WHATSAPP
Australia held its first SkillSelect round of nomination draws on July 26 during the program year 2021-22.
The latest Australia SkillSelect draw resulted in a total of 750 invitations given to eligible candidates. Among the invited were 250 under the Skilled Independent visa(subclass 189) candidates and 500 under the Skilled Work Regional(Provisional) visa (subclass 491) Family-Sponsored candidates.
Subclass 189 visa allows foreign workers with specific skills in demand to work and settle permanently anywhere in Australia. Successful applicants are eligible to apply for Australian citizenship in due course of time. A restricted version is the subclass 491 visa. It allows up to 5 years of life, work and study in a designated regional area of Australia. One can apply for permanent residence after 3 years.
July 26 draw required Subclass 189 candidates to get a minimum score of 80, and Subclass 491 candidates required a minimum score of 65 to qualify for invitations.
Below tabulated are the occupations that are subjected to pro-rata arrangements in the latest invitation round:
| Subclass | Occupation ID | Description |
| 189/491 | 2211 | Accountants |
| 189/491 | 2212 | Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers |
| 189/491 | 2334 | Electronics Engineer |
| 189/491 | 2335 | Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers |
| 189/491 | 2339 | Other Engineering Professionals |
| 189/491 | 2611 | ICT Business and System Analysts |
| 189/491 | 2613 | Software and Applications Programmers |
| 189/491 | 2631 | Computer Network Professionals |
It is expected that invitation rounds for Skilled Independent (Subclass 189) visa and Skilled Work Regional(Provisional) visa(Subclass 491) will continue to be held every quarter.
Australia is Yet to Allow Foreign Travellers
Even though South Australia opened nominations for Business & Skilled Immigration Programs, Australia has yet to open up to foreign travellers fully. The government has said Australia would not re-open until at least 80% of its population is vaccinated, likely to be sometime next year. The current total is 19%. More than half of Australia’s 26 million people are currently in lockdown, mostly Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
The Australian government will also make sure that the “migration and visa settings are consistent with the public health measures, are flexible and do not displace job opportunities for Australians. It will enable the country to effectively respond to the immediate and long-term impacts of COVID 19.”
That being said, Australian immigration is expected to see a post-pandemic boom sometime in the next year. As an experienced immigration consultancy firm, CanApprove advises all aspirants to be prepared for demand surge well in advance.
Take this free assessment online to explore more immigration programs in Australia.
