Busting the myths about SkillSelect
SkillSelect will be a major change to how Australia manages its skilled migration program. There is much talk about the changes, and as with anything new, not everything you hear is always correct. This blog busts some of the myths we’ve heard about SkillSelect.
Myth 1 - SkillSelect only affects points tested visas—formally known as General Skilled Migration (GSM) visas.
A common myth is that SkillSelect will only affect the independent skilled migration program- this is not true.
If you are interested in applying for a skilled visa after 1 July 2012, you may have to use SkillSelect depending on your visa preference/s. Therefore, it is important you understand how SkillSelect will affect you and your visa options.
It will be compulsory to submit a complete expression of interest (EOI) and receive an invitation before you can lodge a visa application for the following visa programs:
• Subclass 189 Skilled – Independent (Permanent) (Class SI)
• Subclass 190 Skilled – Sponsored (Permanent) (Class SK)
• Subclass 489 – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) (Class SP)
• Business Skills visa program.
It is optional (although highly recommended) to submit an EOI to be found and contacted by an employer for the following visas programs:
• Subclass 186 – Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) (Class EN)
• Subclass 187 – Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) (Class RN)
• Subclass 457 – Temporary Business (Long Stay) (Class UC)
More information on visa options can be found on the SkillSelect website.
Myth 2 – I can’t submit an EOI for more than one visa.
You will be able to submit an EOI for one, a few or all skilled visas in the one EOI. You do not need to submit multiple EOIs.
SkillSelect is a free online service, and by expressing interest in more than one skilled visa, you could increase your chances of being found by a state or territory government or employer who needs your skills.
Myth 3 – It will still be expensive and time consuming for employers to find skilled workers.
SkillSelect will make finding overseas skilled workers easy for employers and help ease skill shortages through managed migration.
A key function of SkillSelect is to assist in easing skills shortages through providing Australian employers with access to a pool of intending skilled migrants who are seeking employer sponsorship on either a temporary or permanent basis.
SkillSelect is ideal for employers wanting to quickly identify options for resolving specific skill shortages. It will really help employers operating small to medium businesses who have found it difficult, expensive and time consuming to find workers in the past. SkillSelect is targeted, convenient, a free service, and is without any obligation to sponsor. Employers will be able to easily search across a number of key selection criteria such as experience, qualifications, language skills and willingness to work and live outside major metropolitan centres.
Once suitable skilled workers are identified, employers are able to send a message in SkillSelect to the skilled worker notifying them of their interest in discussing employment and sponsorship opportunities. When sponsorship arrangements have been established, the skilled worker’s EOI details are seamlessly transferred from SkillSelect to final assessment and processing systems, saving time for everyone.
Myth 4 – I can intentionally embellish my claims on my EOI to increase my points score and likelihood of getting an invitation.
There are some serious potential risks in providing false and misleading information in your EOI.
If you are invited to apply for a visa, the information in your EOI will be used as part of your visa application. You will then need to confirm your claims and submit evidence with your application.
If you provide false or misleading information on your EOI and receive an invitation based on this information, your application may be refused. If your visa application is refused you will lose your visa application charge and may also be subject to a bar which prevents the grant of a further visa.
Myth 5 -The introduction of SkillSelect will mean less skilled visas will be granted.
This is not true.
Each year the government announces the number of places in the migration program as part of the Budget. This announcement on the program size is what determines the number of skilled visas available each year.
In the 2012–13 Budget an additional 3400 places will be allocated to the skilled migration program—this is a total of 129 250 places.
SkillSelect will not increase or reduce the overall number of visas granted. It will only determine who is able to lodge a visa application for the independent, family sponsored, state/territory nominated and business skills visas. The target number of skilled visas granted will be the same as the number set by government in the Budget.
Have you heard any other myths about SkillSelect? Leave us a comment and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the new process.
For more information visit the SkillSelect website.
