1. Changes to Australia’s Skilled Migration Program
May - June 2012 1

2. A long history of successful migration

3. Composition of the Migration Program
200,000
180,000
160,000
140,000
120,000
100,000
Total Skill
80,000
Total Family
60,000
40,000
20,000
Source: DIAC internal data

4. 2012/13 Skilled Migration Program Composition
2012/13 Budget: Highlights & Implications
2012/13 Skilled Migration Program Composition
2011/12
2012/13
Employer Sponsored
125, ,250*
Points Tested
Business Skills
Skilled Stream Target
ENS RSMS
Independent State Sponsored SAS
46, ,250
72, ,400
7, ,400
44,350
24,000
4,100
45,550
24,650
4,200
30,000
16,000
31,250
* Includes 200 places for Distinguished Talent Visa 4

5. SkillSelect
Have you got the skills? 5

6. SkillSelect
SkillSelect is Australia’s new service for managing its skilled migration program, incorporating significant visa reform and the deployment of a new online service.
Visa Reforms
State/Territory Government
SkillSelect
Intending Migrant
EOI
Accelerated
Visa Processing
Australian Employers

7. SkillSelect Visa Architecture
Mandatory EOI
Discretionary EOI

8. Key Policy Changes for all SkillSelect Visas

9. Nomination and Application
SkillSelect: How does it work?
Access SkillSelect with AUSkey
Nominator
Search
Nominate
State & Territory
Government
Maintain Profile
Complete EOI
Access/Register
Invited to Apply
Complete
Application
Visa
Intending Migrant
SkillSelect
eLodgement & Processing
Nomination and Application
Access SkillSelect with AUSkey
Australian Employers
Search
Employment arrangement conducted outside SkillSelect
DIAC
Nomination Quota per month 9

10. Intending Migrants: How does it work?
Employers Search
Maintain Profile
Complete EOI
Invited to Apply
Complete
Application
Visa
Processing
DIAC
Periodic invitation rounds
STO’s Nominate

11. Intending Migrants: How does it work?
EOI Elements
Personal Details
Skills
Education/Credentials
Experience
Visa Choices
Geographic preferences
Access to assistance and advice 11

12. State & Territories: How does it work?
Nominate
Nominator
Search

13. State and Territories: How does it work?
State and territory governments can search in SkillSelect and select potential applicants for nomination.
SkillSelect will then generate an invitation to be issued to the selected nominees.

14. Employers: How does it work?
Access SkillSelect with AUSkey
Sponsorship arrangement conducted outside SkillSelect
Nomination & Application
Search

15. Employers: How does it work?
Employers will be able to search for clients using a range of powerful search tools, to find the clients they need for the business:
Qualifications
Experience
Occupation
English language ability
Business experience
Business assets and investment funds 15

16. AUSkey is a single electronic key to access government online services
Changes to Independent Migration
AUSkey: How does it work?
AUSkey is a single electronic key to access government online services
It is: Available to all Australian employers with an Australian Business Number
Currently being used by more than 750,000 Australian employers
Secure, and able to be obtained by different employees of a business for different purposes
It will: Allow employers to access SkillSelect securely to find and contact Intending Migrants who may have the skills and experience that they require
Allow DIAC to track and record all usage of the system by Employers, to further refine the SkillSelect system
To get and AUSkey please visit 16

17. DIAC Program Manager: How does it work?

18. Occupational Ceilings: How does it work?
Limit on how many EOIs are selected for
skilled migration from occupation groups
Once this limit is reached, no further invitations
for that particular occupation group will be issued
Ceilings set by DIAC

19. Minimum Eligibility Thresholds
Changes to Independent Migration
Minimum Eligibility Thresholds
Clients that meet specified objective eligibility thresholds can submit a complete EOI
Client selects visa type
Points calculation is not a
threshold requirement
SkillSelect asks questions relating
to each subclass of interest
Updating Claims
If no threshold is met EOI incomplete
Clients are given feedback whether
their claims are sufficient to meet
the minimum threshold 19

