Newsletter-151009-PDF
General Skilled Migration Program
General Skilled Migration (GSM) is for people who are not sponsored by an employer and who have specific skills and occupations which are required in Australia. For permanent general skilled visa programs, you are required to pass the point test, which is calculated on your age, English language ability, qualifications, nominated occupation and recent skilled work experience.
Before calculating the total points, you will need to first satisfy the basic requirements as follows:
- Age – You must be over 18 but under 45 years of age at the time of application.
- English language – You will need to demonstrate at least competent English (IELTS, the International English Language Testing System, test score of 6.0 for each of the four test components).
- Qualifications – You must have post secondary qualifications equivalent to Australian Bachelor Degree or higher; diploma or trade qualifications.
- Nominated occupation – You must have an occupation that is listed on the Skilled Occupations List (SOL), and your skills must be assessed by the relevant assessing body.
- Recent work experience – You must prove that you have been employed in a SOL occupation for at least one year out of the last 2 years immediately before applying. If you have been studying in Australia for 2 years you can be exempt from this requirement if you apply within 6 months from the date of completion of your course.
Immigration Policy Changes Affecting Skilled Visa Applications
In Respond to the global economic crisis and the desire to have the 2008/09 migration program of the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) be better targeted and more responsive to Australian industry needs, there have been cuts to the Australian skilled migration program and major changes to the visa processing times:
- Critical Skill List (CSL)
Introduced by the DIAC on 1 January 2009, the CSL is used to place weight on the skills that are in acute shortage in Australia and give these applications further priority in processing.
However, up till now, the CSL does not affect your visa eligibility or point test. It’s simply a list for the DIAC case officers to determine which applicants will receive priority processing at time of visa application lodgement.
- New Procedure for Visa Application Processing
On 19 March 2009, DIAC announced new procedures for visa application processing and further revised the priority processing arrangements on 23 September 2009, which will apply to skilled visa applications.
Under the Ministerial Direction, the following processing priorities (with highest priority listed first) apply:
1. Appications from people who are employer sponsored under the ENS and the RSMS
2. Applications from people who are nominated by a State/Territory government and whose nominated occupation is listed on the Critical Skills List (CSL)
3. Applicatoins from people who are sponsored by family and whose nominated occupation is listed on the CSL
4. Applications from people who are neither nominated nor sponsored but whose nominated occupation is listed on the CSL
5. Applications from people who are nominated by a State/Territory government whose nominated occupation is not listed on the CSL
6. (i)applications from people whose occupations are listed on the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) and occupation is not listed on the CSL
(ii) applications from people who are sponsored by family and whose nominated occupation is not listed on the CSL.
7. All other applications are to be processed in the order in which they are received.
Other Options You Can Turn to
- Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) or Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS)
ENS or RSMS is on the highest priority on the updated priority processing list. To apply for one of these permanent employer – sponsored visas, you need to find an eligible Australian employer to offer you a skilled position and sponsor your visa application.
If you have already made an application for a general skilled migration, it is possible that you can make a free application for ENS or RSMS visa application.
- State/Territory Sponsorship
If you meet the selection criteria of a specific state or territory in Australia, you may eligible to apply the sponsored skilled migration instead of general skilled migration. For some promising applicants with only 50 point nominated occupation or cannot pass the 120 – point test you had better check the selection criteria of different states/territories before lodging a temporary visa for further residence.
Tips for Visa Applicants
In these turbulent economic times we can expect more changes to migration requirements in Australia, but skilled migrants are still needed in Australia. There is still a shortfall of around of $40,000 workers per year. For overseas students who are prepared to lodge your PR application at later stage, you must:
- Improve your English. If you will finish your course at the end of this/next semester, book an IELTS test now. You will need to provide an IELTS test result for your skilled migration visa applications including some temporary visa applications.
- Find a suitable employer to accumulate skilled work experience. If you need to accumulate one year’s work experience to add weight on your skills, be aware that your employment should be skilled and align with your nominated occupation.
- Always check the legislative changes and forms before lodging your applications. It’s important to have a realistic understanding of the current changes being made and tell the difference between truth and rumours. You can go to the DIAC website or check with registered migration agent. It’s not compulsory to appoint a migration agent when lodging your visa application. But if you want to, please ensure they are registered under the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA).
- When all criteria for time of lodgement have been made, it’s better to lodge the application sooner rather than later.
AUSA MIGRATION & EDUCATION SERVICE PTY LTD
Tel: 02 92121955 Fax: 02 92118379
Web: www.ausamigration.com.au
Email: info@ausamigration.com.au
Address: 309/451 Pitt Street, SYDNEY NSW 2000