Information on changes to points based skilled migration: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/new-skilled.htm
Information on the permanent employer sponsored visa reforms : http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/skilled-workers/permanent-employer-sponsored-visa-whats-new.htm
Houston Skills Australia Needs event—more than 650 jobs on offer
American residents with skills and experience in the oil and gas, mining and construction sectors will be able to meet Australian employers with more than 650 jobs on offer at the Skills Australia Needs job fair in Houston, Texas on May 19-20.
Registration for this free event is through the department’s website and they close on May 11.
Skills Australia Needs events offer invited skilled workers the chance to talk to Australian employers and recruiters about jobs available ‘Down Under’ face-to-face.
As well as potential employers, Australian immigration officers will be on hand to talk to participants about skilled visa options to live and work in Australia, either on a temporary or permanent basis, as well as Australia’s new skilled worker registration system—SkillSelect.
Invitees can also meet representatives from several other Australian organisations and government agencies, including:
• Australia’s state and territory governments will talk about what it’s like to live in Australia, and state sponsored visas
• Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) will provide advice about the process for having your skills recognised and the new streamlined arrangements for licensing, which mean workers can start a job on their first day in Australia
• VETASSESS, a US trades recognition agency approved by the TRA to assess skilled workers in the electrical and plumbing trades will provide information about their services, and
• Future Skills International, approved by the TRA to assess electricians will be on hand to answer questions about their services.
This event is the latest in a series that the Australian Government has staged in several countries for many years. The job fair will help Australian employers and state governments fill critical skill shortages in areas of occupational demand in Australia.
Details including the full list of exhibitors, jobs on offer and how to register are available at www.immi.gov.au/skillevents/skilled-workers.htm
Changes to points-tested skilled migration visas
Reforms to Australia’s skilled migration program take effect on 1 July 2012. Included in these reforms are changes to points tested skilled migration visas for migrants who wish to live and work in Australia without employer sponsorship.
Simplifying eligibility requirements, the changes include the introduction of three new points tested skilled migration visas:
- Skilled Independent (subclass 189) visa
- Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa
- Skilled Regional Sponsored (subclass 489) (provisional) visa.
The distinction between onshore and offshore points tested visas and some threshold requirements will be removed – with more importance being placed on the points test to find the best suited independent skilled migrants.
If you want to apply for one of the three new points tested skilled migration visas you will still need to:
- nominate a skilled occupation on the relevant skilled occupation list
- be under 50 years old
- have competent English skills.
From 1 July, if you are interested in a points-tested skilled migration visa you will need to complete an expression of interest in SkillSelect. SkillSelect is a new online system where skilled workers interested in migrating to Australia can record their details to be considered for a skilled visa. Only those who are invited by the Australian Government can lodge a visa application.
More information about the changes to the points tested skilled migration visas is available on our website.
Post your questions about the new visas below. As always we cannot provide case-specific advice, but we can answer general questions you may have.
Did you hold a Student visa on 8 February 2010?
New web page for Student visa holders who were affected by the skilled migration reforms announced on 8 February 2010.
There is a new web page for current and former Student visa holders who held a Student visa on
8 February 2010, when the Australian Government announced the skilled migration reforms.
The new web page can be found here.
Increasingly in the years leading up to the reforms, the composition of the skilled migration program was being determined by those who wished to apply, rather than by labour market demand. A series of reforms were necessary to reposition the program as demand driven and able to respond better to Australia’s skilled labour needs.
One of the key changes was the withdrawal of the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) and the introduction of a new Skilled Occupation List (SOL). The SOL is a list of occupations that are eligible for independent, or unsponsored, skilled migration. The new SOL consists of 192 occupations, down from more than 400 on the old list, and delivers a skilled migration program that is tightly focused on high value skills that will assist in addressing Australia’s medium to long term skill needs.
When these reforms were announced, the Australian Government also announced generous transitional arrangements for those who held Student visas when the changes were announced. The new web page includes information about these transitional arrangements, as well as other information about extending a Student visa, and also information about the skilled migration program. We plan to expand the page with further information in the coming months.