20. Skilled Independent and Willingness to be nominated by S/T
EOI Minimum Claims - GSM
Skilled Independent and
Family Sponsored
Skilled S/T Nominated
Subclass 189
Subclass 489
Subclass 190
Subclass 489
Age < 50
Skilled Occupation
IELTS ≥ 6
Skills Assessment
Family Sponsor in
regional area
Willingness to be nominated by S/T
Willingness to reside
in regional area
Willingness to reside
in regional area

21. EOI Minimum Claims - Employer Nominated
Subclass 186
(Direct Entry)
Subclass 187
(Direct Entry)
Subclass 457
Age < 50 (potential for exemption)
CSOL
ANZSCO Skill Level 1-3
CSOL
IELTS ≥ 6 (waiver available ENS/RSMS)
IELTS ≥ 5
Skills Assessment
ANZSCO 3 Skill 3
Skill Assessment
3 years experience
Willingness to reside
in regional area

22. EOI Minimum Claims - Business Innovation
Business Innovation and
Investment (Provisional) (188)
Business Talent 132
Business Innovation
Investor
Significant Business
History
Venture Capitalist
Age < 55 (potential for exemption)
Willingness to be nominated by S/T
$ Personal
and Business
Assets
$ PBA
$ Personal
and Business Assets
$ business
component
$ funding
Australian Venture
Capital Firm
$ PBA
$ business
component
Business Turnover $
Business Turnover
$ p/a
* Subclass 888 operates outside of SkillSelect

23. State and Territory Nominated
Invitation Criteria
Independent
Highest score
Occupation on SOL
State and Territory Nominated
Over pass mark
Nominated
Within State Migration Plan
Employer Sponsored
Sought after attributes
Sponsored

24. Visa Application: How does it work?
notification and SkillSelect inbox
Client’s claims in SkillSelect are frozen upon invitation issue
Direct to eLodgement
Some information unable to be edited once invite issued
If the client changes any information in eLodgement that formed the basis of the invitation, a processing flag will be created.
SkillSelect will record and pass all relevant nomination details for State and Territory Nominated visas via eLodgement.

25. Timeframes Age 60 Days Two Years Suspension Two Invitations
Date of Effect

26. Benefits of SkillSelect
Respond quickly to changing economic needs
An additional facility for employers to search and contact prospective skilled workers
Meet Australia’s skill needs
Fair and equitable Skilled Migration program
Streamline and optimise State and Territory migration plans.
Minimise processing times
Allocate independent places to the best and brightest 26

27. Consolidated Sponsored Occupation List
Current
1 July 2012
Temporary Business Long Stay
subclass 457
Employer Nomination Scheme
Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme
Skilled Independent
Specification of Occupations for 457
Employer Nomination Scheme Occupation List (ENSOL)
No occupation list
Skilled Occupation List (SOL)
Skilled – Sponsored and
Skilled – Regional Sponsored
State sponsored- see
relevant State occupation list
Family sponsored- SOL
Consolidated sponsored occupation list (CSOL)
ANZSCO skill level
1 - 3

28. Permanent Employer Sponsored - Reforms
Collapsing existing subclasses from 6 to 2 with 3 streams each
Temporary residence transition; direct entry & agreement streams
Streamlining pathway from 457 to PR (ENS or RSMS)
Raising the upper age limit from 45 to 50 years
Changes to key visa criteria including English language & skills
Refocussing RCB network on untested direct entry stream - RSMS
Introducing one consolidated sponsored occupation list
(457, ENSOL, StatSOL)

