Skilled Workers Visas, Australia
Effective July 1, 2011, new points system has been rolled out the below mentioned
Skilled Migration Visas. The Qualifying Score is now 65 points for Skilled Subclasses:
a) Skilled Independent Category Subclass 175
b) Skilled Sponsored Subclass 176
c) Skilled Regional Sponsored Visa Subclass 475
Also, effective July 1, 2011, only newly introduced Skilled Occupation Lists Schedule
1 & 2 would be applicable.
Department of Immigration and Citizenship Australia introduces ANZSCO wef 1 July
2010. Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO)
is a system developed to collect, publish and analyse occupation statistics across
government agencies and is being introduced by the department as the new standard
to capture occupation information in all visa, settlement and citizenship programs.
Besides this, the new Changes to the General Skilled Migration Program included
the removal of the MODL and New Skilled Occupation List w.e.f July 1, 2010.
General Skilled Migrant Program
Australia’s economy remains one of the strongest in the world, offering millions
of jobs every week, making it an extremely preferred destination for highly skilled
young people. It also exhibits that Australian employers require skilled workforce
for achieving their organizational goals.
The eligibility of skilled migrants, who desire to immigrate to Australia, is assessed
on a point-based system. In this system, points are awarded after considering the
age, work experience, qualifications and language proficiency of the aspirant. Other
ways of obtaining immigration visa to Australia under General Skilled Migrant Program
includes:
a) Skilled Independent Category Subclass 175
b) Skilled Sponsored Subclass 176
c) Skilled Regional Sponsored Visa Subclass 475
To apply for one of the above visas, the applicants need to satisfy the following
threshold requirements:
• be under 50 years of age at the time of applying for a visa;
•meet the threshold English language requirement of competent English;
•nominate and hold a skilled assessment for an occupation on the Skilled Occupation
List at the time of lodging their application;
•provide evidence of recent skilled employment in a skilled occupation or
have recently completed the Australian Study requirement.
Effective July 1, 2011, the points test has been changed.
The points for the various parameters are as follows:
Age
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An applicant is eligible if he/ she is aged between 45 and 49 years, on the day
of making their application. However, no points would be awarded for the above mentioned
age limit.
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Points
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Age
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25
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18 - 24
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30
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25 – 32
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25
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33 – 39
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15
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40 – 44
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0
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45 – 49
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English Level
To be eligible under the skilled migration points, an applicant should be competent
English, which essentially means a minimum score of 6 in each of the four components
of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test or other language
test specified by the Minister.
All the applicants who hold a valid passport and are citizens of the United Kingdom,
Canada, New Zealand, the United States of America or the Republic of Ireland are
deemed to meet competent English language requirement.
However, points can be scored on levels of Proficient and Superior English.
The points test awards points for English language ability are as follows:
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Points
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Description of English language ability
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20
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Superior English (a score of at least 8 in each of the four components of
the IELTS test, or equivalent standard in a specified test)
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10
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Proficient English (a score of at least 7 in each of the four components of
the IELTS test, or equivalent standard in a specified test)
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Skilled Employment
Under the employment in skilled occupation, an applicant will be awarded points
for employment either in Australia or overseas. Furthermore, to claim points for
skilled employment, the applicant must have experience in nominated occupation or
a closely related occupation. However, the applicants can claim points for Australian
skilled employment and overseas skilled employment, both under the points test.
For the purpose of awarding points, skilled employment in the nominated occupation
or a closely related occupation would comprise at least 20 hours employment per
week, as considered by the department. Furthermore, to determine whether an applicant’s
skilled employment is closely related to their nominated occupation, the occupations
within one unit group classified under Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification
of Occupations (ANZSCO) would be taken into consideration by the department.
Australian skilled employment in their nominated occupation or a closely related
occupation:
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Points
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Length of employment
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5
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One year
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10
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Three years
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15
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Five years
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20
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Eight years
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Overseas skilled employment in their nominated occupation or a closely related occupation:
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Points
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Length of employment
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5
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One year
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10
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Three years
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15
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Five years
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Educational Qualifications
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Points can only be awarded for the highest qualification attained.
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Points
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Description of education qualifications
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20
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Doctorate Degree
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15
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At least a Bachelor Degree
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10
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Australian Diploma or trade qualification.
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10
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Award or qualification recognized by the assessing authority in the assessment
of the skilled occupation
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In order to claim points, the applicant needs to get the qualification obtained
overseas, the recognized as being of a standard comparable to the relevant Australian
level qualification. In case an applicant has qualification not related to their
nominated occupation, he / she may also be able to claim points for the same.
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Partner Skills
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In case a primary applicant’s partner satisfies the threshold criteria for a visa,
the applicant can claim five points.
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The following is the criteria to claim partner points:
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- be included on the same visa application as the primary applicant
- not be an Australian permanent resident or citizen
- be less than 50 years old at the time of application
- nominate an occupation on the same SOL as the primary applicant, and be assessed
by the relevant assessing authority as having suitable skills for the occupation
- have competent English
- have been employed in a skilled occupation for at least 12 months in the 24 months
before the application is lodged, or completed the Australian Study Requirement.
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State or Territory nomination and designated area sponsorship
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The following is the criteria to claim partner points:
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Points
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Description of sponsorship
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5
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Nomination by a state or territory government under a state migration plan,
for the purposes of a subclass 176 application
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10
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Nomination by a state or territory government under a state migration plan,
or sponsorship by an eligible relative, to a designated area for the purposes of
a subclass 475 Skilled – Regional Sponsored application.
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