When size (albeit points) matter and when it doesn’t …
Will Tom be going to Sydney?
June 13, 2017
Blog by Joan Cuss
The general rule is that unless a skilled applicant can score at least 60 points as a subminimum on the points test, they do not qualify for skilled independent immigration to Australia.
Applicants can do an initial self-check, via the following link to the Department’s website: Click here.
The highest ranked points scoring applicants in SkillSelect’s (so-called initial ‘expressions of interest’ applications), are invited to apply in preference to lower scoring applicants. It does not mean that a lower scoring applicant will never get an invitation, but the number of rounds before they get an invitation will be greater.
There are further provisos and complexities for applicants to be cognisant of: for example, only applicants across all occupations scoring 70 points or higher were given an invitation to apply for a subclass 189 visa in the 16 June 2017 invitation round. In contrast, applicants across all occupations scoring 60 points or higher were given an invitation to apply for their subclass 189 visas during the 21 June 2017 invitation round.
Due to high numbers of applicants in certain occupation groups, these occupations will be subject to the following current, higher points score cut-offs:
- Accountants – 75 or more
- Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers – 75 or more
- Electronic Engineers – 70 or more
- Mechanical Engineers – minimum points score – 70 or more
- ICT Business and System Analysts – 75 or more
- Software and Applications Programmers – 70 or more
- Computer Network Engineers – 70 or more
Applicants should always remember that not all permanent visas are points-tested. If an overseas skilled worker is made a permanent/temporary job offer by an Australian company – their visa applications to Australia will not be subject to achieving a subminimum on the points test or first having to apply via SkillSelect.
If you would like legal advice on the options available to you specifically, please contact us to book either a face-to-face (if in Brisbane) or Skype consultation, and we can give you an immigration roadmap clearly explaining your options. Click here for our contact details.
