This year’s first round of invitations to skilled candidates was sent in Australia recently. A total of 1300 invitations went out that enables them to live and work in Australia. 1000 invitations went to Independent visa applicants, coming under Subclass 189. Subclass 189 is a very recent one. The remaining went to the Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (Family Sponsored) visa applicants.
This year, the minimum points required was reduced to 90 points.
The invite from Australia presents many occupational opportunities. The list had mostly information technology jobs than any other category. Other categories are in engineering and accounting. Invitations for certain occupations were issued on a pro-rata basis. These occupations have a high level of demand.
The first preference in allocation went to Subclass 189 Expression of Interests (EOIs). The remaining places were issued to the Subclass 491 EOIs, the Family-Sponsored visas.
The occupations on pro-rata and the scores assigned to are as follows:
| Occupation ID | Occupation | Minimum Score Points |
| 2211 | Accountants | 95 (SC189) |
| 2212 | Auditors, Company Secretaries, and Corporate Treasurers | 95 (SC189) |
| 2334 | Electronics Engineer | 90 (SC189) |
| 2334 | Electronics Engineer | 95 (SC491) |
| 2335 | Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers | 90 (SC189) |
| 2339 | Other Engineering Professionals | 90 (SC189) |
| 2611 | ICT Business and System Analysts | 90 (SC189) |
| 2613 | Software and Applications Programmers | 90 (SC189) |
| 2613 | Software and Applications Programmers | 90 (SC491) |
| 2631 | Computer Network Professionals | 90 (SC189) |
| 2631 | Computer Network Professionals | 90 (SC491) |
The top gainers of this round of invitations
The invitations were mostly sent to IT professionals. These included Software & Application Programmers. As many as 298 invitations went to these verticals. The invitations were issued across the Subclass 189 and Subclass 491 visa programs. Of all the invitations, 53% went to the top 5 occupations. These included:
- Civil Engineering Professionals - 76 invites
- ICT Business and Systems Analysts - 93 invites
- Accountants - 98 invites
- Database & Systems Administrators and ICT Security Specialists - 121 invitations
On the lower side, the following occupations were included:
- Cartographers/Surveyors (4)
- Management Consultants (3)
- Construction Managers (approximately 3-4 invites)
- Medical Imaging Professionals (approximately 1-2 invites)
The bottom line
One can expect a high level of competition for invitations by March 15, 2020. These invitations will go through SkillSelect. The student visa cohort will expire on this date. In that case, you may look for alternative visa options like:
- The Subclass 190 State Nominated visa
- The Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional visa
- The Subclass 485 Graduate visa (for International Students who have finished their studies)
If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate to Australia, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.
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