Are you a skilled professional looking to migrate to Australia? The General Skilled Migration Program might be the perfect option for you and if you think you qualify, you should apply now before legislation changes.
General Skilled Migration is the Australian government program to attract Skilled Professionals from all over the world to move to or remain in the country with full work rights.
Under the Liberal government, this option became unviable to many people as invitation numbers declined dramatically, even before the pandemic, during which time invitation declined even further.
Australian General Skilled Migration Program – 189 Visa
Under the Labor government, this program has again become a popular (and very possible!) option for skilled professionals. Since the beginning of this financial year in July 2023, the government has invited 58,914 skilled professionals from all over the world. Here is the breakdown of the statistics that have been published so far:
- August 2022 – 12,200 invitations for the Subclass 189 visa
Cut-off points test score: 65 points
- October 2022 – 11,714 invitations for the Subclass 189 Visa
Cut-off points test score: 65 points
- December 2022 – 35,000 invitations for the Subclass 189 visa
Cut-off points test score: 65 points
Australian General Skilled Migration Program – 190 and 491 Visas
When it comes to the other 2 visas in the program, Subclasses 190 and 491 (under the State Nominated Stream), States and Territories also select and nominate skilled professionals within their allocation granted under each Financial Year’s Budget – the next one is being announced soon!
The states and territories’ breakdown of invitations The number of intending migrants who received nominations from State and Territory Governments from July 2022 to March 2023 is:
| Visa subclass | ACT | NSW | NT | QLD | SA | TAS | VIC | WA |
| Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) | 1,043 | 8,074 | 498 | 1,588 | 2,508 | 1,433 | 9,657 | 2,788 |
| Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) State and Territory Nominated | 1,284 | 2,054 | 576 | 1,044 | 4,725 | 1,369 | 1,852 | 1,361 |
Australian Skilled Migration Visas – Requirements
To apply for any of the General Skilled Migration Visas, you need to be invited by SkillSelect. The only way to be invited in via submitting an Expression of Interest (EoI).
The Steps to submit a successful Expression of Interest are:
- Nominate a Skilled Occupation in the correct list for the Visa Subclass you want to apply;
- Apply for and obtain a positive Skills Assessment with the relevant Skills Assessment Authority assigned to your occupation;
- Score at least 65 points in the Points Test – yes, 65 is again a viable score for being invited!
- Ensure you meet the minimum English language requirements;
- Be nominated by a State or Territory if you are applying for Subclass 190 and/or 491
So, if you’re a skilled professional looking to migrate to Australia, the General Skilled Migration Visas may once again be the perfect option for you.
You should act fast as a Review of the whole Migration System has been announced and things may change completely by the end of 2023. Read our blog post on the review here and contact us via this link and you’re one step closer to making your dream a reality.
Don’t forget to subscribe to our Newsletter on Linkedin to receive the latest updates related to Australian Visa News.
