By Leila Reypour MARN 0848264

The points in the invitation round of November and December have gone up dramatically and it caused a bit of concern. The points may come down in the following months but it is hard to predict.

There are many reasons why the points are much higher compare to last year invitation round. The below factors may be at play to justify the higher points:

• applicants are claiming more points for English language ability. Previously we could hardly any applicant have superior English (IELTS 8 in each band). Many applicants are sitting for the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE) in particular and getting the points for superior English.
• people are over-claiming points when they lodge their EOI. This may result in an invitation being issued, but to be granted a visa, you would need to be able to prove each of the points you have claimed. Failure to do so will result in refusal of the visa application, but there's nothing stopping applicants from "spamming" SkillSelect with EOIs which claim high points.
• a single applicant may be lodging more than one EOI. There is no cost in lodging an EOI, and applicants can lodge as many EOIs as they wish. If the applicant has high points, they may be invited more than once. This will "use up" a number of places in the occupation ceiling which will then no longer be available to others.

Invitations issued on 9^th and 22^nd November 2017

The following charts show the points for non-pro rata occupations for clients who were invited to apply in the 9^th and 22^nd November round. The highest ranked clients by points score are invited to apply for the relevant visa. score require for an invitation for a Skilled Independent Subclass 189 visa was 70.

Skilled Independent Subclass 189 and Skilled – Regional Provisional (Subclass 489 – Family sponsored) – 9^th and 22^nd November

Visa Subclass	Points score	Waiting time before invitation (weeks)
Skilled - Independent (subclass 189)	70	3 weeks
Skilled - Regional Provisional (subclass 489)	80	10 months

Skilled Independent Subclass 189 and Skilled – Regional Provisional (Subclass 489 – Family sponsored) – 6^th December

Visa Subclass	Points score	Waiting time before invitation (weeks)
Skilled - Independent (subclass 189)	75	7 weeks
Skilled - Regional Provisional (subclass 489)	85	11 months

Pro Rata Occupations – November Round

Due to high levels of demand, and in keeping with previous years, the below occupation groups will be subject to pro rata arrangements to ensure availability of invitations across the programme year.

Point scores and the visa dates of effect cut off for the pro rata occupations in the 9^th and 22^ndNovember 2017 invitation round

Waiting time before invitation (weeks)	Points score	Occupation
5 weeks	75	Accountants
5 months	75	Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers
3 to 4 weeks	70	Electronics Engineer
3 to 4 weeks	70	Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers
3 to 4 weeks	70	Other Engineering Professionals
3 to 4 months	70	ICT Business and System Analysts
3 to 4 weeks	70	Software and Applications Programmers
3 to 4 weeks	70	Computer Network Professionals

Pro Rata Occupations – 6^th December Round

Point scores and the visa dates of effect cut off for the pro rata occupations in the 6^th December

Waiting time before invitation (weeks)	Points score	Occupation
7 weeks	75	Accountants
5 months	75	Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers
5 weeks	75	Electronics Engineer
10 weeks	75	Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers
8 to 9 weeks	75	Other Engineering Professionals
2.5 to 3 months	75	ICT Business and System Analysts
2 months	75	Software and Applications Programmers
2 months	75	Computer Network Professionals

Recommendations for Applicants

Because SkillSelect is more competitive this year, we would recommend that applicants aim for as high points score as possible. This would include:

• English Language Ability: It seems the applicants need to aim to obtain Superior English as the bar has been raised and this level of English is required for many occupations to have a good chance of being invited
• Other Points: Many applicants appear to be claiming points for professional year, NAATI accreditation and spouse skills. However, these are not the only ways to claim points and there may be other opportunities you may not be aware of
• State Nomination: the state nominated subclass 190 and 489 visas are not subject to occupation ceilings and often 60 points is sufficient to qualify for these visa types. Getting state nomination may require a long-term plan but it is a good way to avoid the now very competitive subclass 189 visa. We have recently had some very good success stories with the 489 visa. Getting a state nomination for a 489 visa may be easier - and faster - than for other visa subclasses.

References

Department of Immigration and Border Protection - SkillSelect Website