Since the major loosening of skilled migration in September 2022, overseas applicants have regained confidence in Australian migration. With policy stalled throughout the pandemic, far too many overseas applicants had shifted from waiting to giving up on Australian migration. As onshore applicants alone can no longer solve Australia’s labour shortage, the new financial year’s policy still places part of its focus on overseas applicants, and to attract more skilled workers from overseas, the Department of Home Affairs has added more staff to fast-track visa processing.

What’s more, nearly 140,000 of the 2023-24 migration grant places have all been allocated to the skilled migration stream, so this financial year, Subclass 189 and the states will again switch into “talent-grab mode”, and the thresholds for overseas migration may even be lowered further.

So whether you’re still weighing up Australian migration or looking into it for the first time as an offshore hopeful, keep a close eye on the major pathways below for 2023-24! You could be the next one granted an Australian green card!

The best value of all — no business required, no employer required!

Points-tested Subclass 189, 190 and 491

Points-tested skilled migration

Subclass 189 / Skilled Independent visa

Eligibility:

1. Applicant under 45 years of age at the time of invitation;

2. Nominated occupation on the MLTSSL (Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List), with a positive skills assessment;

3. An EOI score of at least 65 points;

4. English at the equivalent of IELTS 6 in each of the four bands;

Subclass 190 / Skilled Nominated visa

Eligibility:

1. Applicant under 45 years of age at the time of invitation;

2. Nominated occupation on the MLTSSL (medium and long-term list) or STSOL (short-term list), with a positive skills assessment;

3. An EOI score of 60 points, reaching 65 after the 5 points for state nomination;

4. English at the equivalent of IELTS 6 in each of the four bands;

5. Meeting the relevant state government’s nomination policy;

Subclass 491 / Skilled Work Regional visa

1. Applicant under 45 years of age at the time of invitation;

2. Nominated occupation on the MLTSSL, STSOL or ROL, with a positive skills assessment;

3. An EOI score of 50 points, reaching 65 after the 15 points for state/regional nomination;

4. English at the equivalent of IELTS 6 in each of the four bands;

5. Meeting the relevant state government’s regional nomination policy;

So in short, points-tested skilled migration comes down to two key elements: a skills assessment and English. As applicant numbers keep rising and assessing authorities take longer to process, if you want to get on board this new financial year, get these two foundational requirements sorted as soon as possible.

The 2023 skilled migration EOI points table is as follows:

Recent points-tested skilled migration success stories:

The rising stars of this financial year

Employer-sponsored: Subclass 482 186 and 494

Subclass 186 / Employer Nomination Scheme visa

Eligibility:

1. Applicant under 45 years of age;

2. A diploma-level qualification or higher;

3. Nominated occupation on the Department of Home Affairs’ Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List;

4. At least three years of full-time work experience in the nominated occupation, with a completed skills assessment;

5. English at the equivalent of IELTS 6 in each of the four bands;

6. A full-time job offer from an Australian employer;

Subclass 482 / Skills in Demand (TSS) visa

Eligibility:

1. Nominated occupation on the Department of Home Affairs’ short-term, medium and long-term, or regional occupation list;

2. A diploma-level qualification or higher;

2. At least two years of full-time work experience in the nominated occupation;

3. For trade occupations assessed by TRA, the skills assessment requirements must be met;

4. A full-time job offer from an Australian employer;

5. Meeting the relevant English requirements;

· Short-term stream: equivalent to IELTS overall 5, with no band below 4.5.

· Medium-term stream: equivalent to IELTS 5 in each of the four bands.

’

Subclass 494 / Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional visa

Eligibility

1. Nominated occupation on the Department of Home Affairs’ medium and long-term, or regional occupation list;

2. At least three years of full-time work experience in the nominated occupation, with a completed skills assessment;

4. A full-time job offer from an Australian regional employer;

7. English at the equivalent of IELTS 6 in each of the four bands;

6. A diploma-level qualification or higher;

7. Under 45 years of age;

Recent employer-sponsored success stories:

5,000 places still on offer

GTI Global Talent

Eligibility:

1. Applicants in a relevant field within the ten target sectors;

2. A record of professional achievement, with outstanding contributions and exceptional ability in your field, and so on;

3. A nominator: the nominator must be an Australian citizen, Australian PR, an Australian organisation or company, or a New Zealand citizen working in the same field;

4. Meeting the income requirement: currently AUD 162,000 pre-tax income (exemptions may apply);

The ten target sectors are:

(a) Resources

(b) Agri-food and AgTech

(d) Health industries

(e) Defence, advanced manufacturing and space

(f) Circular economy

(g) Digitech

(h) Infrastructure and tourism

(i) Financial services and FinTech

(j) Education

Recent GTI visa success stories:

If none of the above quite fits but you own a company, have investments or property, and so on, or you’d like to obtain your Australian green card through starting a business, then we can look at whether the business and investor migration series suits you. We won’t go into too much detail this time — add our migration expert Tiffany to find the migration plan that’s right for you!

Catch up on past articles

50–70 points: the migration occupations most overseas applicants can apply for!

The course codes for the extra 2-year Subclass 485 are out — more than expected. Are you eligible?

Subclass 491’s low points threshold: move to PR with zero income and still get Medicare — a quick self-check!

Migration news sharing group

2023

Step 1: Press and hold to add our customer service

Step 2: After adding, please

Study Abroad · Migration · Visas — we’re the experts

Attention!Please verify a genuine Newstars consultant!

Study and migration enquiries — customer service by location

Sydney

Melbourne

Canberra

Brisbane

Adelaide

Hobart

Beijing

Guangzhou

Follow the Newstars official account

Reply within the official account with one of the numbers below or any keyword (not as a comment under the article) to get the most timely, most professional migration news! Reply [A] to see the directory (covering every topic)!

Reply: 0000 → View the 16 Nov policy update (Subclass 491 + skilled migration points)

2023-24 Overseas Applicants, Focus on These Pathways! Nearly 140,000 Skilled Migration Grant Places — Plenty of Great Opportunities Remain for Offshore Applicants!

50–70 points: the migration occupations most overseas applicants can apply for!

The course codes for the extra 2-year Subclass 485 are out — more than expected. Are you eligible?

Subclass 491’s low points threshold: move to PR with zero income and still get Medicare — a quick self-check!

Quick Links

Popular Services

Our Offices

Follow Us