A full-day Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) meeting was held on 12 March, attended by officials from each state government responsible for immigration programs as well as officials from the Department of Home Affairs. There was a lot of information shared, and essentially every point that applicants wanted to know about was covered. Without further ado, here are the highlights.
Department of Home Affairs
The relevant officials are discussing the settings and composition of the 21-22 FY migration program plan. They understand the impact of the pandemic on Australia’s population, and also recognise the importance of migration for Australia’s post-pandemic recovery. Every aspect will be considered, such as how to help regional areas, and they will also listen to opinions from various parties. There is no definitive news yet.
Officials expect that accurate news will be available around the release of the next financial year’s budget in May 2021.
Occupation Lists
During the pandemic, the PMSOL will primarily be used. Other older occupation lists will only be reviewed after the pandemic ends, and any adjustments need to be supported by various data.
Visa Processing
The past year has been difficult for applicants, and it hasn’t been easy for the processing teams either, because there have been constant changes and constant priority adjustments. Processing is primarily handled by a large family stream team and a large skilled stream team. Within these, different sub-teams handle different visas, and the applications each team is responsible for are flexibly arranged. However, there is no significant drop in the backlog yet — they are working hard, hard, hard…
Partner Visa Processing
This is currently a priority processing program. The partner visa quota for this year is still very abundant, and processing will continue to be accelerated.
Skilled Migration
Occupations in shortage on the PMSOL list and industries that help the economy will be prioritised for processing. In addition, GTI, employer sponsorship, and investor migration are all relatively prioritised programs for this financial year.
Someone asked whether there is a chance the 189 will recover next financial year?
Andrew personally believes that after Australia has been through the pandemic, unemployment has dropped better than expected, which may help the 189 recover. However, he is not a relevant decision-maker, and this does not represent the views of decision-makers — it only represents his own opinion.
Travel Exemptions
The approval rate for inbound travel exemptions is around 35%, most of which should be partners of citizens and PRs.
Shortage occupations can currently enter, but at present these are mainly in nursing. Whether more industries will be granted exemption to enter in the future? Can parents and grandparents be exempted to enter? There is still no update — it all depends on the government’s decisions…
The chance of 491 and 489 provisional-PR holders getting an exemption to enter? This is not currently under particular consideration.
NSW State Sponsorship
NSW 190
Although applications opened relatively late, skilled migration invitations have now begun running on a regular basis (regular invitation, no time schedule given).
Will there be more occupations on the 190?
The state government has received feedback that the NSW 190 occupation list is shorter than other states. They explained that the NSW 190 occupation list comes from recommendations by the Department of Home Affairs. The focus at the moment is still on shortage occupations and people already onshore. However, 12 months have passed since the last shortage skills survey, so they acknowledge that there may be other shortage occupations that have been missed. That said, procedurally, adding occupations isn’t simple or direct — they need surveys and data.
There are currently 600/700 official 190 invitations issued, and invitations will continue (this should refer to pre-invitations). Their team is small, so please understand there will be delays.
NSW 491
All regional areas have unified baseline threshold requirements, but it’s important to understand that regions each have their own nomination flexibility. NSW has so many regional areas, and every region differs in size, so it’s understandable that there are significant differences.
The quotas allocated to different regional areas range from 30-50 at the lower end to over 100 at the higher end, depending on the size of the region and the needs they put forward.
Someone questioned why agricultural and service-sector occupations in need are not on the regional 491 list. The state government understands the demand, but there is nothing much they can do for now — they still follow the Department of Home Affairs’ lead, and hope for borders to reopen soon and other visa pathways to help.
Investor Migration
After the federal government’s policy changes on 1 July 2021, the state government will adjust its nomination rules. They have not yet determined the cut-off timing for 132 applications, and need to seek the Department of Home Affairs’ input.
Summary:
NSW’s investor and skilled migration programs are both very large, and the state government cannot meet every need. They have heard the feedback, but it looks like there is not much they can do. We are still in the special circumstances of the pandemic. They hope that over the coming months, things can return to normal.
Victorian State Sponsorship
Skilled Migration
Currently, the 190 and 491 only target industries and occupations that help the post-pandemic economy. The state government also hopes for a stable and gradual opening, with the possibility of opening to other industries and occupations in the future.
