Just now, Minister for Immigration Alex Hawke announced an important update to the PMSOL (Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List). Unlike the previous two minor adjustments — one adding social work and another adding veterinary science — this time 22 occupations were added at once, bringing the total number of occupations on the PMSOL to 41.

Even more encouraging is that many of the newly added occupations are popular and common migration professions.

The 22 newly added occupations include:

Accountant (General) (22111)
Accountant (Tax) (221113)
Accountant (Management) (221112)
External Auditor (221213)
Internal Auditor (221214)
Electrical Engineer (233311)
Civil Engineer (233211)
Structural Engineer (233214)
Geotechnical Engineer (233212)
Transport Engineer (233215)
Mining Engineer (233611)
Petroleum Engineer (233612)
Surveyor (232212)
Cartographer (232213)
Other Spatial Scientist (232214)
Medical Laboratory Scientist (234611)
Orthotist/Prosthetist (251912)
Multimedia Specialist (261211)
Analyst Programmer (261311)
Software and Applications Programmer (261399)
ICT Security Specialist (262112)
Chef (351311)

Does the PMSOL update affect you?

First, the government officially states that this list targets the employer sponsorship category — occupations on the list receive priority processing for employer sponsorship applications, and overseas 494/482 (TR-class) applicants will be eligible for travel exemption to enter Australia.

Because the list is intended to help Australian businesses fill skills shortages, it applies to both onshore and offshore applicants.

In practice, we’ve seen that the PMSOL’s reach actually extends well beyond employer sponsorship. Across the processing of various visa classes and state nomination occupation lists, clear prioritisation is visible. And if you’re on the PMSOL, it means even offshore applicants may be able to obtain a travel exemption through relevant Australian work.

So this priority applies across the board!

This is genuinely positive news for many students in accounting and related fields — we haven’t seen good news for accounting in a long time! Of course, the most important thing will be to see whether, in the coming financial year, the Department of Home Affairs and the individual states introduce supporting policies for migrants in these professions — for example, increasing 189 invitation numbers for these occupations, or states expanding their sponsored occupation lists.

For onshore applicants, if your occupation is on the PMSOL, in addition to considering the standard 189/state nomination pathway, we strongly recommend considering employer sponsorship as a Plan B — especially for accounting and auditing, where you either need an extremely high score to be invited, or get overlooked entirely. Many students are currently trying to score more points or have been waiting a long time for an invitation, yet their work experience already meets — or is close to meeting — the requirement. Don’t let that go to waste.

Just today we had an accounting client secure their 482 employer sponsorship nomination — no RFI throughout the process, completed in just under six months, and in a few more months this client will be able to transition to PR!

For offshore applicants, with few open pathways into Australia currently and no advantage in points-based competition, leveraging years of work experience via employer sponsorship is a great way to get ahead of the curve!

Also today, Canberra announced its 21-22 financial year state nomination quota, with the total number increased by 600 to 2,000. The other states haven’t announced yet — we’ll follow up closely.

All these signs indicate that Australian skilled migration will warm up in the new financial year!