It is important for students to be aware that the Student visa program and the skilled migration program serve different purposes. A Student visa allows a person to come to Australia and study for a specified period. On the other hand, the skilled migration program has an economic focus. It is designed to meet the needs of the Australian labour market and strengthen the whole economy. Because of this, the requirements for skilled migration may change depending on the economic circumstances of the time, and that is why students should study a course based on their academic interests, rather than to achieve a particular migration outcome.
Student visas are temporary visas, so students should be mindful of their visa expiry date so they can consider their options early. It takes time to apply for another visa, and if a person is unable to obtain another visa they must depart Australia before their Student visa expires. There can be serious consequences for overstaying a Student visa and becoming unlawful, including being unable to return to Australia for up to three years.
Some students might be thinking about lodging an Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect when their student visa expires. An EOI is not the same as a visa application. It is an indication that a person would like to apply for a skilled migration visa, rather than an application itself. A Bridging visa will not be granted after submitting an EOI. If a person is not invited to apply for a skilled migration visa before their existing visa expires, they will need to obtain another visa or depart Australia.
New visa subclasses announced on the SkillSelect website.
We have just published information about the new visa subclasses that will be introduced under SkillSelect on 1 July 2012. You should visit the SkillSelect website to find out the latest information.
We hope this information will be useful if you are thinking about migrating to Australia and researching your visa options. Further updates on the legislative framework for the visa subclasses will become available in June 2012.
Details on the outcome of the review of the business skills program will be published when they are available. We will provide you with this information as soon we can. Keep checking this blog and the SkillSelect website for updates.
You will notice that the SkillSelect website looks quite different to the departmental website. The new format aims to make web content easy to access and read for all our clients. We would really appreciate your feedback on the new format, so please let us know what you think in the comments.
To help us ensure that we are providing you with the information you want, we would appreciate if you can answer a simple question below in our poll.
Why did you visit the Migration Blog today?
- 1. I’m an intending migrant, researching my options. (50%, 70 Votes)
- 2. I’m a visa holder who wants to keep up to date with current migration policy. (22%, 30 Votes)
- 3. I’m an employer looking for skilled workers. (2%, 3 Votes)
- 4. I’m an advisor to people seeking to migrate to Australia. (7%, 10 Votes)
- 5. I’m an Australian Government officer. (8%, 11 Votes)
- 6. I’m a member of the public interested in migration policy. (6%, 9 Votes)
- 7. I don’t fit into any of the above categories. (5%, 6 Votes)
Total Voters: 139
Loading ...Attracting overseas skilled workers for the Mining and Resources Sector
SkillSelect presentation at the London Expo
We’re all familiar with media highlighting skills shortages, particularly in the resources sector where there are not enough Australian workers available. A blog post by Tom (June 7 last year) explained how the introduction of Enterprise Migration Agreements would assist employers to secure overseas skilled workers in order to support this important sector of the Australian economy.
Building on this, from July 1 the government will introduce a new method for selecting skilled migrants, called SkillSelect to further help employers seeking skilled workers.
SkillSelect will provide registered employers with access to high quality, pre-screened migrants interested in sponsorship under the subclass 457, ENS and RSMS programs.
It is an efficient and easy to use system that will record intending migrants’ qualifications, work experience, the visas in which they are interested and whether they are willing to work in regionalAustralia. They will have evidence of their English language ability and most will have already had their skills assessed. SkillSelect will bring potential overseas workers to employers and facilitate contact between the employer and intending migrants. In addition, by matching the number of migration program places to the number of visa applications SkillSelect will streamline processing times and speed up the migration program’s response to business needs.
At a recent Skills Australia Needs event we staged in London, 28 Australian employers met 878 pre-screened skilled workers. As many as 500 overseas engineers and tradies will be sponsored to positions which employers were previously unable to fill through the Australian labour force.
