As many of our clients are aware, from the 1st July 2012, the Australian government will be working from a new migration policy, relying on an Expression of Interest system (similar to that already in place by New Zealand).
The proposed new system is called SKILLSELECT
We note that it is still mandatory for applicants to have positive Skills Assessments, suitable IELTS results and in most cases State sponsorship (which will in most cases alleviate the necessity of applying under the EOI, as State sponsored applicants automatically go into the SkillsSelect pool).
Here is some basic information about the new system - detailed notes are available on the DIAC website at this link.
SkillSelect is a major change to how Australia manages its skilled migration program.
SkillSelect will ensure the skilled migration program is based on the economic needs of Australia. The Australian Government will be able to manage who is able to apply for skilled migration, when they are able to apply and in what numbers, on the basis of this need.
As a result, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship expects to significantly reduce the time taken to process a visa application and improve the settlement and employment prospects of its skilled migrants.
SkillSelect will also help address regional skill shortages. SkillSelect allows intending migrants to indicate they are willing to live and work in regional Australia. This will be of particular benefit to employers experiencing regional skill shortages and state and territory governments attempting to settle migrants in regional Australia.
SkillSelect is an online system that enables skilled workers interested in migrating to Australia to record their details to be considered for a skilled visa through an Expression of Interest (EOI). People intending to migrate to Australia may be found and nominated for skilled visas by Australian employers or state and territory governments, or they may be invited by the Australian Government to lodge a visa application.
SkillSelect will be implemented on 1 July 2012. All intending migrants interested in the independent skilled, family sponsored skilled, state or territory sponsored skilled, or business skills programs will be required to submit an EOI and receive an invitation in order to lodge a visa application.
From 1 July 2012, if you are interested in the following visa programs, you will need to submit an EOI and receive an invitation before you can apply for a visa.
· Independent Skilled Migration
· State or Territory Sponsored Skilled Migration
· Family Sponsored Skilled Migration
· Business Skills.
You can also express interest in the following visa programs on your EOI to be selected by an employer.
· Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS)
· Regional Sponsored Scheme (RSMS)
· Temporary Business (Long Stay), subclass 457 program.
You can express interest in a range of skilled migration programs in one EOI.
New skilled visa subclasses will be introduced on 1 July 2012 and more information about these visa subclasses will become available in April 2012. If you are interested in submitting an EOI you should return to this website in April to view the new visa options.
When you complete your EOI the system will give you a points score and results based on your claims.
Your result and points score, along with your time of submission becomes your ranking for some visas. The ranking process will be an objective and automatic process with no involvement of the department’s staff.
You can update your EOI at any time, if the information you update changes your points score, SkillSelect will automatically update your ranking.
Independent and family sponsored visas
Invitations will be issued automatically to the highest ranking EOIs subject to occupation ceilings. The department’s staff will not be involved in the selection process.
State and territory sponsored visas
State or territory governments will locate and select skilled workers that they want to nominate. State and territory governments will assess people before they nominate them. If you are nominated by a state or territory you will automatically receive an invitation, subject to occupation ceilings.
Business Skills visas
The business skills visa program is currently under review. Further details about the invitation process for these visas will be available in the coming months.
Employer sponsored visas
Employers can search for and locate skilled workers that they want to discuss job opportunities with. If you are contacted by an employer in SkillSelect, you can choose to respond to them to discuss employment and visa opportunities. You do not need to receive an invitation to apply for a employer sponsored visa.
Occupation ceilings
For people applying for independent, family sponsored or state/territory sponsored visas, there will be occupation ceilings. Occupation ceilings are a limit on how many people are selected for skilled migration from an occupation group. This ensures that the skilled migration program is not dominated by a small number of occupations. Once this limit is reached, no further invitations for that particular occupation group will be issued for that program year. Invitations would then be allocated to other occupation groups even if they are lower scoring.
You will be able to view the occupation ceilings when SkillSelect is introduced.
You will receive an invitation from SkillSelect. You will then have 60 days to make a valid visa application online, before the invitation expires.
Many more people want to migrate to Australia than there are places available. This means not everyone who submits an EOI will receive an invitation to apply for a visa.
Your EOI will stay in SkillSelect for two years from the date you lodge. At any time during the validity of your EOI, you may update your details to reflect any additional qualifications or experience you may have obtained. This may increase your ability to be selected.
After each invitation round for the independent and family sponsored visas, the department will publish on this website the lowest scoring points test mark that allowed an EOI to be invited for each occupation group. This will give you an indication of your potential for receiving an invitation in future rounds.
Please note that the SkillSelect system has NOT been legislated yet.
Contact IIA for further information on SkillSelect and how it will impact your eligibility to migrate to Australia
Skill Select means that aspiring skilled migrants will need to find employer sponsors! But, employers are yet to realise this! Watch the Australian skilled migration space when the Government scrabbles to validate the sense of the new system because no money has been spent to educate employers about their new responsibility!
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