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Latest SkillSelect Invitation Round March 2020

With close monitoring of Skillselect invitation rounds, we have prepared this article that compares the 2020 March’s invitation round with previous ones and takes a look at how these changes may impact applicants.

Since July 2019, 8,550 invitations have been issued to prospective 189 visa, 489 visa and 491 Visa applicants.  Even though the migration points threshold has been set at 65 points, no invitations were issued to candidates with less than 85 points. Cut off points for the pro-rata occupations are even higher than 85. For example, accountants are required to achieve at least 95 points before an invitation can be received!

 

Skill Select Invitation Round March 2020

Pro-rata Occupations

Pro-rata occupations are classified as those for which there is more demand for places than there are places available. Competition for invitations is therefore quite fierce, and it is almost impossible to receive an invitation without a very high points score.

For the 13 March 2020 invitation round, the scores for pro-rata occupations under both 189 and 491 (family sponsored) were as follows:

Subclass Occupation ID Description Minimum points score Latest date of effect
189 2211 Accountants 95 19/06/2019 11:45pm
189 2212 Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers 95 31/01/2020 07:12pm
189 2334 Electronics Engineer 90 29/01/2020 04:49pm
491 2334 Electronics Engineer 85 15/01/2020 1:58pm
189 2335 Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers 90 18/11/2019 1:36pm
189 2339 Other Engineering Professionals 90 08/12/2019 3:13am
189 2611 ICT Business and System Analysts 90 07/01/2020 3:08pm
189 2613 Software and Applications Programmers 90 29/01/2020 6:37pm
491 2613 Software and Applications Programmers 85 04/02/2020 1:28pm
189 2631 Computer Network Professionals 90 29/01/2020 1:19pm
491 2631 Computer Network Professionals 90 12/03/2020 10:39am

With reference to the published information under Occupation Ceilings, it appears that as of today, no pro-rata occupation has reached its specified occupation ceiling yet.
Whilst several popular occupations are currently sitting around 20%-25% of their total quota, such as ICT professionals, accountants/auditors, engineering professional, there are around 20 pro-rata occupations that have not received any invitations since 1st July 2019, in agriculture, arts, sports and trades fields. There have been no invitations issued to Podiatrist, Optometrists and Orthoptists, Other Health Diagnostic and Promotion Professionals.
With only three invitation rounds left for current financial year, and under the current COVID-19 unique circumstance, let’s see the results in the following rounds and we’ll keep you updated.

State and Territory Governments – February 2020

The number of intending migrants who received nominations from State and Territory Governments in February 2020 is shown in the table below:

Visa subclass ACT NSW NT Qld SA Tas. Vic. WA Total
Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) 86 147 78 137 46 62 190 39 785
Skilled Work Regional (provisional) visa (subclass 491) Family Sponsored 57 0 24 114 224 112 92 12 635
Business Innovation and Investment (provisional) visa (subclass 188) <5 115 0 0 22 <5 163 14 319
Business Talent (Permanent) visa (subclass 132) 0 5 <5 0 43 0 <5 12 63
Total 147 267 103 251 335 175 447 77 1,802

Nominations by State and Territory Governments – 2019-20 Total Activity

The number of intending migrants who received nominations from State and Territory Governments from 1 July 2019 to the end of February 2020 is shown in the following table:

Visa subclass ACT NSW NT Qld SA Tas. Vic. WA Total
Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) 878 1705 283 1000 942 648 1559 516 7,531
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) Family Sponsored 65 0 64 265 311 423 259 49 1,436
Skilled Regional (provisional) visa (subclass 489) 0 765 218 114 1859 909 58 23 3,946
Business Innovation and Investment (provisional) visa (subclass 188) 10 685 12 492 260 10 1328 125 2,922
Business Talent (Permanent) visa (subclass 132) <5 26 <5 178 354 7 13 52 635
Total 954 3,181 581 2,049 3,726 1,997 3,217 765 16,470

Latest News about State and Territory Nominations March 2020

ACT

Invitation Round Number: 33
Invitation date: 25 March 2020

ACT 190 Nomination- invitations issued: 62

ACT 491 Nomination – invitations issued: 103

The next invitation round will be held on or before 9 April 2020. Please note: ALL matrix expire 6 months after submission date if an invitation is not issued.

