Moresby where I reside at 9 mile settlement have all be not been selected. Not even one was included in the selection process. How has the final selection been done?
It leaves a impression that they might apply again and the possibility would be they might not be considered. Please outline the selection criteria after the computer random selection is been done.
Concerned parent and guardian here.
Thank you.
hi there, I have been selected on the 14th of August and up till now, I haven’t got a job offer letter as part of the requirements.. The PNG support service hasn’t been in help also, what is happening??
While waiting and following up with the PEV Support team for job seeking assistance, please ensure that you’ve uploaded all the other visa requirements (English, police clearance, medicals etc and other supporting documents for any dependents).
As soon as more information is released about next steps for those who are still waiting to secure a job, we will provide an update.
You can also visit the link below to register and attend the upcoming visa and employment information sessions.
https://www.pev.gov.au/participating-countries/papua-new-guinea
clarify weather it is allowed under PEV for any dependents who are less 18 years join his or parents at a later date or is it compulsory that they travel at the same time
They can join at a later date.
I am interested. Let me know when will the application open again.
Since I am catching a late flight here. It’s already passed the due date.
Will they have another intake in the future?
I have already applied for the ballot. How are they going to email me? Through my email account or through my Immi account?
Both.
How long will it take for the random selection for the PEV?
We are getting lots of questions like this. The PEV ballot has been extended to mid-August in Palau and FSM (citizens of these two countries already can move to the US, so may have limited interest in coming to Australia). So I don’t think the ballot winners will be announced before mid-August. If we find out any more we will let everyone know.
When is the ballot selection of PEV?
I know a lot of our readers follow the PEV. From what I understand, ballot winners were informed today except for Palau and FSM who will be informed on 19 August.
Congratulations to those who were selected, and good luck. You have till the end of February to meet all the requirements. See https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/pacific-engagement/ballot-registration/ballot-country-status
Hi Stephen,
Thank you for this information. I can confirm that a lot of people I know have been selected. One question is: in a case where a child’s application is being selected, can he/she include the parents and siblings on the visa application? If so, then will they also accompany the child who is the primary applicant?
A child can only be selected as part of a broader family application. The child can’t be the primary applicant.
Was the PNG ballot oversubscribed? some good number missed out.
We don’t know the numbers yet, but yes it seems like massive oversubscription except in FSM and Palau, the two that have been extended. Citizens of these two countries already enjoy free movement to the US so not surprisingly there is little demand for migration to Australia. They shouldn’t have been included in the PEV in the first place.
Hi Natasha and Stephen,
I am grateful to come across this life changing opportunity and on how you two reply or give feedback on the comments.
My question is I am not living in Australia, nor a visa holder but I do have all the necessary documents as requested.
Should I be eligible to apply for Pacific Engagement Visa Ballot
Thank you for the vital information, Natasha. I already registered for the ballot and put 3 dependants.
The question is, should I choose to leave them behind due to the high cost of moving, settling and living in Australia?? So later on I could arrange for their travel to Aussie to join me??
Hi Natasha,
Do I need to put my wife’s and my 5 children’s passports to apply or myself can apply and later or after I receive my visa 192 ?
I registered already…what will be my next step? What will I do next?
You need to wait till the ballot is closed at the end of July and then the winners announced presumably in early August.
Interested. How do I apply?
Natasha,
Generally, you have covered this subject pretty well, thank you!
I’m interested but how would I get registered
I am currently in PNG, how can I apply for this?
Will East New Britain Province be included in the ‘Information Session’ in the future? It would be great. But I am interested in the ballot registration.
Really interested in PEV, need more information.
Thank you for this insightful and comprehensive piece.
Grateful if you can also give an update, when information is available, on what the Australian Govt means by ‘adequate’ funds to support applicants and dependents for the 12 months, after migrating.
I’m really interested but please can you help me how to do it .
Interested in work.
I’m interested and how can I apply?
Applications are online. See https://devpolicy.org/pacific-engagement-visa-factsheet-2024/ for details.
Am interested. However, don’t have a passport but I have NID card. I would need a Ballot form to fill up. Would you provide that please?
You’ll need a passport to apply. Applications are online. See https://devpolicy.org/pacific-engagement-visa-factsheet-2024/ for details.
Am really interested. Can you send me the Ballot form please. Am in Papua New Guinea.
Applications are online. See https://devpolicy.org/pacific-engagement-visa-factsheet-2024/ for details.
I’m on a 461 visa, and currently living and working in Australia. Am I eligible ?
Yes, if you meet the other eligibility criteria.
Hi Natasha,
If I already have visa (subclass 600)and a certificate III in individual disability course which I also did a practical with a recognised aging home centre completing my 120hr required hours after successfully gaining my certificate from a recognised institute in Australia, due to my age (60) am I still not eligible? your advise is much appreciated, thanks
No, you’re not eligible, but you could look into the aged care visa. See https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-08/aged-care-industry-labour-agreement-webinar-slides.pdf
Stephen.
Hi Natasha.
This is mama Helen Paul from Madang PNG. I like this program, it is very unique and interesting program. i will encourage my children to apply for the PEV.
Thankyou for the great opportunity for our people.
Hi Natasha
I’m very interested.