SkillSelect Update April 2022

The April 2022 SkillSelect round saw a total of 1,500 invitations issued; 1000 in the Subclass 189 Skilled Independent category, and 500 in the Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (Family Sponsored) category.

The minimum 189 visa points score was 85, with an almost 2-year wait for an invite (EOI lodged in May 2020. Subclass 491 applicants only needed a score of 65, with a significantly shorter wait time; only 3 months from the latest EOI!

Who was invited?

Medical occupations were again highly favoured, with most in these professions scoring 90 points or more in the test.

Education and science occupations rounded out the list, though these were more for 491 visas than the 189.

Pro Rata

No pro-rata occupations received an invitation in this round.

Thoughts

There has been a significant increase on the total 400 invitations issued at the start of the year, and hopefully represents a wider reopening of the program over the next few rounds. It will remain to be seen if the occupations also widen beyond the COVID-critical medical and science occupations.