How Many Points are needed for Australian Skilled Migration Visa 2022

How Many Points are needed for Australian Skilled Migration Visa 2022

The Point test is one of the crucial aspects for the General Skilled Migration Program. You might be curious how many points you already have for the Australian Skilled Migration visa program.

We will explain the points criteria here so you can calculate what you have, how to get more and what you actually need.

General Skilled Migration Visa Program

The General Skilled Migration (GSM) visa program is a way to gain permanent residency in Australia. There are 3 most common GSM visas and they are point-based visas. These 3 visas that require 65 points to meet the criteria are:

1. Skilled Independent visa (Subclass 189)

This visa is for invited workers with skills that are required by the Australian government. This visa allows you to work and live permanently anywhere in Australia.

• You don’t need a sponsor or nominator;
• You must be invited to apply;
• You must be under 45 to be invited.

2. Skilled Nominated visa (Subclass 190)

This visa allows you to live and work anywhere in Australia as a permanent residence. This visa requires you to be nominated by an Australian state/ territory government.

• You must be able to score a minimum of 65 points;
• You must be no more than 45 years of age;
• You must be invited to apply for this visa by an Australian state/territory government agency.

3. Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (Subclass 491)

Subclass 491 visa is a temporary visa that allows skilled workers to work, live and study in designated regional areas of Australia for 5 years.

• You must be able to score a minimum of 65 points;
• You must be no more than 45 years of age;
• You must be invited to apply for this visa by the Australian state/territory government agency or be sponsored by an eligible relative.

Find more information for General Skilled Migration Visa Program here.

Point criteria for General Skilled Migration Program

The point criteria category for General Skilled Migration visa program consists of 12 categories with the total possible points as follow:

Below are the in-depth explanations and how points are allocated for each category.

1. Age Criteria for General Skilled Migration Program: 

Please be advised that only candidates 45 years old and below can apply for skillselect.

It is best to apply for skillselect as soon as possible if you are 25 years old or older, because you will get the highest points possible and keep in mind as well that the nomination process might take a long time.

2. English Language Proficiency Criteria for General Skilled Migration Program:

Although IELTS and PTE are generally the standards the following tests are also accepted by immigration:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT); At least 24 for listening, 24 for reading, 27 for writing and 23 for speaking;
• Occupational English Test (OET); At least B for each of the 4 test components​;
• Cambridge C1 Advanced test; At least 185 in each of the 4 test components​.

Click here for tips on taking the IELTS Test!

3. Employment outside of Australia Criteria for General Skilled Migration Program:

Your employment history outside Australia will be counted as well. You can claim points only if your occupation is listed in one of the relevant Skilled Occupation lists:

• The Short-Term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL);
• The Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL);
• The Regional Occupation List (ROL).

Or else, your occupation must be closely related with the Skilled Occupation listed above. The closely related occupation must be:

• In the same ANZSCO Unit Group; or
• Consistent with a career advancement pathway; or
• Recognised by an assessing authority that it is closely related to your nominated occupation, as part of your skills assessment.

Here is the point’s breakdown you will get based on the period of your employment. The longer your employment period, the higher points total you get.

4. Employment in Australia Criteria for General Skilled Migration Program:

If you have employment history in Australia, make sure to add it too! Make sure that you hold a substantive visa or Bridging Visa A or Bridging Visa B during your employment.

Your occupation must also be listed in one of the relevant Skilled Occupation lists:

• The Short-Term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL);
• The Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL);
• The Regional Occupation List (ROL).

Or else your occupation must be closely related with the Skilled Occupation listed above. Here is the point that you will get based on the period of your employment.

Please note: The number of years that an applicant can claim in order to gain points will depend on the result of the skill assessment.

5. Educational Qualifications Criteria for General Skilled Migration Program:

If you hold educational qualifications from an Australian educational institution, it will be more beneficial with your application, one benefit is a higher points in the education category.

6. Partner status/skills Criteria for General Skilled Migration Program:

If you are in a relationship and you are planning to bring your partner with you, be sure that your partner:

• Are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident;
• Are an applicant for the same subclass visa;
• Were under 45 years old;
• Had competent English;
• Had nominated a skilled occupation that is on the same skilled occupation list as your nominated skilled occupation;
• Had a suitable skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority for their nominated skilled occupation, and the assessment wasn’t for a Subclass 485 visa.

