A senior research scientist at IISc Bengaluru's Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, PhD in Bioengineering 2020 from IISc, postdoctoral fellowship at NCBS Bengaluru, and three years as Principal Investigator on a Wellcome Trust India Alliance grant studying tissue regeneration, received a Senior Research Fellow offer in March 2026 from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) in Melbourne under the Subclass 858 Global Talent Independent visa pathway. The WEHI offer needed her IISc PhD certificate apostilled, her IISc transcript apostilled, her BSc Biotechnology from Mount Carmel College Bengaluru apostilled, her marriage certificate from the Bengaluru Sub-Registrar, her Engineers Australia skills assessment (already complete via the WEHI sponsorship preparation), and a fresh PCC from the Bengaluru Passport Seva Kendra Lalbagh. The Karnataka HRD step ran through the State Higher Education Department Multistoreyed Building Bengaluru. MEA apostille at the authorised MEA service-provider route. Australia has been a Hague apostille destination for Indian documents since 1995, which kept the route clean. Four weeks from documents leaving Noida to her Subclass 858 visa being granted. WEHI orientation in Parkville Melbourne followed two months later.
That kind of focused move on a sponsored skilled pathway is now common for Indian women in engineering, computer science, biotech, materials science, AI, climate and energy research. The Australian Department of Home Affairs runs the Skilled Independent (Subclass 189), the Skilled Nominated (Subclass 190), the Skilled Work Regional Provisional (Subclass 491), the Skills in Demand or Skilled Employer-Sponsored (Subclass 482) and the Global Talent Independent (Subclass 858) visa pathways. The deep-tech and life-sciences hiring side runs out of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, with CSIRO, the Group of Eight universities (Melbourne, Sydney, ANU, Monash, UNSW, Adelaide, UQ, UWA), the medical research institutes (Walter and Eliza Hall, Garvan, QIMR Berghofer, Doherty Institute, WEHI), and the deep-tech startup scenes in Sydney's tech precinct and Melbourne's biomedical district all hiring senior Indian women.
The Australian route in 2026
The DHA point-tested skilled visas (Subclass 189 and 190) require a positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority before the application can be lodged. For most engineering disciplines, that authority is Engineers Australia. For ICT roles, it is the Australian Computer Society (ACS). For other professions, it is the relevant body (VETASSESS for many roles, AHPRA for medical and nursing, AIQS for surveyors, ANMAC for nursing, Vetassess for several STEM roles, the relevant trades assessment body for trades).
The Subclass 482 employer-sponsored visa is for candidates with an Australian employer offer. The salary threshold (the TSMIT, Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold) was raised to AUD 73,150 from 1 July 2024.
The Subclass 858 Global Talent visa is for highly skilled candidates in eligible STEM sectors (AgriTech, Digital, Health, Quantum, Cyber, Energy, Space and similar) with high earnings or exceptional achievements. The income threshold for Global Talent is the FWHIT (Fair Work High Income Threshold), which is around AUD 167,500 in 2026.
For all of these, the apostille set on the Indian academic and civil documents is the documentation backbone.
The in India stamps a Australia applicant application needs in 2026
Australia has been a Hague apostille country for Indian documents since 16 March 1995. MEA apostille is the standard authentication.
State-level attestation or notarisation on the academic documents. HRD or the State Education Department in the issuing state for the engineering degree, the master's degree, the PhD where applicable. Personal documents (marriage certificate, birth certificate) go through SDM or Home Department. Three to seven working days.
MEA apostille in Delhi. The Ministry of External Affairs adds the apostille stamp. Three to five working days.
Certified translation is rarely needed for Australia files since Indian documents are in English. The exception is a marriage certificate in a regional Indian language.
For the Police Clearance Certificate, the RPO issues it. PCC then goes through MEA apostille.
Tracked return courier takes three to seven working days inside India.
If everything is in order, the process runs in two to four weeks.
The skills assessment step
Skills assessment by the relevant Australian assessing authority is a separate, parallel process that uses the same apostilled documents. For Engineers Australia, the assessment is based on the Competency Demonstration Report (CDR) for non-Washington-Accord-recognised degrees, or a streamlined assessment for Washington Accord recognised qualifications (which includes most Indian B.Tech degrees from NBA-accredited engineering colleges since around 2014 when India was admitted to the Washington Accord as a provisional signatory, and as a full signatory in 2018).
For ACS, the IT skills assessment is based on the degree, the work experience and the ICT-related units the candidate has completed.
The apostilled degree, the marksheets and the university transcript are the documents these assessing authorities will read. The candidate prepares the application directly with the assessing authority. SiZA does not run the skills assessment.
What documents the Australia side reads on a applicant application
The engineering, science or technology degree (B.Tech, B.Sc, M.Tech, M.Sc, PhD) with all marksheets.
The university transcript with subjects, credit hours and the grading scale.
Detailed experience letters from each Indian employer, with role, period, reporting manager and a description of the engineering, research or technology work. Australian assessing authorities read experience letters closely for actual technical responsibility.
Professional certifications where applicable (Engineering Council registration, ACS membership, PMP, AWS, Azure, CCNA, technical society memberships).
For research candidates, publication lists with peer-reviewed articles, patent filings, conference papers and citation indices.
The marriage certificate, if the spouse is joining. The full long-form birth certificate of any dependent child.
The PCC from the RPO. Passport with at least twenty-four months of validity.
The work in India on this Australia applicant application, and the steps that belong to the Australia side
When you first send us scans on WhatsApp at +91 9220161774, we read the academic record and the experience letters for Australian visa fit. We tell you what apostille route to run, when to start the skills assessment with Engineers Australia or ACS, and how the timeline aligns with the DHA processing window. We share the realistic timeline and the realistic cost end to end before you pay anything.
When the originals reach our Noida office, we handle the paperwork in India. State-level attestation, MEA apostille in Delhi, certified translation only if any document is in a regional Indian language (rare for Australian files), PCC attestation after the RPO issues the PCC, and tracked return courier to you in India or directly to your Australian skills assessment body or employer. Named SiZA staff carry the documents between offices in Delhi NCR.
We do not run the skills assessment with Engineers Australia, ACS, VETASSESS, AHPRA or any other assessing authority. The assessing authority does that on its own timeline. We do not file the DHA visa application (the Subclass 189, 190, 491, 482 or 858). You or your registered migration agent does that through ImmiAccount. We do not arrange the IELTS, PTE or TOEFL examinations. We do not book the DHA medical exam (panel physicians at Bupa Medical Visa Services do that). We do not handle anything inside Australia after you arrive.
For a free scan-review of your Australia women's STEM file, send a WhatsApp message to +91 9220161774 with photos of your engineering or science degree, your marksheets, your university transcript and your experience letters.
Two pages on the SiZA site that follow on from this: Australia country documentation guide, apostille services.
