SkillSelect Update - Pro Rata Occupations Likely to be Full by April 2017

By Mark Webster Monday, 27 March 2017

Results for the 15 March SkillSelect invitation round have been published.

Two occupations have reached their occupation ceiling and most other pro rata occupations are likely to be filled by the end of April.

Our article analyses the results and gives an indication of what to expect in the next few rounds.

Occupations Filled in 15 March Round

The following occupation groups reached their occupation ceiling in the 15 March round:

• Other Engineering Professionals
• Computer Network Professionals

In fact, more invitations were issued than were available in the occupation ceiling in these occupations.

Occupations Likely to be Filled in the Next Few Rounds

Looking at the current invitation rate for pro rata occupations and the number of remaining places, we can forecast when each occupation is likely to be filled:

29 March Round

• ICT Business and System Analysts

12 April Round

• Accountants
• Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers
• Software and Applications Programmers

26 April Round

• Electronics Engineer
• Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers

Consequences of Occupations Filling Early

Once an occupation is filled, no further invitations can be issued in that occupation for the Skilled Independent Subclass 189 or Skilled Regional Provisional Subclass 489 (family stream) until the program reopens on 1 July 2017.

If no invitations are issued in pro rata occupations between April 2017 and July 2017, this will create a significant backlog of applicants who have lodged EOIs through SkillSelect.

Unless there are increases in the occupation ceilings for the pro rata occupations, we can expect either the minimum score to be higher for pro rata occupations or for the waiting time to increase for an invitation.

Recommendations for Applicants in Pro Rata Occupations

It is getting more competitive for applicants in pro rata occupations looking to apply for the Skilled Independent Subclass 189 visa.

People in this situation could consider:

• Increasing Points Score - this improvise your priority when it comes to SkillSelect
• Considering skills assessment in other skilled occupations - in some cases, this could be based on qualifications and work experience you already have, or looking at further studies in a different field
• State Nomination - occupation ceilings do not apply to state nominated visas, and this also streamlines the invitation process
• Alternative visa types - for instance you might eligible for employer sponsorship or sponsorship by a family member

If you would like full advice on your migration options, please book a consultation with one of our advisors. We will go through your situation in detail, and look at all your migration options. This would include advice on requirements for the most likely skilled occupations, ways to increase your points score, state nomination options as well as likely migration pathways.

The advisor will come up with a written migration strategy for you - we call this the Immigration Roadmap.

Data Table

Below is the current status of pro rata occupations in SkillSelect.

Occupation/Subclass	Points Required	Waiting Time	Invitations - 15 Mar	Running Total	Target	Places Remaining	Rounds Left
Accountants	70	22 weeks	196	2296	2500	204	1.0
Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers	70	13 weeks	110	1265	1413	148	1.3
ICT Business and System Analysts	65	31 weeks	120	1440	1482	42	0.4
Software and Applications Programmers	65	4 weeks	450	5198	5662	464	1.0
Electronics Engineer	60	14 weeks	58	879	1000	121	2.1
Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers	65	17 weeks	34	1467	1539	72	2.1
Other Engineering Professionals	65	10 weeks	56	1018	1000	0	0.0
Computer Network Professionals	65	6 weeks	100	1482	1426	0	0.0

Sources

SkillSelect 15 March Invitation Round Results