General Skilled Migration Update - September 2017

webster By Mark Webster
Wednesday, 27 September 2017

SkillSelect results for the 20 September round have been released. For most occupations, the required score continues to decline. The required score for Accountants to receive an invitation has increased to 85 points.

NSW has released its Priority Skilled Occupations List for 2017-18 and should soon start nominating applicants for the Skilled Nominated 190 visa.

This article looks at the latest SkillSelect invitation round and at the NSW State Migration Plan for 2017-18.

20 September SkillSelect Invitation Round

For non-pro rata occupations, the required score for a Skilled Independent Subclass 189 invitation remains at 65 points. However, waiting times with this score are now down to 1 week, so we expect the required score to drop to 60 points in the next invitation round.

Most pro rata occupations remain stable, but the occupation of Accountant required 85 points in the last round, up from 75 points. The same number of invitations was issued in the 20 September round (239), so this result is very difficult to understand. We are currently seeking clarification from the Department of Immigration as it appears that there may be an error with the SkillSelect system.

We will post further information as it becomes available. Below is a summary of results by occupation for the 20 September round:

Occupation/Subclass Points Required Waiting Time Invitations - 15 Mar Running Total Target Places Remaining % Filled

Non Pro Rata
189 Skilled Independent 65 Next round 1750 7500      
489 Family Sponsored 60 Next round 47 569      

Pro Rata Occupations
Accountants 85 Next round 239 1434 4785 3351 30.0%
Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers 75 8 weeks 66 396 1327 931 29.8%
ICT Business and System Analysts 70 14 weeks 78 468 1574 1106 29.7%
Software and Applications Programmers 65 25 weeks 310 1860 6202 4342 30.0%
Electronics Engineer 65 9 weeks 50 300 1000 700 30.0%
Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers 65 31 weeks 108 648 2178 1530 29.8%
Other Engineering Professionals 70 Next round 50 300 1000 700 30.0%
Computer Network Professionals 65 30 weeks 65 390 1318 928 29.6%

NSW Priority Skilled Occupations List Released

NSW has released the long-awaited Priority Skilled Occupations List. So far this program year, NSW has not granted many 190 Nominations and we expect that NSW will resume the invitation and processing of Skilled Nominated Subclass 190 nominations in the coming weeks.

The NSW list is similar to the list for Independent and Family Sponsored visas (IFSOL). There have been a number of occupations added and subtracted as compared to the 2016-17 list:

Occupations Added

The following occupations which are also on the IFSOL have been added:
  • Architect
  • Chemical, Electronics, Industrial, Production and Plant Engineers
  • ICT Security Specialists
  • Civil Engineering Technicians
  • Stonemasons

There are also a number of occupations which are not on the IFSOL which are available for NSW nomination including:

  • Baker
  • Cook
  • Enrolled Nurse
  • Architectural Draftsperson
  • Butcher or Smallgoods Maker

Occupations Removed

A number of occupations which are on the IFSOL have been removed including:
  • Surveyors, Cartographers and Other Spatial Scientists
  • Agricultural Engineers, Consultants and Foresters
  • Teachers of the hearing and sight impaired, as well as special education teachers
  • Chiropractor and Osteopaths
  • Speech Pathologists
  • A range of Medical practitioner specialisations - such as General Practitioners, Cardiologists, Surgeons etc
  • Electrical and electronics trades such as Electrician (Special Class), Electronic Instrument Trades Workers, Radio Communications Technicians, Telecommunications Field Engineers and Cable Jointers
  • Boat Builders and Shipwrights

Other occupations appear to have been removed as a result of being also removed from the IFSOL, including:

  • Mining Engineers
  • Occupational Health and Safety Adviser
  • Anaesthetist
  • Psychotherapist
  • Dental Technician

Conclusion

The results in the latest SkillSelect round are very unexpected for accountants. For all other occupations, results were in line with expectations and we expect the required points for a 189 invitation to reduce to 60 for non-pro rata occupations in the next round.

NSW has reduced their priority skilled occupations list somewhat, but there are still some great opportunities for state nomination through NSW.

Please book a consultation if you would like advice on qualifying for General Skilled Migration.

References

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