Target industries applicable to both investor and skilled migration
Victoria still assesses case by case, looking at the contribution the applicant can make and the fields and industries they work in. That’s why we see invitations issued to ICT, engineering, and even accounting occupations. Processing will not sacrifice quality for quantity — if there aren’t enough target applicants, they won’t lower standards to invite people. In the image below, the larger the font, the more invitations issued in that occupation this financial year.
They have received over 5,000 190 ROI applications so far and have invited 1,140 ROIs, with over 700 receiving formal nomination invitations. Most invited applications are processed within 22 working days. For 491, 270 ROI invitations were issued, 108 formal nomination invitations were issued, and most processing is completed within 15 working days.
Investor Migration
Victoria has significantly raised the sponsorship threshold for investor migration. They explicitly choose from the top down, picking the best of the best. Businesses do not need to be large-scale, but they need to be good quality, create jobs, and be sustainable.
Summary:
The current focus is still on applicants who can help with post-pandemic economic recovery. Investor migration selects from the top. For skilled migration 190 and 491, applicants’ current field and industry of work matter a lot. If the field or industry falls within the target industries mentioned above but the nominated occupation itself is not a shortage occupation, there is still a chance of receiving an invitation — and quite a few people have already received invitations.
Queensland QLD
Queensland has seen many onshore migrants coming from Victoria and NSW, and has seen strong interest in the 491 small business category.
Investor Migration
Queensland’s investor migration program has temporarily stopped accepting submissions. They hope to get more quota to sponsor the backlog of applications, ideally within the coming weeks.
Investor migration has 1,200 places this financial year. Current processing priority order: 132A, 188A, 188C, 188E, 188B. The scope of business is mainly to help recover the economy, boost productivity, provide more jobs, and so on. In addition, Queensland’s investor migration requirements will change on 1 July, aligning with the federal requirement changes.
The image below shows the industries investor migrants attracted by Queensland belong to. The applicants are mainly from Mainland China and Hong Kong. The proportion from Mainland China dropped in 19-20, but has recovered this financial year.
Skilled Migration
Will reopen in April 2021, which will also be the last skilled migration opening this financial year. The occupation list will be reviewed in July of the new financial year, and may be updated.
491 Small Business Category
Changes after 1 April 2021 (these have all been mentioned before). For details, see: 491 Queensland Small Business Requirement Changes! Respond to the New Policy — Prepare Early! Attention for Applicants Currently Purchasing a Business!
The state government notes that the purchased business does not need to be related to the nominated occupation.
Q1: Can 491 Small Business accept offshore applicants?
A: Offshore applicants are not accepted for now.
Q2: Will the 132 Business Talent Visa open in April?
A: Most likely it will not open in April.
Q3: Is it possible for 491 to invite occupations not on the occupation list?
A: Yes.
Q4: What if there is a business partner during the 2-year operating stage of the 491 Small Business?
A: You need to buy out all of the business partner’s shares, then operate independently for 6 months to meet the application requirements.
Summary:
From what we heard, Queensland’s investor and skilled migration quotas are both very tight and insufficient. On the positive side, the state government indicated that they still very much welcome migrants coming to Queensland to start a new life, and will try their best to lobby the federal government for more places. The Queensland 491 Small Business remains a state government “favourite” program.
Canberra ACT
Although we are still in the special pandemic period and must focus on shortage occupations — a stance consistent with other states — Canberra really needs people! So given that the borders are currently closed, Canberra needs to attract people from other states. The official said that applicants from other states coming to Canberra now have relatively good opportunities.
Occupation Group Caps and State Sponsorship Quotas
So far this financial year, there are 414 formal 491 nomination places remaining, and 386 190 places remaining.
In previous financial years, half of all places were issued to accountants, which they consider inappropriate for Canberra’s goal of attracting talent. So they decided to cap each occupation. Currently the accounting matrix invitation score is above 100, and applicants reaching these scores mostly have relevant work, have lived there for many years, and have superior English — they are the best of the best among applicants of the same occupation.
Applicants who have already received a formal nomination — unless they have a very good reason — must wait 6 months before applying again.
Occupation List
After the Canberra state government election last November, they were asked to review the occupation list every four months (last week, Marketing Specialist was added as a new occupation, although that is only a small adjustment — there will be another update in April).
Summary
The state government has tried its best to retain more occupations for everyone and is actively issuing invitations (a matrix is issued each week). They have said interstate applicants are welcome and have relatively good opportunities. What are you waiting for?
Tasmania TAS
Since 29 January, over 850 new state sponsorship applications have been received.
