SkillSelect Update January 2016

By Mark Webster Friday, 05 February 2016

Results for the invitation round of 22 January 2016 are now available.

The overall number of invitations has increased significantly in January, and this has significantly reduced waiting times for SkillSelect invitations, even for pro rata occupations such as accountants, ICT business analysts and software and applications programmers.

This article seeks to analyse SkillSelect results for the 2015-16 planning year, and present them in a graphical format which explains the waiting time, points required and number of invitations issued by occupational group.

Skilled Independent Subclass 189

The overall number of invitations for Skilled Independent Subclass 189 visa has increased to 4,800 in January, up from 1,400 in December, and the usual level of 2,300 for July-November 2015.

The minimum score required for an invitation for 189 is in general 60 points. The maximum waiting time for an invitation with 60 points was less than one week for the latest invitation round - this is a significant decrease compared to previous rounds.

The above points and waiting times apply to occupations which are not being allocated on a pro-rata basis. Information on pro rata occupations is below:

Accountants

Please note that rumours that the occupational ceiling for accountants had been reduced are false - this was due to a typographical error on the SkillSelect website.

The number of invitations for accountants has increased significantly in January 2016 - 375 accountants received invitations in January, compared to 90 in December and 50 in October and November 2015.

The minimum points score for accountants to receive a 189 invitation is still 70 points, but the waiting time is now down to under 1 week with this score. If the current trend continues, we expect that the minimum score for an invitation will go down to 65 for accountants in the next round.

ICT Business and System Analysts

The number of invitations issued to ICT Business and System Analysts had remained steady at 128 per month until January 2016 when 303 invitations were issued in the occupation.

The points required for an invitation remain at 65 for the occupation, but waiting time has reduced significantly to 5 weeks in the latest round.

Software and Applications Programmers

The number of invitations for this occupation also increased significantly in January 2016 - 876 invitations were issued in January, up from the usual rate of 436 invitations.

Points required for an invitation remain at 60, and waiting time has reduced from 25 weeks to 18 weeks.

Skilled Regional Sponsored Subclass 489

Very limited numbers of invitations were issued for family sponsored Skilled Regional Provisional Subclass 489 visas.

The following chart shows that the number of invitations has reduced from 80 per month in July 2015 down to 10 per month in January 2016.

The minimum score for an invitation is now 65 for the 489 visa, but waiting time with this score is over 15 weeks. Applicants in pro-rata occupations are unlikely to receive an invitation for a family sponsored 489 visa.

Conclusion

The number of invitations issued overall for the skilled independent 189 visa have increased significantly in January 2016, and this has also flowed through to the pro rata occupations.

Whist it is not clear whether the large number of invitations issued in January will be repeated, we expect that the minimum points score required for accountants will reduce to 65 in the next few months. This is because at the current rate of issued invitations, the occupational ceiling for accountants would not be met by the end of June 2016.

If you would like advice on obtaining a General Skilled Migration visa through SkillSelect, please book a consultation with one of our immigration advisors.

Sources

SkillSelect Website