Other recent events we’ve presented in Germany, Greece and Dubai have attracted interest from high quality engineering professionals, tradies, and healthcare professionals. Further promotional events are planned for the USA in May. Details will be provided shortly on the department’s website at: http://www.immi.gov.au/skillevents/upcoming-events.htm
You can read more by also visiting the SkillSelect website.
Talking skilled migration at the NSW International Student Festival
Last Sunday, Department of Immigration and Citizenship representatives from the skilled migration policy areas joined our colleagues from the NSW Student Visa Centre at the NSW International Student Festival.
Our stall was one of the busiest, with students from across the state enquiring about Student visas,
Post-Study visas, Skilled Migration visas and in particular, SkillSelect. It was a fantastic opportunity for us to talk directly to students and receive their feedback on our Student visa and Skilled Migration programs.
There was a lot of interest in skilled migration among the students we talked to. Many of the students were in their final year of study and were considering their options for permanent migration to Australia. While we welcome this interest it is important for student visa holders to be aware that a Student visa is a temporary visa and there is no guarantee of a permanent migration outcome.
Skilled migration to Australia is highly competitive. It remains possible for students to compete for a place in the program, however to do so you must meet the eligibility requirements in place at the time you lodge your application. Students who do not meet the requirements for another visa should make arrangements to depart Australia before their visa expires. There are serious consequences for overstaying your visa that may affect any future visa applications you may make.
It is also important to remember requirements for skilled migration can change from time to time. For this reason students should choose their field of study based on their academic interests and not in the hope of achieving a particular migration outcome.
With SkillSelect being introduced on 1 July 2012 it was great to see so many students taking an interest in how the new system will affect the Skilled Migration program.
The festival allowed us to answer some of the key questions around SkillSelect. Some of the most common SkillSelect questions we received were:
Will I be granted a Bridging visa when I lodge my expression of interest (EOI)?
No. The EOI is not a visa application and you will not be granted a Bridging visa. A Bridging visa would only be considered once a valid visa application is lodged.
If you do not receive an invitation to apply before your student visa expires you will need to apply for another visa if you want to remain in Australia, or leave Australia before your visa expires.
Can I submit an EOI at any time?
You may submit an EOI from 1 July 2012. However, in order to submit a complete EOI you must meet the necessary requirements for the visa you are expressing an interest in.
Will SkillSelect be able to find me a job?
SkillSelect is not an employment service and will not be able to help you find a job.
If, in your EOI, you choose to be considered for an Employer Sponsored visa, employers will be able to access some of your details in SkillSelect (such as your occupation, work experience and English ability). This information will assist them to consider you for employment. In this way SkillSelect may be able to assist you in finding an employer sponsor.
For more information on SkillSelect, please visit our previous blogs or visit the SkillSelect website .
Some of the other skilled migration questions we received over the course of the day were:
What visa options are available within the Skilled Migration program?
Within the Skilled Migration program there is a range of permanent and temporary visa options. For an overview of the different Skilled Migration visa categories see our fact sheet.
We advise students looking to progress to a Skilled Migration visa to confirm the requirements of the visa they wish to apply for before they lodge their application or submit an EOI.
What are the new post-study work arrangements for students?
Graduates of an Australian Bachelor degree, Masters by coursework degree, Masters by research degree or Doctoral degree will have access to a new post-study work visa scheduled to be introduced in early 2013.
Further information is available on our website.
Do I need to use a migration agent to lodge a skilled migration application or EOI?
No. You do not need to use a migration agent to lodge your application. However, a registered migration agent can advise on visa requirements, help you lodge a visa application and deal with the department on your behalf—usually for a fee.
You can choose to use a migration agent to assist you in submitting an EOI. However, you will only have one login to access your EOI account. You can only specify one email address to be contacted by SkillSelect about any invitations or messages in relation to your EOI account. All email notifications will be sent to your nominated email address and it will be your responsibility to ensure you can access your emails and update your account with any change of email address.
