I am also looking to go to Australia, and read up quite a bit about it. Below is a rough summary (by me). It may contain errors.<p>Part 1:
There are two ways to go about it. One option is to first get a Skilled Immigrant Permanent Residence visa (189) and then apply for a job.<p>Another is to find an employer to sponsor a Skilled (Temporary) visa (457).<p>The advantages of permanent resident visa (Skilled Independent Visa, 189):<p>1. Visa is permanent: you can change jobs<p>2. You can enroll for public healthcare and get many public benefits (e.g. child care rebates)<p>3. You do not need to have a job offer to go to Australia<p>4. A company does not need to sponsor your visa. This means that smaller companies can employ you. For 99% of the jobs, you are equal to an Australian citizen (some jobs like government&#x2F;security jobs, you need to be a citizen)<p>5. Children born during PR receives Aus citizenship.<p>6. After 4 years, you can apply for Australian citizenship.<p>The problem with the 189 visa is that it is based on a point system. This point system takes into account:<p>1. Degree (or equivalent work experience), 2.	Age, 3.	English language ability, 4.Work experience,
5. Field of employment (should be on the Skilled Occupations List). Software engineering is.<p>Another problem is that it can take quite a while to get it. The process is:<p>1. Do a skills assessment (Australian Computer Society)<p>2. Lodge expression of interest (now your watch begins ;) )<p>3. Get an invitation to apply<p>4. Apply (with police clearance, medical clearance, etc.…). Costs around AUD$3000