SkillSelect – December 2019 Invitation Round Results
Prospective applicants wishing to apply for the Australian Skilled Independent (subclass 189) and Skilled Regional (subclass 491 – Family sponsored) must be invited by the Australian Immigration Department to apply for the 189 or 491 Visa. Each month the Department invites prospective applicants through a selection process called Skillselect. The Department decides on how many invitations are issued each month. With the number of places decreasing, the points mark is getting higher, achieving 95 points in the December 2019 round. Despite the basic pass mark remaining at 65 points, this score no longer guarantees an invitation to apply for the Australian Skilled Migrant visa.
Following a selection round on 11th December 2019, only 250 people were invited to apply for the 189 Visa and 200 applicants were selected to apply for the 491 Visa. Applicants needed at least 95 points to apply. This is a staggering contrast with 2490 invitations issued in December 2018 for the 189 Visa.
The pro-rata occupations have been also affected by the points increase with accountants now requiring 100 points and most Engineering Professionals and IT specialists, needing 95 points to be selected.
With the inflated Visa points, many hopeful applicants resort to State Sponsorship as the only way of securing an invitation to apply for the Visa. The State Governments have advised that due to an unprecedent demand for sponsorship and limited places, the selection requirements have been strengthened with some States introducing a compulsory job offer as one of the State sponsorship criteria.
Contact our London office today to discuss your Australian Visa options: 0207 427 5290 or email: [email protected]