29. Permanent Employer Sponsored Program
Direct Entry Stream
Temporary Residence Transition Stream
Agreement Stream

30. Objective Exemption Categories
Age
Skill
English 30

31. Regional Sponsorship Migration Scheme
Encourage migration to areas outside of the major metropolitan centres of Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, and Melbourne
From 1 July 2012 RCBs will provide advice on positions in the Direct Entry stream of RSMS providing a local perspective
Government announced:
places allocated to RSMS in 12-13
Regional Engagement Strategy
Regional Migration Agreements
Top priority in Minister’s Priority Processing Direction
Visa cancellation and no training requirement retained

32. Simplified visa requirements
Changes to Independent Migration
Points Based Skilled Migration
6 visas consolidated to 3
189 Skilled independent (replaces 885 & 175)
190 Skilled nominated (replaces 886 & 176)
489 Skilled regional provisional (replaces 487 & 475)
Simplified visa requirements
Apply through SkillSelect
From I July 2012: 175, 176, 475 closed to new applications 885, 886 and 487 closed from 1 January 2013

33. Simplified requirements
1 July 2012
simplified eligibility
requirements for
points tested
skilled visas
Invitation to apply for a visa
Can be inside or outside Australia
Onshore, no prerequisite visa required. Inside Australia any substantive visa or
Bridging visa A, B or C
Work experience and Australian Study no longer threshold eligibility requirement
Points Test factors set to time of invitation
Skilled family sponsored - provisional only

34. Business Skills Review
Research shows current program settings stifle innovation and risk taking
Half of all provisional visa businesses are in fast food, cafes and restaurants
Need to align program to broader strategic objectives of the skilled migration program
Focus on visa simplification and deregulation
Comprehensive
review 34

35. Business Innovation and Investment
Program name will be changed to
Business Innovation and Investment Program
Target migrants with a history of innovation
Facilitate entry of entrepreneurs who have sourced venture capital funding in Australia
Introduce a points test for provisional visa applicants, giving weight to innovation
Introduce a new visa stream for Significant Investors
Incorporate into SkillSelect and entirely state sponsored
Selecting for and
fostering innovation

36. Apply through SkillSelect
Changes to Independent Migration
Business Innovation and Investment
13 visas consolidated to 3
132 Business Talent (Migrant) (Permanent)
188 Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) (replaces )
888 Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) (replaces 845, 846, )
Focus on innovation
Apply through SkillSelect
From 1 July 2012: Subclasses , 845, 846 closed to new applications.
Subclasses still open for current provisional visa holders.

37. Application Process from 1 July 2012
“old to old, new to new”
Current program visas
No new primary applicants for existing provisional visas.
Existing provisional visas progress to existing permanent visas.
No change in process (ie: paper lodgement, paper sponsorship)
New program visas
New provisional visa progresses to new permanent visa
Visas have streams (eg: business innovation stream, investor stream)
SkillSelect, electronic lodgement, electronic sponsorship
S/Ts may grant access for an applicant to extend the provisional visa

38. Business Skills Points Test
OTHER
Points
Business Experience over four years 10
Investment Experience over seven years 15
Business Skills Points Test
AGE
Range (yrs)
Points
18-24 20
25-32 30
33-39 25
40-44
45-54 15
QUALIFICATIONS
Level
Points
Trade Certificate or higher 5
Bachelor Degree or higher in Business, Science or Technology 10
FINANCIAL METRICS
Business Turnover
Points $ 5 $ 15 $ 25 $ 35
INNOVATION
Points
Registered Patents or Designs 15
Evidence of Trademarks 10
Evidence of Joint Venture Agreements 5
Evidence of Export Trade
Gazelle Business
Evidence of receipt of grants or venture capital funding
ENGLISH
Range Vocational – Proficient
Points
Vocational + 5
Proficient + 10
FINANCIAL METRICS
Net Business and Personal Assets
Points $ 5 $ 15 $ 25 $ 35
STATE/ TERRITORY NOMINATION
Special Endorsement 10

39. More Information Online Resources:
Skilled visas
Visa wizard
Booklets
Migration Blog
SkillSelect
Agent Gateway
Facebook
Department of Immigration and Citizenship