Changes are coming for subclass 457 visa applications starting on 1 July 2013. Announced on 23 February 2013, the changes will help the Department of Immigration detect and respond to the integrity concerns limited by current legislation.
Continue reading Subclass 457 Visa Program Changes on 1 July 2013
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship has announced there will be up to 2000 invitations issued over the two March 2013 SkillSelect rounds.
Invitations issued by the Department of Immigration for Subclass 189 and Subclass 489 do not include those visas under State Sponsorship categories, such as the Skilled Nominated visa Subclass 190.
Continue reading SkillSelect March 2013 Invitation Rounds – 2000 invitations up for grabs
On 1 January 2013, the department ceased accepting any new applications for the following visas:
This facilitates the transition to SkillSelect Visas, Australia’s new system for selecting skilled migrants.
Continue reading Closure of General Skilled Migration Visa Applications
Time is running out for those eligible for General Skilled Migration transitional arrangements. The arrangements enable eligible student visa holders (572, 573 and 574) and Subclass 485 applicants and visa holders on the 8 February 2010 to apply under the previous Points Test and Occupation Lists.
Holders of a 572, 573 or 574 visa on the 8 February 2010 have until the 31st Dec 2012 to apply for a Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa. This visa enables them to live and work for a further 18 months.
Applicants and holders of a Subclass 485 visa on the 8 February 2010 can apply for a Subclass 885 Permanent Residency Visa using the old Points Test and Occupation Lists. They must submit their valid visa application before the 31st December 2012.
1000 invitations were sent out in the October 15 2012 SkillSelect Round. This number does not include invitations sent by State and Territory Government Agencies.
The lowest cut off score was 60 Points, which is the minimum score to be considered. Where applicants tie, the ‘Visa date of effect’, which is the date the person met the requirements of the visa based on the information in their EOI, is used to select invitations.
| Visa Subclass | Points Score | Visa date of effect |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled – Independent (subclass 189) | 60 | 02/07/2012 18.36 pm |
| Skilled – Regional Provisional (subclass 489) | 60 | 09/08/2012 16.22 pm |
28 August 2012
The first ever SkillSelect invitation round results have now been released by DIAC.
100 invitations were issued by DIAC in the first invitation round. The highest points score achieved was 85, and the lowest points score for independent migration was 75 points.
2 July 2012
The Australian Immigration system for General Skilled Migration has changed to SkillSelect.
SkillSelect commenced on 1 July 2012 and is an invitation system. The system ranks interested applicants by their GSM Points score, and invites the highest ranking applicants to apply for their Australian visas under SkillSelect.
For more information, visit our new website for Skilled Migration: http://umaservices.com/skilledmigration/
15 JUNE 2012
IN EFFECT 1 JULY 2012
The annual review of the Skilled Occupation List has been announced.
The new list will come into effect on 1 July 2012. Four occupations have been added to the list, and four occupations have been removed.
Continue reading Annual review of the Skilled Occupation List and new SkillSelect Pass Mark