Here are the results of the 2 most recent SkillSelect invitation rounds in July and August 2020. Chris Johnston comments on the likely future of the subclass 189 and 491 (family-sponsored) visas in the coming months.

Essential workers are very important to keeping Australia running during the Coronavirus pandemic and to helping people and the economy to recover from the impact of the pandemic. There is a lot of uncertainty about who is and who is not an essential worker.

There is also substantial (though not complete) overlap between the critical sectors and occupations which have been mainstays of the Australian migration program. Existing gaps in the Australian labour market have been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, 10 September 2020, the interim nomination allocations for 190 visa, 491 visa, 132 visa and 188 visa for 2020 for the different state nomination programs have been released.

In the past few weeks, some Australian states and territories have opened for state nomination with limited places. There is a big focus on nominating applicants with 'critical skills' to help Australia's economic recovery post-COVID.

The Australian Government has announced that they have created a new taskforce, the “Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce”, to bring business and skills to Australia.

This was announced on ABC News, and repeated by Minister Tudge in a tweet this morning (5 September 2020).

The Shepparton news reported that Peter Dutton told Nine News "It's OK that we've got support in place at the moment with JobKeeper and JobSeeker - that's fine and that's a good thing - but to get to the next stage we need to have investment."

The Australian Government has announced a new skilled list on 2 September 2020 to prioritise occupations which are critical to Australia’s handling and recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

There is a clear focus on the construction, health and ICT sectors.

The Government has indicated that applications under these occupations will be processed more quickly than other occupations.

We expect this to primarily have a large impact on the TSS 482 visa and SESR 494 visa sponsored worker space, as well as for the 189 visa program.

Rebrand to “Move to South Australia - Skilled + Business Migration”

https://www.migration.sa.gov.au/ now has a new look.

We noticed that Immigration South Australia has changed its name to Move to South Australia.

Move to South Australia has updated its criteria for interim 491 and 190 nominations to support and prioritise South Australia’s economic recovery and public health response. 

Trades Recognition Australia, also known as TRA, is the skill assessment authority for trade occupations. For example, occupations such as chefs, bricklayers, electricians and plumbers are all assessed by TRA.

TRA assesses whether the applicant’s qualifications, skills and employments meet Australian standards for migration purposes.

There are several assessment pathways and it is important that you choose the correct one to apply for.

The world is changing quickly and to keep up with it, we have some updates for you on the Global Talent Independent visa.

Click here to learn more about the GTI visa criteria and target sectors.

Effects of Coronavirus on GTI visa

Processing Times for Global Talent Visa

The Global Talent Independent program has been held up as the fastest way to get a permanent visa in Australia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing the Expression of Interest processing times slowing down for some applicants. This seems to be especially the case for applicants who are applying from outside of Australia.

This may be due to the Department prioritising Global Talents who are already inside Australia.

What impacts Global Talent visa processing times?

There are a number of factors which might be contributing to current processing times.

The Department's priorities for global talent visa processing are set out in Direction No. 85.

This specifies that for distinguished talent applications, they are to be considered in the following order:

1. Priority 1 (the following are equal in priority):
   1. You have an Australian job offer paying higher than the $153,600 Fair Work High Income Threshold, or
   2. You are currently earning more than the $153,600 Fair Work High Income Threshold
   3. You can show that you are likely to attract a salary greater than the $153,600 Fair Work High Income Threshold
2. Priority 2:
   1. All other distinguished talent applications

The Department has indicated in its information that "likely to attract" can be shown in a number of ways, including through high grades (80% or higher) in a recent higher level qualification (Honours, Masters, PhD).

Priority for Hong Kong Candidates?

In its announcements to support Hong Kong SAR passport-holders, the Department has included references to the Global Talent Independent visa. It seems that the Department of Home Affairs will be prioritising GTI visa applications (even more so than the normal priority given to GTI) for Hong Kong SAR passport-holders.

Australian Computer Society (ACS) Nominations

We are still waiting on further information from the ACS regarding their nomination process.

We have recently been updated that ACS will nominate those who have been invited through the Expression of Interest process.

If you are looking to be nominated by ACS under one of their target sectors, read more about the process by clicking here.

We look forward to having further updates on this soon.

How can Work Visa Lawyers help?

Work Visa Lawyers can help you with all steps in the Global Talent Independent visa application process, including with applications for nomination from the ACS.

Our team of experienced Immigration Lawyers and Migration Agents look forward to assisting you with your Australian visa or appeal.

Contact us on (08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Book an appointment with one of our experienced Immigration Lawyers and Registered Migration Agents here.

Sources

• https://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/news/all/global-talent-independent-visa-video.html
• https://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/services/global-talent-distinguished-talent-visas.html
• https://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/news/all/why-the-australian-global-talent-independent-visa-is-so-hot-right-now.html
• https://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/news/all/acs-nomination-global-talent-visa.html
• https://www.sbs.com.au/news/how-a-little-known-visa-program-could-be-the-answer-for-hongkongers-hoping-to-move-to-australia

• Acceptance of the new requirements
• Explanation of what your contribution to the recovery will be (200 words or less) in either:
  • Business activity
  • Investment activity

This is according to news published by Live in Melbourne. We expect further information following the Federal Budget around 6 October 2020.

Victoria Skilled Migration - 491 visa and 190 visa

Victoria had indicated it would reopen its 2020-2021 nomination for 491 visa and 190 visa soon.

It will only select applicants to apply for Victorian visa nomination if their Registration of Interest demonstrates they are working in health or medical research and contributing to Victoria’s economic recovery and/or health response.  

To be considered for Victorian visa nomination, you must submit a Registration of Interest for Victorian State Visa Nomination.  Applicants who register their interest may then be selected to apply for Victorian visa nomination.  

To be eligible to submit your Registration of Interest (ROI) for Victorian visa nomination (subclass 190 and 491) you must

• be currently living in Victoria, and
• be currently employed in Victoria (minimum six months), and
• work in a highly-skilled occupation in health or medical research, which supports Victoria’s economic recovery and/or health response

VIC will then select the best candidates to apply for Victorian visa nomination.

We are expecting a further update from Live in Melbourne following 6 October 2020.