Skill Select Requirements for Skilled Migrants
Are you a skilled migrant worker in Australia? Have you checked your eligibility to apply for the skilled visa? If yes, you must be familiar with the Skill Select. Do you know all the requirements for this Skill Select? Below, we will explain more about the Skill Select and all the processes involved in order for you to achieve your dream to migrate to Australia.
Skill Select Process and Benefits to Skilled Migrants
Skill Select is an Australian Government on-line system for Skilled Workers and Business People who are interested in Migrating to Australia. It is a platform where you can submit your Expression of Interest (EOI) in order to be invited by the Federal or State Government.
Requirement for Skill Select
There is a two stage process involved in Skill Select which can only be completed electronically:
Stage 1:
Skilled Migrants must submit an Expression of Interest (EOI).
Stage 2:
The best migrants in the Expression of Interest (EoI) pool will be invited by the Department of Home Affairs or State or Regional Government to apply for the respective Skilled Migration visa within 60 days.
EOI Can Be Submitted for These Types of Visas Through SkillSelect:
- Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189);
- Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190);
- Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491);
- Business Talent visa (subclass 132);
- Business Innovation & Investment visa (subclass 188).
You can also apply for the following visas via SkillSelect but we do highly recommend that you apply directly through the Immigration Visa Portal.
- Employer Nominated Scheme visa (subclass 186);
- Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa (subclass 187).
What do you need to know before applying for SkillSelect!
Expression of Interest:
An Expression of Interest (EOI) is required to be submitted before you can apply for any of the abovementioned visas. You must meet the pass mark of 65 points if you wish to be invited to apply for the visa. The higher your points are the better your chances of getting an invitation.
Points Tested:
SkillSelect is a points-tested program and points are awarded based on your age, English language ability, qualifications, work experience, nomination/sponsorship (if applicable).
General Skilled Migration Points Criteria:
The current points pass mark for General Skilled Migration is 65 points.
Nomination of Occupation:
You must nominate an occupation from the Skilled Occupations List (SOL) or the respective state occupation list.
Skilled Occupations List:
The current Skilled Occupation List (SOL) is relevant for applicants for: independent points-based skilled migration who are not nominated by a state or territory government agency.
What is the process in SkillSelect?
Firstly, you must obtain a positive Skill Assessment for the Nominated Occupation you wish to use prior to lodging an Expression of Interest (EOI). Once an Expression of Interest has been lodged, depending on which visa you apply for, you may receive an invitation to lodge a visa application.
If you receive an invitation you will have 60 days to lodge your visa application via the Skill Select Program.
There is no fee for submitting an EOI on SkillSelect and once you have submitted your Expression of Interest it will be valid in the SkillSelect system for two years. In this two year period, your EOI will remain in the pool against other intending applicants.
Some Key Issues Problems for Skilled Migrants
After submitting your Expression of Interest, you would need to understand that there will be some key points you need to aware of, such as:
- The EOI is only valid for two years, if after the two years you did not get an invitation, you would have to reapply or another application of an EOI would have to be lodged. Although, there are no fees to submit an EOI there will be associated costs as outlined below;
- There are financial costs and no guarantee that you will be successful after lodging the EOI as you will still be required to complete a Skill Assessment and English Proficiency test prior to EOI Lodgement;
- To stop the EOI Pool being dominated solely by certain occupations, quotas also apply each year for skilled occupations. Once the quotas have been filled there are no more opportunities to apply for that year regardless of skill level and ranking. If you have achieved a high ranking under the current system this could be detrimental for applicants as they are also not subject to a ceiling;
- Due to the EOI not being a visa application, a Bridging visa will not be granted to applicants who submitted the EOI in Australia (offshore).
What are the benefits of SkillSelect?
There are some benefits that you can get for doing your assessment in SkillSelect, such as:
- Submitting an Expression Of Interest is free!
- The EOI does not require a pass mark on the points test to submit an EOI. Although, you will not receive an invitation for points based visas unless you meet the pass mark (65 points).
- Your profile in SkillSelect can be updated at any time. Meaning that you can still improve your points.
- You can select more than one visa subclass for your EOI, this means greater possibilities for being considered for invitation.
- EOI and Visa applications can be submitted online, this saves you time and you are able to gain access to your SkillSelect from anywhere in the world 24/7.
- Visa processing will be a lot quicker as the total number of invitations and applications are matched and controlled to the migration program, if you have been given an invitation to apply.
Still get confused? This is what you need to do to get a successful outcome!
- Log on to www.skillselect.gov.au;
- Search for which visas best suit you;
- Check what you need to prepared for these visas;
- Start collecting all your information and evidence.
The Department of Home Affairs issues invitations monthly but sometimes it can be twice monthly. The time between being invited and being granted a visa is around 3 – 6 months (depending on numerous factors).
We understand that applying for a visa to Australia is certainly very complicated. It is even more challenging during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Our visa specialists at ONEderland Consulting will help you assess your visa options. We have a 98% success rate and 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.
Take the first step and get in touch with us. Our migration agents are professional, honest and speak 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.
