The situation remains difficult for pro-rata occupations, but this may change as the number of invitations being issued is well below planning levels.
A few states have restricted their state nomination programs, but state nomination remains a very effective way to improve your eligibility for migration to Australia.
Non-Pro Rata Occupations
For most occupations, 60 point is sufficient to obtain an invitation for either the 189 or 489 subclass, and applicants can expect an invitation next invitation rounds.
The reason for this is that the total number of invitations being issued for both 189 and 489 subclasses is nowhere near sufficient to hit the targets being set by the Department of Immigration.
The current planning level for the 189 subclass is 2,000 invitations per round – giving a total of 48,000 for the program year. Even though we are now 3 quarters through the 2016-17 financial year, only 23,021 invitations have been issued for 189 visas, or 48% of the total planning level.
Similarly for the 489 family sponsored subclass, the planning level is currently 200 per round, or an annual total of 4,800, but only 1,082 invitations have been issued – a lowly 23% of the total. The reason for the shortfall is that applicants in pro rata occupations (see below) are currently very unlikely to receive invitations for 489 family sponsored visas – the 189 program has priority for these occupations.
Pro Rata Occupations
The situation is quite different for occupations which are on the “pro rata” list. These are occupations where more eligible EOIs (Expressions of Interest) are being lodged than there are places available in the occupational ceiling.
The maximum number of invitations for such occupations is limited each round, resulting in a higher minimum points for an invitation or a longer waiting time for invitation.
Accountants and Auditors are the most difficult occupations – they currently require 70 points for an invitation, and waiting times for an invitation are quite long even with this score (3-6 months).
All IT SOL occupations are on the pro rata list as well and require 65 points for an invitation. ICT Business and System Analysts are currently waiting 31 weeks for an invitation with 65 points, but the situation is much better for Computer Network Professionals (6 weeks) and Software and Applications Programmers (4 weeks).
There are a number of engineering specialisations on the pro rata list – most require 65 points for an invitation, but electronics engineers have oscillated between 60 and 65 points in the last few months. Some of these occupations were added fairly late in the program year and are currently very close to being filled – Other Engineering Professionals are 96% filled and Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers are 93% filled.
The 1 March round was interesting in that double the usual number of pro-rata invitations were issued – this suggests that the program is low on numbers and that Immigration is seeking to fill more places.
If the higher number of pro-rata occupations continues, it would mean that the occupational ceilings for pro rata occupations may be met well before the end of the program year. As a result, points and/or waiting times may reduce in the short term, but there may be a period of a month or two where invitations are not issued in some occupations.
State Nomination Update
A number of states and territories have tightened up their state nomination requirements for 190 and 489 visas.
For instance, Western Australia has this week announced that it has suspended 190 and 489 nominations pending a review of the WASMOL. This may be a consequence of the recent state election in WA.
ACT recently suspended state nominations for offshore applicants – nomination is now only available for those living in the ACT.
Victoria previously sponsored IT professionals quite actively but has suspended these occupations until the new financial year.
Despite these changes, state nomination remains a very effective way to improve your eligibility for skilled migration. Figures from February show that there are a significant number of state nominations being issued (1,578 for the month in total), with NSW, South Australia and Victoria still very active in sponsoring for General Skilled Migration.
| Visa subclass | ACT | NSW | NT | Qld | SA | Tas. | Vic. | WA | Total |
| Skilled – Nominated (subclass 190) visa | 34 | 420 | 15 | 74 | 141 | 46 | 234 | 17 | 981 |
| Skilled – Regional (Provisional) (subclass 489) visa | 0 | 32 | 5 | 6 | 93 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 206 |
| Business Innovation and Investment (subclass 188) visa | 0 | 50 | 0 | 40 | 14 | 2 | 199 | 14 | 319 |
| Business Talent (Permanent) (subclass 132) visa | 0 | 8 | 0 | 19 | 28 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 72 |
| Total | 34 | 510 | 20 | 139 | 276 | 118 | 437 | 44 | 1578 |
SkillSelect Source Data
The table below summarises the current situation for the Skilled Independent Subclass 189 and Skilled Regional Provisional (Family Sponsored) subclass 489.
| Occupation/Subclass | Points Required | Waiting Time | 42781 | 42795 | Running Total | Target | % Filled |
| 189 – Most Occupations | 60 | Next round | 1253 | 1832 | 23021 | 48000 | 48% filled |
| Accountants | 70 | 22 weeks | 98 | 196 | 2100 | 2500 | 84% filled |
| Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers | 70 | 12 weeks | 55 | 110 | 1155 | 1413 | 82% filled |
| ICT Business and System Analysts | 65 | 31 weeks | 60 | 120 | 1320 | 1482 | 89% filled |
| Software and Applications Programmers | 65 | 4 weeks | 225 | 450 | 4748 | 5662 | 84% filled |
| Electronics Engineer | 60 | 14 weeks | 29 | 58 | 821 | 1000 | 82% filled |
| Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers | 65 | 16 weeks | 17 | 34 | 1433 | 1539 | 93% filled |
| Other Engineering Professionals | 65 | 11 weeks | 28 | 56 | 962 | 1000 | 96% filled |
| Computer Network Professionals | 65 | 6 weeks | 50 | 100 | 1382 | 1426 | 97% filled |
| Skilled Regional Provisional Subclass 489 |
60 | Next round | 27 | 32 | 1082 | 4800 | 23% filled |
http://www.border.gov.au/WorkinginAustralia/Pages/1-march-2017-round-results.aspx
http://www.canberrayourfuture.com.au/portal/migrating/article/current-processing-times/
http://www.liveinvictoria.vic.gov.au/visas-and-immigrating/visa-nomination-occupation-lists/visa-nomination-occupation-list-for-victoria#.WcC_ccgjGM8