In this blog, we will be talking about some updates regarding the General skilled migration visas in the new financial year.
End of the 2022-23 financial year
The Migration Queensland team has wrapped a busy financial year and has hit the 4000 nomination mark. MQ has been sending invites until the last week of June and has quickly processed their nomination applications.
Migration Queensland is waiting for the final decision from the Department of Home Affairs on their quota and planning levels for 2023 - 24. Once this is finalized and their system is aligned with the refreshed criteria and program structure, MQ will determine a date to open the new program and publicize it on their website.
Tasmania:
The 2023-24 Tasmanian Skilled Migration State Nomination Program will commence for new Registrations of Interest on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, with updated eligibility requirements, priority attributes, and policy guidance.
The Migration Tasmania Application Gateway will be unavailable for a short period from June 30, 2023, to conduct systems maintenance and updates. It is expected to be available again on Wednesday, July 5, 2023.
The Australian Government has not yet confirmed Tasmania’s 2023-24 program year allocation. Details will be published in a later bulletin and on the Migration Tasmania website as soon as the allocation has been confirmed.
Applications for nomination that have been lodged but have yet to be decided before July 1, 2023, will continue to be processed against the requirements at the time of application. If approved, they will be nominated in SkillSelect after the Australian Government provides 2023-24 program year nomination allocations.
Registrations of Interest (ROIs) submitted before July 1, 2023, will remain valid for the 2023-24 program year.
If invited to apply for nomination, the requirements and settings that were in place at the time of ROI submission will apply.
Changes to the Skilled Migration State Nomination Program for2023-24
Only minimal changes have been made to the program for 2023-24. New minimum eligibility requirements and priority attributes will apply to ROIs and applications submitted from July 3, 2023. In cases where new conditions are likely beneficial, candidates may withdraw their current ROI and submit a new one after July 3, 2023.
Detailed information on the new requirements, priority attributes, and policy guidance will be available on the Migration Tasmania website on July 3 2023.
South Australia:
South Australia’s Skilled Nominated (Subclass 190) visa allocations have been exhausted for 2022-23. This means that pending an allocation of Subclass 190 nominations from the Commonwealth Government for the 2023-2024 program year, applicants who are assessed as eligible for a Subclass 190 nomination will receive this nomination in the upcoming program year.
Options for individuals who meet the subclass 190 requirements at the time of lodgement are:
Elect to be nominated in the 2023-2024 program year (there will be no need to resubmit an application, which will have been assessed under the eligibility requirements at the time of application). The nomination will occur immediately upon an allocation of subclass 190s in the 2023-2024 program year.
Withdraw the Subclass 190 application and request a refund. With this option, any future applications will be assessed against new criteria, and refunds will only be offered to applicants who have lodged an application and meet the published criteria.
Victoria:
Victoria’s 2022-23 skilled state nomination visa program closed to Registrations of Interest (ROI) on May 8, 2023
They advised that If you withdraw an ROI, you can only submit a new one once the 2023-24 program opens. More information on the 2023-24 program will be published closer to the opening.
Some States will start opening as early as July 2023 with their new nomination criteria. We hope that most states will make minimal changes in their nomination criteria and make it easier and easy for the applicants already in their state. 189 Visas have been allocated 30,375 seats, and we could expect the first invitation round for the new financial year in the next few weeks. We would expect that States and territories have some arrangement with the Department of Home Affairs so applicants in critical occupations do not get invited twice, and those invites should rather be used for other non-critical occupations.
If you have any questions regarding General Skilled Migration, please book a consultation with us.
Comments