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Important details about Independent Skilled Visa SC189

Did you know that anyone in Australia can request access to a document held by an Australian government agency under the Freedom of Information Act. However, some documents may be protected from disclosure, while others may be partially protected (some information will be hidden before publication).

One interesting document about Skilled visa SC189 was recently published and I want to share with you some information that is important to understand the process and logic of selecting candidates for a visa invitation.

  1. Historically, the Department’s invitation rounds have sought to span the breadth of occupations for which EOIs had been lodged (with ceilings imposed for some popular occupations), however, since the start of the pandemic, invitation rounds have targeted specific occupations to meet key skill shortages.
  2. While invitation rounds since 2020 have focused on specific occupations, the expectation is that future rounds will be able to include a broader range of occupations, based on each candidate’s points score. As high demand for health and education related occupations is likely to continue, the ideal approach would be to routinely issue invitations for all offshore and onshore health and education related EOIs, as well as invitations across all other occupations based on the points test.
  3. Prior to the pandemic, invitation rounds were conducted monthly. From May 2020 until the end of the 2021-22 program year, however, invitations were only issued quarterly.
  4. Invitations are issued to the highest scoring candidates within the specified targeted occupations. The department specifies the number of candidates it wishes to invite, rather than specifying the lowest point score to be invited in the invitation round.
  5. Although there are 72,451 EOIs in SkillSelect (as at 23 November 2022) which identify an interest in being considered for a Skilled Independent visa, not all of these would convert to a visa application, if invited to apply. In some cases, candidates are unable to accept invitations due to English and/or skills assessments having expired by the time of invitation. There are also various instances of candidates lodging multiple EOIs in an effort to maximise their chances of receiving an invitation.
  6. Once an individual receives an invitation to apply for a visa, they have 60 days to lodge their visa application. While conversion rates of 70 per cent were common in past years, conversion rates have reduced since the start of the pandemic. They are currently closer to 30-40 per cent.
  7. As at 18 November 2022, there was a total of 18,963 applications on hand for points-tested subclass 189 visas.
  8. To provide the best chance of receiving sufficient applications to build a pipeline capable of delivering the 2022-23 planning level for Skill Independent (points tested) visas, the intention is to continue to issue a larger number of invitations in the first half of the program year, with smaller rounds in the second half.

Guys, as I said earlier, the 189 visa is alive and unexpectedly active inviting professionals with occupations in demand in Australia.

If you are considering skilled migration, I highly recommend you to keep your skills and English assessments up to date.

In case your point score is not high or your occupation is not on the top list, I suggest you to consider state nominated visa SC190 or 491, which will definitely give you extra points and more predictable result.

Let me represent you about improved conditions of our special offer!
Post-paid migration agent services are now available for applicants for any skilled visas 189/190/491.

Read more about the conditions and benefits of the special offer

You can ask me questions at any time.

Just email me at office@yuliamoiseeva.com.au and describe your migration issues!

Yulia Moiseeva & Associates

Yulia Moiseeva & Associates was established in 2010 to assist people to change their life to a better one, to relocate and settle in Australia stress-free. We develop an immigration strategy and provide the most successful results.
Yulia Moiseeva Principal and Senior Registered Migration Agent MARN 1066715.
Olga Grinevetskaya Senior Registered Migration Agent MARN 1807885.

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