New Skilled Occupation List (SOL) and Consolidated Skilled Occupation List (CSOL) announced by Australia Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP)

On 16 May 2016 the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) announced a new Skilled Occupation List (SOL) and Consolidated Skilled Occupation List (CSOL) for the upcoming fiscal year 2016-17.

The SOL enables visa applicants to nominate occupations under the General Skilled Migration (GSM) visa categories, such as:

Skilled - Independent (Subclass 189)
Skilled - Regional Sponsored (Provisional) (Subclass 489) by a family member
Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485)

On the other hand, the CSOL applies to the following visa applications:

Skilled - Nominated (Subclass 190)
Skilled - Regional Sponsored (Provisional) (Subclass 489) by a State/Territory
Temporary Work (Skilled) (Subclass 457)
Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186)

What occupations are being updated in the new SOL and CSOL?

The following are noted changes in the new SOL and CSOL:

Occupations moved from SOL to CSOL

233611 Mining Engineers (excluding Petroleum)

233612 Petroleum Engineers

234912 Metallurgists

251311 Environmental Health Officers

251312 Occupational Health & Safety Advisers

411211 Dental Hygienists

411212 Dental Prosthetists

411213 Dental Technicians

411213 Dental Therapists

Occupations added to the SOL

251912 Orthotist or Prosthetist

252711 Audiologists

The new SOL and CSOL come in to effect for affected visa applications on 1^st July 2016.

Comments by Chris Johnston – Principal Lawyer and Registered Migration Agent at Work Visa Lawyers

The new changes to the SOL and CSOL provide the following insights:

Accountant remains on the SOL. There has been much talk of whether there are already a lot of accounting graduates in Australia and if Accountants should be removed from the SOL. According to Job Outlook the prospects for Accountants up to November 2019 look very promising with excellent job openings and future growth. It is a great relief to international students who are graduating with an Accounting degree that Accountants remain on the SOL.
Mining and Petroleum Engineers shifted to the CSOL is corresponding to the downturn of the mining sector in Australia
Dental workers now require sponsorship to apply for a visa with the new CSOL

In general the SOL and CSOL do not indicate much of the DIBP’s direction towards occupations. The more telling information will be the planned occupation ceiling numbers for each profession, which determines how many applicants are allowed for an occupation in a single fiscal year. For example even if Accountants remain on the SOL it may be a non-factor if the occupation ceiling is set to be very low.

Occupational ceilings do not apply to State or Territory Nominated and Employer Sponsored visa applications.

Additionally you have to always remember that there are other eligibility criteria that need to be met before you can successfully apply for a visa. Please check all other requirements before submitting an application.

This information is accurate on 24 May 2016

Source:

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