491 Quota Running Low, 190 Slightly Better
The total 491 quota for this financial year is 1,400, and over 1,000 places have already been used — meaning fewer than 400 remain. The total 190 quota this financial year is 1,000, with around 600 remaining.
The state government expects to receive over 4,000 state sponsorship applications this financial year, meaning thousands of applicants will not be invited. Both 491 and 190 places are tight, with 190 slightly better off than 491. It is estimated that 190 places can last until the end of the financial year. For 491, unless you are in a critical industry or a high-skilled applicant, the chance of being invited is very low. The state government has said that unless the case is truly urgent, they genuinely recommend waiting until next financial year to lodge.
How to Be a Competitive Applicant
Summary
Tasmania recently held its own information session. For details, see: Latest Tasmania State Sponsorship Information Session! Processing Order by Profession! Quota Usage and Backlogs! This Is the Kind of Applicant Officially Favoured! Much of the content was already covered — just some data may have updates.
Employment and future career plans are clearly conditions that the Tasmanian government now values very highly. It is stated plainly in black and white: having a job in a shortage occupation, or belonging to a shortage industry, provides an advantage; and having a job is far more competitive than having none. These are old news by now. Rather than hoping every day that policies will loosen and competition will ease, improving your own capability is what matters most.
South Australia SA
Skilled Migration 190 and 491
Critical skills are still the prioritised occupations. Onshore applications remain open for applicants currently residing in South Australia. Although some nominated occupations have opened and closed over the past few weeks, many occupations have actually been shifted to the Talent and Innovator Program only. That said, SA 491 and 190 places are still available. Immigration SA has been internally discussing how to make reasonable allocations, which is why we see many small adjustments. Since receiving its annual quota from the Department of Home Affairs, SA has been working hard to process each applicant’s case.
The offshore application channel currently remains closed.
As for the Talent and Innovator Program, the Small Business Program has received a lot of interest from applicants this year, while the SA state government particularly favours start-up enterprises.
Investor Migration Program
132 applicants who have lodged, or have not yet lodged, an intention to apply should note: SA will close the SA 132 application channel on 31 March 2021. 188 is still being processed and places are being issued.
DAMA Program
The DAMA Program has always been a key focus of Immigration SA. Immigration SA will continue to work closely with federal and state governments. Immigration SA currently has its own skill assessing team. If an applicant’s nominated occupation has no suitable assessing body, they can consider Immigration SA’s internal skill assessing team.
Summary
SA’s policies are relatively detailed and adjustments are relatively frequent, so windows of opportunity may be fleeting. Overall, they continue the long-standing orientation of favouring the state’s graduates, though there are of course new opportunities such as the Talent and Innovator Program.
Northern Territory NT
The NT’s current skills shortages are mainly in industries such as services, construction, and tourism.
Skilled Migration Residency Commitment
The NT has also faced too many applicants with insufficient quota, which is why they raised the threshold in July 2020. They have also noticed that many people are not fulfilling their commitment to live and work within the territory. More and more 190 applicants from other states are also coming to compete.
The NT does not focus on points — an EOI of 65 is enough. They focus on other factors such as whether you live and work within the state. If after graduation you cannot live in the NT for a full 6 months, but have strong employability, you may still be able to obtain a 491.
NT-Related Jobs
The NT occupation list is reviewed every year. Since March 2020, it has been closed to offshore applicants (except for the MINT program). The NT’s current invitation processing speed is also delayed, with focus placed on occupations that rely on overseas workers.
Summary:
The NT has always placed very high importance on applicants fulfilling their commitment to live locally, and this financial year this will become an even greater focus. The number of invitations withdrawn after a visa has been granted because it was found the holder was not living locally is currently limited, but the state government can report to the Department of Home Affairs, so please consider the impact on your visa.
For offshore applicants, the NT MINT program is available. If you’d like to learn more, please add the customer service contact below! For a detailed introduction, see: Australian Offshore Skilled Migration — Light at the End of the Tunnel! Post-Pandemic, Pure Offshore 190 PR Applicants — A Strong Start to the New Year With Visas Granted!
WA did not send an official responsible for the skilled migration program, and only gave a brief and general overview of business investor migration, so we will not elaborate on that this time.
Listening to everyone’s tone, the attitude toward new migrants is welcoming. But this financial year, every state government has had its hands tied by shortage occupations and industries. Some are following the federal government’s lead very closely, while others are trying their best within limited scope to operate as normally as possible. We hope that in three months, with the new financial year, there will be a new landscape.
