General Skilled Migration Visas Overview

Australia’s Skilled Occupation List (SOL) is a compilation of occupations identified by the Australian government as being in demand within the country. This list plays a pivotal role in the nation’s skilled migration program, guiding the selection of applicants whose skills are needed to support Australia’s economic growth and labour market requirements.

To migrate to Australia as a skilled migrant, you need to have qualifications and relevant work experience in a profession or trade that is currently listed on Australia’s Skilled Occupation List. Additionally, you must achieve a minimum of 65 points on the points test to be eligible to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). Only after lodging an EOI and meeting the required criteria can you be considered for an invitation to apply for a visa.

A Skills Assessment is a mandatory step in the Australian skilled migration process for most visa types under the General Skilled Migration (GSM) program. It is an independent evaluation of your qualifications, work experience, and, in some cases, English language proficiency to ensure you meet Australian standards for your nominated occupation.

If your skills assessment has expired at time of 189 or 190 invitation, you unfortunately won’t be able to accept the invitation as your skills assessment must be valid at time of invitation and not time of application for the visa application.

While policy on Public Interest Criteria (PIC 4020) does not explicitly state that it covers information provided by an Expression of Interest (EOI), the Department takes the view that a visa application may be refused after an invitation has been issued if it relies on misleading or false information that has been provided in the EOI.

It is strongly recommended that applicants only provide information in their EOI that can be verified at time of invitation to apply for a visa.

The minimum points threshold for submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI) under Australia’s General Skilled Migration (GSM) program is 65 points. It’s important to note that 65 points is the minimum requirement.  Achieving a higher score can enhance your chances of receiving an invitation to apply for a visa.  Keep in mind that meeting the minimum points threshold doesn’t guarantee an invitation to apply for a visa.

To assess your potential points score, you can use the Points Calculator provided by the Department of Home Affairs. This tool evaluates factors such as age, English language proficiency, skilled employment experience, and educational qualifications to determine your total points.

Expression of Interest (EOI) is an indication that you would like to be considered for a skilled visa. Therefore, it is NOT a visa application and doesn’t give you a bridging visa. You will be asked to provide a range of information in your EOI depending on the visa(s) you want to be considered for. Once you have completed your EOI, you will receive a notification from SkillSelect. Your EOI will be stored in SkillSelect and is valid for up to two years. You can access your EOI and update your information at any time.

There is no limitation on how many expressions of interest you can submit in SkillSelect; however, you are only able to receive a maximum of two invitations against one EOI.

You can apply either onshore or offshore of Australia and you can include dependent family members such as spouse/partner and dependent children.

You can include dependent family members such as spouse/partner and dependent children in your general skilled visa application.

You must score at least competent English in one of the accepted English tests to meet the minimum requirements for General Skilled Visas, however, you may need higher score either to have your skills assessed or receive an invitation from the Department of Immigration to apply for your skilled visa.

You must obtain a minimum of 65 points to lodge an Expression of Interest. The higher points you achieve, the more likely it is that you will receive an invitation to lodge a visa application for permanent residency. Invitations for the Subclass 189 are currently issued every two months. The results of the invitation rounds are published on the Department of Immigration website after every round.

Your invitation will be based only on the information presented in your EOI. If you lodge a visa application and your points score is less than claimed in your EOI and invitation letter, your visa will be refused even if you are able to pass the points test or meet other threshold criteria. If your visa is refused, visa application charges you have paid will not be refunded. If you receive an invitation and your points have decreased or your personal information is not accurate, you may consider NOT proceeding with a visa application. Let the invitation lapse and correct the information in your EOI and wait to receive another invitation.