SkillSelect Invitation Round Update August 2017

It is evident to all, that twice in every month, Australia’s Department of Home Affairs release SkillSelect invitations. It is an online system that helps Australia address regional skill shortages by inviting skilled workers to migrate to Australia.

In order to begin with this process, applicants need to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI), which is an indication given to the immigration authorities on why you should be considered for Australian visa.

To complete an EOI, an applicant is required to submit a range of information like personal information, nominated profession, education, work experience, English language proficiency, skill assessment relevant to the nominated occupation, business and investment experience (if applicable).

The following visas are applied through SkillSelect:

• Business Talent (Permanent) visa (subclass 132)
• Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188)
• Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
• Skilled – Nominated visa (subclass 190)
• Skilled – Nominated or Sponsored (Provisional) visa (subclass 489)

On 9^thAugust 2017, Australia’s Department of Home Affairs released its first SkillSelect invitation round. Let’s have a look at the numbers in this round:

Number of Invitations Issued

Number of Invitations

**Above numbers do not include results of the State and Territory Government nominated visas i.e. for the Skilled – Nominated visa (subclass 190), Business Talent (Permanent) visa (subclass 132), and Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188). Results for these visa subclasses are created separately and provided monthly.

Number of Intending Migrants who received nominations from State and Territory Government in July 2017 are as follows:

How does the invitation process works in SkillSelect?

Generally, applicants with highest point score are invited to apply for the respective visa. While those with equal points scores are considered to be invited on the basis of time they got their scores for a particular subclass. Expression of Interest with earlier dates of effect are given first priority than later dates.

Cut-offs Required 

Occupations with Pro Rata Arrangements

Following the high level of demand, some occupations got their processing through pro rata arrangements. SkillSelect allocate the vacant places to Skilled- Independent visas (subclass 189) on a priority basis and the remaining places to Skilled – Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489). In case, 189 visa get all the allocations, 489 visa will remain indigent of such invitations.

• Accountants
• Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers
• Electronics Engineers
• Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers
• Other Engineering Professionals
• ICT Business and System Analysts
• Software and Applications Programmers
• Computer Network Professionals

Cut-offs & the visa dates of effect for the pro-rate occupations

Those who are not aware about pro-rata occupations, here is a brief overview:

• Those occupations that have more number of eligible EOIs lodged than the number of places available in the occupational ceilings are known as pro rata occupations. Invitations for pro rata occupations are restricted in each round, which leads to higher minimum points or longer waiting procedure times.
• If you are looking for more information on SkillSelect or would like to apply for General Skilled Migration, book a consultation with our certified consultants today. We’ll not only assist on the required points for your occupations but also assure to improve your eligibility for the visa.

If you are troubled by any particular concern or question, you can also ask the same on our Immigration Forum.