[Migration Weekly #274] Overseas applicants: lowest-threshold direct lodgement, great opportunities in IT/Engineering/Marketing and more! Many will gain at least 2 extra years on their visa! Accounting PY can now boost Auditing points!

This Week’s Migration Bulletin

Migration Weekly

1. Up to four years on Subclass 485 for everyone going forward! Huge numbers of holders can extend by at least two years!

2. 4,000+ quota spots remaining — a rare opportunity for low-scorers and overseas applicants in Engineering/IT/Design and more!

3. ACT invitation round is here — a flood of Subclass 190 offers within the territory, and small-business stream holding steady at 75 points!

4. Confirmed: Accounting PY can boost Auditing points in NSW — don’t miss this if you’re an accountant in New South Wales!

5. Weekly grants, invitations, skills assessments and citizenship processing update

1. Up to four years on Subclass 485 for everyone going forward! Huge numbers of holders can extend by at least two years!

The biggest news this week is that many graduates in Engineering, IT, and healthcare at bachelor’s level or above will be eligible for at least four years on the Subclass 485 Graduate Work visa, with the changes taking effect on 1 July 2023. And it’s not just future graduates who benefit — if their course meets the requirements, applicants currently awaiting a Subclass 485 decision, those whose visa has recently expired, and current Subclass 485 holders could all receive a longer visa.

Government documents released so far outline four key scenarios:

1. New applications lodged on or after 1 July 2023: Full 4/5/6-year Subclass 485 PSW grant

2. Holding Subclass 485 on 1 July 2023 — including PSW first-stream, replacement stream, and regional second-stream — or awaiting a decision on those streams: Either the full extended Subclass 485 or an additional 2 years on Subclass 485

3. Subclass 485 already expired as at 1 July 2023 (a supplementary document specifies between 1 September 2022 and 1 July 2023): May apply for an additional 2 years on Subclass 408

4. All current Subclass 485 holders who cannot apply for a Subclass 485 replacement but were onshore during the pandemic: May apply for an additional 2 years on Subclass 408

Before the 1 July implementation, the government will publish the CRICOS course codes for qualifying programmes. For more details and FAQs on the Subclass 485 changes, see:

Major update! Large numbers of IT, Engineering, healthcare and other graduates set to receive longer Subclass 485 stays — at least 4 years!

The Subclass 485 reforms give more people an extra 2 years! Expired holders, current holders, pandemic stayers — all eligible! Top 8 FAQs answered!

Of course, many implementation details are still to be confirmed by the government. Prior to legislation being passed, minor adjustments remain possible — we will continue to monitor closely.

As an applicant, do not let the excitement of new policies distract you from your own visa expiry date. An overstay record is very costly. The 15 March renewal peak is fast approaching — contact our team below to work out the best renewal plan for you!

2. A rare opportunity for overseas applicants! 4,000+ quota spots remaining — great for Engineering/IT/Design and more!

NSW Subclass 491 has been adjusted again this week. Driven by broader trends, NSW Subclass 491 — which has a total allocation of 6,168 places this financial year — has seen entry thresholds across its various streams lowered repeatedly in order to attract more applicants. As of December 2022, only 871 places had been used, and conservative estimates put the remaining quota at over 4,000. Turning to the latest changes, the main update is to Pathway 1 (direct application to the RDA) Stream B:

1. Pathway 1 Stream B occupation list: minimum work experience and EOI points requirements have been removed for all occupations

2. The Pathway 1 Stream B occupation list has been updated — the full list now includes a large number of Engineering/Marketing/Finance-related occupations; common examples are listed below (IT applicants may apply via Pathway 2)

3. Most state nomination streams currently operate on an invitation-based model (including NSW Subclass 190): applicants lodge an EOI, are selected by the state government for a pre-invitation, submit their full documentation, and only receive a formal nomination after the state approves those documents — which then allows them to lodge the visa application. Under this stream, applicants can now apply directly for nomination, bypassing the pre-invitation stage. We have had clients receive their nomination within a single day — this may be the most significant change of all!

NSW Subclass 491 currently has very generous quota availability. With an eligible occupation on the list, a skills assessment, and language scores of at least 6 in each band, a base score of just 50 points is enough to lodge — no waiting for a pre-invitation. For purely overseas-based applicants, this is an exceptionally rare fast-track pathway with a real chance of securing nomination quickly. We warmly welcome overseas applicants to contact us for an assessment!

3. ACT invitation round arrives — a flood of Subclass 190 offers in-territory, small-business stream holding at 75 points!

This week’s matrix invitation round from the ACT (Canberra) state nomination programme also brought some exciting results. The small-business stream for Subclass 190 held steady at 75 points and issued 24 invitations — a generous number. Even more generous was the in-territory stream, which issued 322 Subclass 190 and 156 Subclass 491 invitations. The overseas stream focused primarily on Subclass 491, with 395 invitations issued. Given those volumes, it is unsurprising that cut-off scores dropped for most occupations — see the breakdown below:

The Canberra small-business Subclass 190 stream remains an excellent fast-track option for accountants and IT professionals who cannot reach 90+ or 100+ points — especially if you are based in New South Wales. Contact our team below to explore your options:

4. Confirmed: Accounting PY boosts Auditing points in NSW — accountants, don’t miss this!

NSW Subclass 190 has seen several rounds of relaxed requirements for accountants, yet the invitation threshold has stubbornly remained at a base score of at least 100 points — making accounting in NSW the most competitive field of all. Many NSW accountants who still want to stay in the state have been considering whether to obtain a second skills assessment as an Auditor. Auditing has received a reasonable volume of invitations in recent rounds with invitation scores around a base of just 85 points, making it comparatively accessible. But a key question remained: does NSW recognise an accounting PY to boost Auditing points? The state government’s website FAQ previously stated that it did not.

This week we have a success story — a client secured a NSW Subclass 190 Auditing nomination in just two days. We subsequently noticed that the relevant FAQ on the state government website has since been removed.

Also confirmed via a phone call: NSW recognises a PY validity period of 4 years from the date of completion, consistent with the Department of Home Affairs’ recent update.

For a detailed explanation of the success story, see:[NSW Confirmed] Auditing can use Accounting PY for extra points!

If you are in NSW, if you are an accountant, and if you haven’t yet considered obtaining an Auditing skills assessment — get in touch with us now:

5. Weekly grants, invitations, skills assessments and citizenship processing update

A summary of recent Newstars visa grants and invitations: long-press the image below to view — the page is updated continuously. We highly recommend saving or bookmarking it!

State nomination invitation / GTI invitation data

ACT State Nomination

None this week

Victoria State Nomination

None this week

Tasmania State Nomination

Lodged TAS 190 ROI 16 Dec 2022, received TAS 190 pre-invitation 4 Jan 2023, lodged TAS 190 application 16 Jan 2023, invited for 190 on 21 Feb 2023, ICT Business Analyst – 261111, 70+5

Lodged TAS 491 ROI 16 Dec 2022, received TAS 190 pre-invitation 21 Dec 2022, lodged TAS 491 application 19 Jan 2023, invited for 491 on 21 Feb 2023, Accountant (General) – 221111, 55+15

Lodged TAS 190 ROI 21 Feb 2023, received TAS 190 pre-invitation 21 Feb 2023, Retail