After months of not releasing the number of invitations issued through SkillSelect, the Department of Home Affairs has finally released the invitation rounds for May and June 2020. Not everyone will be happy with the results.
May 2020 Invitation Round
Number of Invitations
These are the number of invitations issued in May 2020:
| Visa subclass | Number |
|---|---|
| Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) | 550 |
| Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) – Family Sponsored | 100 |
Points Cut-off Score
The minimum points to be invited is in the table below. Applicants who have equal points are assessed by the time at which they reached their points for that subclass ("date of effect"). Those who met their points earlier are given priority for invitation.
| Visa subclass | Minimum points score | Latest date of effect month |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) | 85 | 12/2019 |
| Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) – Family Sponsored) | 70 | 03/2020 |
June 2020 Invitation Round
Number of Invitations
These are the number of invitations issued in June 2020:
Visa subclass | Number |
|---|---|
170 | |
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) – Family Sponsored | 30 |
Points Cut-off Score
The minimum points to be invited is in the table below. Applicants who have equal points are assessed by the time at which they reached their points for that subclass ("date of effect"). Those who met their points earlier are given priority for invitation.
Visa subclass | Minimum points score | Latest date of effect month |
|---|---|---|
85 | 02/2020 | |
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) – Family Sponsored) | 70 | 04/2020 |
July 2020 Invitation Round
While not officially published, we have some information about the first SkillSelect invitation round for the new migration program year in July 2020. Read more about the July invitation round here.
Our View
While the minimum points are encouraringly low for both rounds, the invitations seem to be focused on occupations that are critical to post-COVID-19 recovery. There are also fewer invitations in comparison to the pre-COVID-19 round in March 2020. As such, medical occupations are being invited strongly. This will be very disappointing for many occupations that are not seen as critical to the COVID-19 respones.
For those that are already in Australia and were planning to lodge a 189 or 491 visa to stay longer, it is time to look at the alternative. These could include a visitor visa or a 408 COVID-19 Pandemic event, to stay longer.
At the moment, the opportunities for skilled migration are lower, but please don’t despair. When things return to normal, the level of migration are also likely to increase.
Do you need help?
Our team of experienced Immigration Lawyers and Migration Agents look forward to assisting you with your Australian visa or appeal.
Based in Adelaide South Australia, we provide Australian Immigration advice to people and businesses from all over the world.
If you require further information regarding your Australia visa options you can contact us through:
(08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sources:
https://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/news/all/july-2020-invitation-round.html
https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skillselect/invitation-rounds
