Skilled Migration is designed to allow people who are offshore and onshore to apply for independent migration to Australia without the need for employer sponsorship.
There’s several key steps to skilled migration.
- Identify an occupation on STSOL or MLTSSL which matches your qualifications
- Apply for a skills assessment with a relevant assessing body
- Pass the points test
- Lodge an expression of interest for SkillSelect
- Either pursue state sponsorship, or wait and pray to get invited (your EOI is valid for 2 years)
- Once you are invited you have a set time limit in which to continue the process
Key points
If you do not have an occupation on the STSOL or MLTSSL then you cannot apply for this pathway
If you have an occupation on STSOL then you MUST apply for state sponsorship as part of the process – if no state is sponsoring your occupation then you are probably out of luck
Each assessing body has it’s own requirements, and there are easy pitfalls with each
The points test is relatively straightforward to understand, however there are also common mistakes we see people making when they calculate their own points
Lodging an expression of interest is another relatively simple matter, however any mistake on your points which gets you invited may then cost you your visa and the money you paid for it
State sponsorship means you will need to live in the sponsoring state for 2 years to return their favour for them sponsoring you.
While occupations on MLTSSL do not need state sponsorship, they are free to apply for it (assuming states are interested in their occupation).
Skilled migration does NOT guarantee you a job. However, in our experience having a permanent visa and full work rights in Australia will make it easier to find a job (than for example if you only hold a student visa).
Skilled Migration Update (2019)
Since 2019 Skilled Migration has really been redefined as two main pathways, independent skilled migration, and state sponsored skilled migration.
Independent skilled migration (without state sponsorship), where the applicant will need over 85 points. This is a huge change from 2017-2018 where applicants with 65 points could expect to get in.
The change also means much higher requirements, such as studies in Australia, superior English, etc. If you only have 75 points right now then you are delusional if you think you are going to get an invitation.
The alternative to crazy points is to go with state sponsorship, which has been revamped for the new 491 to 191 visa pathway.
There’s no doubt that for many migrants, or those keen for a quicker outcome than waiting in a queue to be invited with 85 points, that the new state sponsorship pathway is the way to go.
Not only does it save you from competing in the queue with everyone else, it allows you to get invited with as low as 65 points, and indeed that’s while giving you points for using state sponsorship.
