SkillSelect Update for 11 September Round
 |
By Josie Marr
Wednesday, 03 October 2018
|
SkillSelect results for the 11 September round have been released, as outlined below, whilst discussions are being held regarding potential opportunities for regional migration.
11 September SkillSelect Invitation Round
For non-pro rata occupations, the required score for a Skilled Independent subclass
189 visa an invitation remains at 70 points with the relevant waiting times increasing slightly to almost 12 weeks. We expect the required score to remain the same in the next invitation round.
Most pro rata occupations remain the same. However, the occupation group for Electronics Engineer required 70 points in the last round, down from 75 points, with a significantly longer waiting time of 10 months.
2490 invitations were issued for the 189 visa in the September round, the same as August. Similarly, the same number of invitations - 10 - were issued to the Skilled Regional Provisional subclass
489 visa in comparison to previous months.
We will post further information as it becomes available. Below is a summary of results by occupation for the 11 September round:
| Invitations Issued | Current Points Required | Invitations to 11 Sept 2019 |
| 189 Skilled Independent | 70 | 5980 |
| Family Sponsored 489 | 80 | 30 |
| Pro Rata Occupations | Current Points Required | Invitations to 11 Sept 2019 | Target | Places Remaining | % Filled |
| Accountants | 80 | 636 | 3753 | 3117 | 16.95% |
| Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers | 80 | 227 | 1342 | 1115 | 16.92% |
| ICT Business and System Analysts | 75 | 248 | 1466 | 1218 | 16.92% |
| Software and Applications Programmers | 75 | 1231 | 7271 | 6040 | 16.93% |
| Electronics Engineer | 70 | 51 | 300 | 249 | 17.0% |
| Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers | 70 | 301 | 1780 | 1479 | 16.91% |
| Other Engineering Professionals | 75 | 119 | 700 | 581 | 17.0% |
| Computer Network Professionals | 70 | 367 | 2167 | 1800 | 16.94% |
Push for Regional Migration
Recently, the Australian Government suggested they may consider giving regional skilled migration priority, further indicating that major metropolitan cities such Sydney and Melbourne are struggling to manage the congestion of its growing populations.
If this comes to fruition, we could see:
- occupations added to the current Regional Occupation List (ROL) which currently supports part of the employer sponsorship and regional sponsored programs
- more States expanding their scope to include their support of the State Nominated 489 visa
- an increase to the number of invitations issued to Skilled Regional Provisional 489 applicants. To date, the number of invitations issued have been considerably low in comparison to this time last year. By September 2017 we saw 559 invitations issued to 489 applicants and as of September 2018 there have been a total number of 30 invitations
- an increase in the number of Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) applications.
Conclusion
The results in the latest SkillSelect round are positive for many Electronics Engineers. For all other occupations, results were in line with expectations and we expect the required points for a 189 invitation to remain the same non-pro rata occupations in the next round.
Following recent announcements made by the Australian Government both at State and Federal level, there appear to be some good opportunities being created in areas not limited to South Australia and Western Australia.
Whilst these changes are starting to look encouraging, legislative changes continue for the
general skilled migration program and require close attention. We strongly recommend prospective applicants to seek expert advice and guidance from a reputable
Registered Migration Agent or practicing solicitor that specialises in Immigration law.
If you would like to know more about how these changes impact you please
book a consultation with one of our advisors.
References