We wish international students all the best with their studies in Australia. If you are a current or former student with a general question about skilled migration, feel free to post it here and we will try to answer it as best we can.
SkillSelect webpage goes live!
The SkillSelect website goes live!
We are happy to announce that on 28 January the SkillSelect website was launched at www.skillselect.gov.au
This site provides information on SkillSelect, details on the Expression of Interest (EOI) and invitation process, and what information you will have to provide when you submit an EOI.
You will notice that the SkillSelect web page looks different to other pages on our website. Please let us know what you think about the new website design or the content we have published. Your feedback will assist us in improving the delivery of information to our clients.
Although the website has been launched, you will not be able to submit an EOI until 1 July 2012.
We plan to publish more information on the SkillSelect website in early April, including information on the new visa subclasses. Our blog will also continue to keep you up to date with SkillSelect and its implementation.
We encourage you to read our previous blogs on SkillSelect here as they may answer many of the questions you have about SkillSelect.
SkillSelect – Rankings and Invitations explained
In our previous blogs, we discussed SkillSelect and changes to our Skilled Migration Programs. You can view our previous blogs here.
We will now look at what happens after you submit an EOI using SkillSelect.
The below diagram displays the SkillSelect process:
How will you be ranked on your EOI?
Your ranking will be calculated based on the information you provide in your EOI. EOIs are ranked using points achieved on the skilled migration points test. A prescribed pass mark will be set as the minimum points score required for each visa category.
Ranking will be conducted electronically by SkillSelect with no intervention by the department. Equally scoring EOIs will be separated by time of submission with earlier submission dates ranking more highly.
After submitting your EOI, you can view your point score; however you will not see your ranking because it will be continually changing. After each invitation round we will publish on our website the lowest score of a successful EOI for each occupation group. This will provide an indication of the score required to receive an invitation.
You can update your EOI at any time until you receive an invitation or your EOI expires. If you provide new information that changes your points score, SkillSelect will update your ranking automatically including your date of submission.
You should understand that if you provide false or misleading information on your EOI this will subject you to the Fraud Public Interest Criterion – PIC 4020. If it is established that you have provided false or misleading information including to third parties such as approved English language testing providers, assessing authorities, State/Territory governments etc, and your visa application may be refused. You may also be subject to a three year bar which may prevent the grant of a further visa that is subject to assessment under the Fraud PIC.
How do you receive an invitation?
Selected EOIs will be invited periodically to lodge an application. Depending on your visa preference/s, you could receive an invitation from the department for independent migration, family sponsored or from a State or Territory government for State/Territory sponsored or Business Skills migration. SkillSelect won’t issue invitations for any other migration programs.
Independent Migration and Family Sponsored Migration
It is proposed that SkillSelect will automatically issue invitations once per month, with the first round of invitations sent on 1 August 2012. Invitations will be issued to the highest ranking EOIs in descending order, subject to occupation ceilings. The date and time of submission may be used to separate those who score equally to ensure that the number of invitations issued at any one time matches both the number of visa places and the processing resources available. Those who don’t meet the pass mark or don’t score highly enough in a particular invitation round will not be issued an invitation. Departmental officers are not involved in the selection process.
Occupation ceilings are a limit on how many people are selected for points tested migration from an occupation group. This will ensure that these visa categories are not dominated by a narrow range of occupations. Once the limit is reached for a particular occupation group, no further invitations for that group will be issued in that program year with remaining program places allocated to other occupation groups even if they are lower scoring. In the event that the ceiling is reached remaining EOIs from people with skills in that occupation group won’t be affected.
Occupation Ceilings and Invitations
2. State or territory government and employer sponsored visas
State and Territory government representatives will search SkillSelect for prospective people to sponsor. State or Territory governments will be able to nominate prospective applicants at any time using SkillSelect (in accordance with their agreed State Migration Plans and subject to occupation ceilings not being reached). Those nominated will receive an invitation through SkillSelect to apply for a visa.