Click Here For Skilled Migration Online Points Calculator

Gaining Additional Points for Australian General Skilled Migration

If you are in need of extra points there are several ways to add to your points tally that are not as obvious as the other categories and might just bring you the extra points you need:

1. NAATI Community Language Accreditation

To be credentialed in a community language and eligible to claim the additional 5 points, you must:

• Have been accredited at the paraprofessional level or above; or
• Have been certified at the certified provisional level or above; or
• Have a community language credential for interpreting or translating by NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters).

2. Studying a course in regional area in Australia

You can claim additional points of 5 if you have at least 1 degree (diploma or trade qualification) from an Australian educational institution that meets the Australian study requirement. You must obtain it while living and studying in an eligible area of regional Australia.

Please note that you cannot claim the additional point if your study was done in a distance education system.

3. Australian Educational Qualification

You can claim additional points of 5 if you have at least 1 degree either diploma or trade qualification from an Australian educational institution. Your degree must meet the Australian study requirement.

4. Completing a professional year course

If you have completed a professional year course, you can claim additional points of 5. To be eligible for the award of these points, your Professional Year must have been in Accounting, ICT/Computing or Engineering, and:

• In your nominated occupation or a closely related occupation;
• Completed over a period of at least 12 months;
• Completed in Australia in the four years before you are invited to apply for a visa;
• Provided by one of these organisations:
  • The Australian Computer Society;
  • CPA Australia;
  • Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand;
  • The Institute of Public Accountants (formerly the National Institute of Accountants);
  • Engineers Australia.

5. Specialist Education Qualification

You can get 10 additional points if you have a postgraduate degree (Master or Doctoral) by research. Your degree must be awarded by an Australian institution after at least 2 academic years of study in:

• Natural and Physical Science; or
• Information Technology; or
• Engineering; or
• Mathematics; or
• Specified Information and Communication Technology.

You can check the eligibility of your Specialist Education Qualification in CRICOS.

6. State Nomination

If an Australian state or territory nominates you, you will get additional points automatically. The additional points are different for each General Skilled Migration visa subclass.

If you are short on skilled migration points and not sure how to obtain the extra skilled points you need, our Registered Migration Agent may develop a foolproof plan to get the points you need by walking you through exactly where you can make up the points you need.

Still unsure if you qualify? Speak to us; we are here to help!

We understand that applying for a visa to Australia is certainly very complicated.

Our visa specialists at ONE derland Consulting will help you assess your visa options. We have a 98% success rate and are one of the most highly recommended migration agents in Australia. Read our 4.9* score customer reviews.

We are complex visa specialists. As registered Australian migration agents with the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA), we are regulated in our professional practice and bound by the profession’s Code of Conduct issued by the Migration Agents Registration Authority.

At ONE derland Consulting, we are the experts in handling general and complex General Skilled Migration applications. We have helped job seekers around the world, providing high quality document work and professional suggestions to raise their points for their General Skilled Migration application.

We will assist you from the beginning to the end and make the process as easy as it should be.

If you employ ONE derland Consulting to prepare your General Skilled Migration visa application, we will perform the following:

1. Assess your eligibility for one of the General Skilled Migration visa programs and the right subclass. If you are not eligible for General Skilled Migration visa program, we will provide you with alternative options;
2. If you are eligible, we will provide you with written agreements and quotes to process your application. This will cover our obligations and duty of care to you;
3. Our agreement is transparent with no hidden fees. All the aspect of works for temporary or permanent visa is covered in the agreement;
4. If you have not done a Skill Assessment, we will help you with the process of Skill Assessment based on your nominated occupation;
5. Our scope of work includes bridging visa applications if it’s required by the applicant;
6. We will provide you with a dedicated Case Manager as your one point of contact. The Case Manager will assist you with your visa application and keep you informed with the progress of your case;
7. A tailored document checklist will be provided. This checklist will be personalised based on your individual circumstances;
8. Your application will be prepared by our Registered Migration Agent who will go through your documents in more detail, anything missing will be identified and rectified;
9. All of our General Skilled Migration visa applications are “Decision Ready”, what that means to you is faster processing time and very little risk of getting rejected or refused;
10. All of our team are dedicated to serve our clients, we should be able to get back to you within 24 hours or less for any enquiries you may have.

Take the first leap and get in touch with us. Our migration agents and our team are professional and honest. Our team members are also able to speak in various languages such as Mandarin/ Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia, Arabic, Japanese, Polish, German, and Russian.

Contact us through email at [email protected] or via phone on 1300 827 159. Alternatively, you may book your consultation online and it is 100% refundable if you become our client.