SkillSelect Update August 2015
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By Mark Webster
Thursday, 03 September 2015
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The results for the August 2015 round of invitations issued through SkillSelect has been published and has some interesting insights for prospective applicants.
Timing of Invitation Rounds
The August round was completed on 3 August 2015. It appears that Immigration is now holding a single invitation round each month, and this will fall on the first Monday of each month, and the next invitation round will be on 7 September.
The minimum score for most applicants for an invitation for a subclass 189 visa is 60 points. The comments below apply to occupations other than those which are being allocated on a pro-rata basis (see below).
In terms of waiting time for an invitation, if you have a score of 65 or more points, you should be invited next round based on the August results. With 60 points, applicants lodging an EOI on 9 July 2015 or earlier received invitations, meaning the waiting time was a bit less than 1 month for many applicants.
Only 80 invitations were issued to family sponsored 489 visa applicants in the August Round.
Subject to the comments below in relation to pro-rata occupations, applicants with 65 points or over should receive an invitation next invitation round. With 60 points, applicants lodging an EOI on 13 June or earlier received invitations, meaning the waiting time is approximately 2 months.
Pro Rata Occupations
High numbers of EOIs are being lodged in certain occupations and as a result would exceed the occupational ceiling for the year quickly.
For these occupations, only a limited number of invitations are being issued each round, and so the effective pass mark is higher. A summary of the occupations and required score and EOI lodgement date is below:
| ANZSCO Group | Occupation | Points | EOI Lodgement Date |
| 2211 | Accountants | 65 | 2 Jul 15 |
| 2611 | ICT Business and System Analysts | 65 | 2 Jun 15 |
| 2613 | Software and Analyst Programmers | 60 | 2 Apr 15 |
So it is still possible to get an invitation with 60 points if you are a Software/Analyst Programmer, but you would wait 4 months. Accountants are currently requiring 65 points and even with this score would need to wait about a month for an invitations. ICT Business Analysts require 65 points, and would need to wait about 2 months, making this the most difficult occupation on the
SOL.
The situation is even more extreme for 489 applicants - in this case, Immigration has indicated that they will issue places preferentially to 189 applicants for pro rata occupations. Only if there are insufficient applicants in the 189 subclass to meet the occupational ceiling for an occupation will places be released for 489 applicants. This in effect makes it almost impossible for 489 applicants in pro rata occupations to receive an invitation.
Occupational Ceiling Update
Of all the occupations, Auditors are the closest to being filled. We expect this occupational group to be added to the list of pro-rata occupations.
Otherwise, apart from the pro-rata occupations and computer network professionals, none of the other occupations are likely to meet the occupational ceiling this year based on the invitation rate so far.
| Occupation ID | Description | Ceiling Value | Results to date | % Filled | Annualised |
| 2212 | Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers | 1000 | 610 | 61.0% | 366.0% |
| 2339 | Other Engineering Professionals | 1000 | 171 | 17.1% | 102.6% |
| 2611 | ICT Business and Systems Analysts | 1536 | 256 | 16.7% | 100.0% |
| 2613 | Software and Applications Programmers | 5364 | 894 | 16.7% | 100.0% |
| 2211 | Accountants | 2525 | 420 | 16.6% | 99.8% |
| 2631 | Computer Network Professionals | 1986 | 304 | 15.3% | 91.8% |
| 2335 | Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers | 1788 | 229 | 12.8% | 76.8% |
| 2334 | Electronics Engineers | 1000 | 119 | 11.9% | 71.4% |
| 2633 | Telecommunications Engineering Professionals | 1000 | 83 | 8.3% | 49.8% |
| 2331 | Chemical and Materials Engineers | 1000 | 72 | 7.2% | 43.2% |
| 2333 | Electrical Engineers | 1230 | 88 | 7.2% | 42.9% |
| 2539 | Other Medical Practitioners | 1000 | 64 | 6.4% | 38.4% |
| 2332 | Civil Engineering Professionals | 2970 | 171 | 5.8% | 34.5% |
| 2544 | Registered Nurses | 13872 | 510 | 3.7% | 22.1% |
Conclusion
A close look at the last invitation round gives us a good insight into what we can expect for the rest of this program year. In particular:
- Accountants, ICT Business Analysts and Software/Analyst Programmers: invitations issued on a pro rata basis. Difficult to receive an invitation without 65 points, and almost impossible to receive a 489 invitation.
- Auditors: likely to be added to the pro-rata list .
- Other Occupations: invitations are still possible with 60 points - waiting time approximately 1 month for Skilled Independent Subclass 189 and 2 months for Skilled Regional Provisional Subclass 489.
Feel free to
book a consultation with one of our advisors if you would like an assessment of your likely eligibility for General Skilled Migration, including strategies to maximise your chances of getting an invitation through SkillSelect.
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