What happens next?
Invited applicants will have 60 days to lodge a visa application using the department’s electronic lodgement system. The visa application process will occur outside of SkillSelect.
If you receive two invitations in SkillSelect but do not lodge a valid visa application as a result of these invitations, your EOI will be removed from the SkillSelect database and will have to be formally resubmitted to be considered for future invitation rounds.
If you do not receive an invitation, it is proposed that your EOI will remain active in SkillSelect for 2 years. You will have the option to renew your EOI if it expires.
In future blogs we will provide further updates on SkillSelect as our long-awaited implementation date of 1 July 2012 approaches!
For more information on SkillSelect please go to www.skillselect.gov.au
SkillSelect – impacts on the sponsored skilled migration programs
In our last blog, we discussed the who, what, why, when and how of SkillSelect.
Today, we will look at SkillSelect and how it will impact the state and territory sponsored, business skills and employer sponsored skilled migration programs.
SkillSelect will connect state and territory governments and Australian employers with potential skilled workers through a central database.
How will SkillSelect affect the sponsored skilled migration programs?
State and territory sponsored and business skills migration programs: SkillSelect will be the sole method for state and territory government sponsorship of business skills and state and territory sponsored visas.
If you are interested in state or territory sponsorship under these programs you will need to submit an expression of interest (EOI) and receive an invitation in order to lodge a visa application. In your EOI you can specify the state or territory you are interested in.
State and territory governments can search in SkillSelect and select potential applicants for nomination (as long as they have not reached agreed limits on their State Migration Plan). SkillSelect will then generate an invitation to be issued to the selected candidates.
State Migration Plans specify which occupations state and territory governments can nominate applicants under, and the number of visas that will be granted as part of the program. The review of the business skills category is considering whether state and territory sponsored business migrants should be included in State Migration Plans.
State and territory governments will still assess potential applicants before they nominate them. The actual nomination can only occur after an EOI has been lodged.
Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS), Regional Skilled Migration Scheme (RSMS) and subclass 457 visas:
Prospective applicants for ENS, RSMS and 457 visas are not required to use SkillSelect. However, when submitting an EOI you can express an interest in these programs that allows employers to view your details. SkillSelect will facilitate contact between employers and prospective applicants to discuss sponsorship opportunities. SkillSelect will serve as an online register to connect employers to details of skilled migrants interested in employer sponsorship.
Employers who identify people through their own selection processes will still be able to sponsor them as per current processes.
Skilled Graduate, Skilled Recognised Graduate, Distinguished Talent visas and Labour Agreement programs: SkillSelect will have no impact on these programs and they will continue to function as per any current processes in place.
The following table outlines when an EOI will be required:
|
Independent or Family Sponsored |
Subclass 457 |
Employer Sponsored |
State or territory Sponsored |
Business Skills |
Regional Sponsored (Provisional) |
|
Yes – EOI compulsory |
No – EOI optional |
No – EOI optional |
Yes – EOI compulsory |
Yes – EOI compulsory |
Yes – EOI compulsory |
Why implement SkillSelect?
State and territory governments can maximise the benefits of their State Migration Plans, and employers can quickly and easily identify prospective skilled workers with the required skills and attributes to fill skill shortages.
A key benefit of SkillSelect is the ability to address regional skill shortages. SkillSelect allows prospective migrants to nominate their willingness to live and work in regionalAustralia. This will benefit employers experiencing regional skills shortages and state and territory governments attempting to settle migrants in regional Australia.
When will SkillSelect be implemented?
SkillSelect will commence on1 July 2012. As of this date, new applicants for Independent, Family, State/Territory Sponsored or Business Skills visas will need to submit an EOI and be issued with an invitation before lodging a visa application.
For more information on SkillSelect go to our website at www.skillselect.gov.au
