The Department of Immigration and Citizenship has announced that SkillSelect invitations for certain occupations will be issued on a pro rata basis with immediate effect, until the next migration year.
The occupation groups affected are
- Chemical and Materials Engineers
- ICT Business and Systems Analysts
- Electronics Engineers
- Telecommunications Engineering Professionals
- Other Engineering Professional
- Software and Applications Programmers
Why is this happening?
This is happening due to the large number of EOIs for these occupations. Since July 2013, there has been a backlog due to the EOIs accumulated from the occupation ceiling in the 2012-2013 Migration Year.
It seems that although it has only been 2 months since the 2013-2014 Migration Year started, these occupation groups are already approaching their ceilings.
What does this mean?
Once the ceiling is reached, no more invitations can be issued for those occupation groups until the next migration year.
Once the ceiling is reached, state/territory government agencies also cannot nominate people for these occupations.
The ceiling does not affect Employer Nomination Scheme visa nominations.
What can I do?
You can speak to a registered migration agent for a migration strategy suited to your circumstances. > Contact Us
More information can be found at: http://www.immi.gov.au/skills/skillselect/