Queensland

The Queensland State Nomination Skilled Program from 26 November 2019 (from 1.30pm AEST) is NOW CLOSED for Skilled Nominated (Permanent) visa (subclass 190) .

EOIs submitted after this date and time WILL NOT be considered. 

The Queensland State Nomination Program is REMAINS OPEN for Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491).

Due to a high demand and quota being met for the following occupations, these occupations have been removed from QSOLs.

If your occupation has been removed, please do not submit an EOI as it will not be picked up.

Occupations removed from QSOL 12 March 2020

Occupations removed  from QSOL 25 November 2019

 

Tasmania

As of 20 March 2020, applications for 491 Visa are temporarily restricted until further notice to occupations listed in the ‘High Demand’ section of the Tasmanian Skilled Occupation List (TSOL).

Applications under Category 3A lodged prior to this date which specify other occupations will still be considered. Applicants with ‘High Demand’ occupations will, however, be given priority. This means processing times for other Category 3A applications with occupations not listed in the High Demand section will become extended (approximately 6 months from lodgement).

 

South Australia

Priority processing for medical and health professionals working in South Australia.

Immigration SA is closing visa subclass 190 eligibility for applicants who are not currently working in South Australia for the last 12 months (or 6 months in a region). Only applicants currently working for the last 12 months in their nominated or closely related occupation (minimum 20 hours per week) in South Australia or the last 6 months in their nominated or closely related occupation (minimum 20 hours per week) in a country region (of South Australia) will be eligible to apply for permanent 190 visa nomination. If you do not meet these requirements, you are only eligible to apply for 491 visa nomination. This applies to all occupations except for the following:

These occupations are no longer eligible for a subclass 190 nomination as they have reached their quota. Applicants for these occupations can still apply for nomination for the provisional 491 visa subclass.

Occupations closed to offshore applicants 
The following hospitality occupations are now closed for offshore applicants.

The changes listed in this news item are effective immediately for state nomination applications submitted to Immigration SA on or after 12pm on 27 March 2020. If you currently have a saved state nomination application that has not yet been submitted to Immigration SA, you will need to meet the requirements above relevant to your nominated occupation or visa subclass.

Northern Territory

Due to Coronavirus, Migration NT stopped accepting offshore General Skilled Migration applications for the Northern Territory nomination effective on Tuesday 24 March 2020 until further notice.

Existing applications received and paid will still be processed.

New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia

No information was provided by these states.

How long before I receive my SkillSelect Invitation (EOI)?

Several factors will affect the waiting time in receiving an invitation, including migration points you can claim for; the number of candidates in the Pool who can claim the same or higher level of migration points under the same occupation group; date of EOI submission, etc.

With reference to the last three invitation rounds, it appears that candidates with less than 90 points will not be issued with an invitation for a Subclass 189 visa.
Due to the highly competitive nature under the independent skilled visa stream, it is expected that the same level of competition applies through the state nomination process.

We have witnessed that candidates boost their migration points by claiming additional points that they are not eligible for, receiving an invitation and submitting their visa applications, with a negative outcome from the Department of Home Affairs for their visa applications.

We understand the motivation of candidates wishing to receive an invitation sooner; however, we remind candidates to be diligent when claiming their migration points that it is accurate and correct, to avoid any possible negative outcome.

Our Advice:

Due to the highly competitive nature and lengthy process of the general skilled visa scheme, it’s always worth confirming the possible migration points you can claim, to maximise your opportunity to be invited.

There are certain factors that you may consider to increase your points, such as Partner Skills, higher English skills, additional work experience, state nomination/sponsorship.

The registered migration agents at Migration Downunder are all highly qualified and will be happy to assess your options for not only skilled migration but also for a family stream, study opportunities and employer sponsored. Please contact us today to discuss your pathways for a visa to Australia!

Published Thu 2 April 2020. Tags: , ,

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