Tough Times for SkillSelect
A tiny
100 invitations were issued in the April 2020 round, dropping to just 50 applications each for the Subclass 189 Skilled Independent and Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (Family Sponsored) visa.
The minimum points score rose to 95 points for each subclass type, which is not surprising based on the very small number of invitations issued.
Pro-rata occupations:
Due to high levels of demand, certain occupations are issued invitations on a pro-rata basis. Places are first allocated to 189 EOIs, with remaining places issued to the 491 Family Sponsored EOIs.
The scores for the 11 April 2020 round pro-rata occupations were as follows:
| Occupation ID | Description | Minimum Points Score | Latest date of EOI |
| 2211 | Accountants | 100 (SC189) | 25/03/2020 8:33pm |
| 2212 | Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers | 95 (SC189) | 16/01/2020 6:41pm |
| 2334 | Electronics Engineer | 95 (SC189) | 20/03/2020 8:36pm |
| 2334 | Electronics Engineer | 95 (SC491) | 18/03/2020 9:45pm |
| 2335 | Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers | 95 (SC189) | 18/03/2020 10:04pm |
| 2335 | Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers | 105 (SC491) | 19/11/2019 7:50pm |
| 2339 | Other Engineering Professionals | 95 (SC189) | 23/03/2020 12:45am |
| 2339 | Other Engineering Professionals | 105 (SC491) | 11/12/2019 5:17pm |
| 2611 | ICT Business and System Analysts | 95 (SC189) | 13/03/2020 4:10am |
| 2611 | ICT Business and System Analysts | 105 (SC491) | 02/04/2020 3:20pm |
| 2613 | Software and Applications Programmers | 95 (SC189) | 24/03/2020 3:15pm |
| 2613 | Software and Applications Programmers | 95 (SC491) | 10/04/2020 7:12pm |
| 2631 | Computer Network Professionals | 95 (SC189) | 21/03/2020 10:25am |
Who received invitations in April?
The only occupation to receive invites in the double-digits were Software and Application Programmers on 18. Civil Engineering Professionals were next on 9, and then Accountants with a total of 8.
Life Scientists received 5 invitations this round, while Internal Medical Practitioners have finally made it to 5 invitations
total since July 2019.
Our Advice
As per our earlier
blog about the State Migration programs, there is still some availability for Subclass 190 and 491 State Nominated visas. We suggest that serious consideration is given to migrating to regional areas of Australia, and checking State or Territory requirements directly before you start the application process.
