[Issue 270] Australian Migration Weekly — NSW & VIC Release Floodgates: Accounting 85 / IT & Engineering 80 / Finance & Design Even Lower! Is QLD Finally “Waking Up”? Canberra Drops Scores Sharply!

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This Week’s Migration News Roundup

Migration Weekly

1. Victoria: Two Invitation Rounds in January — Engineering & IT at 80–85 Points Secure Subclass 190!
2. NSW Subclass 190 Follows Victoria — Broader Invitations, Accounting at 85!
3. Canberra Drops Points for IT and Other Occupations; Queensland Opens Priority Processing!
4. Parent Visa Alert: Sponsoring One Parent Then the Other via Partner Visa May Not Save Money
5. Weekly Grant, Invitation, Skills Assessment & Citizenship Processing Update

1. Victoria: Two Invitation Rounds in January — Engineering & IT at 80–85 Points Secure Subclass 190!
Victoria, which had just issued an ROI round on 5 January,issued another new round just two weeks later. Though described as a supplementary round, the numbers remained substantial,with invitations flowing from around 11 am through to after 2 pm — covering both Subclass 491 and Subclass 190!
The invitation data from our clients and externally gathered sources this round is as follows:
The same trends continue:
① Invited occupations are highly diverse,with some common but less competitive occupations receiving invitations at lower scores.
②Engineering and IT now require a base score of just 80 to secure Subclass 190, while Accounting generally needs 90+(though we have received feedback that a small number of very low scores were also invited).
③② A consistent volume of offshore invitations continues,including popular occupations, with scores lower than onshore applicants and generally stronger work experience.

Victoria holds the largest Subclass 190 quota for this financial year, yet data at the midpoint shows utilisation below 50%. Open to onshore and offshore applicants across all skilled occupations, with a minimum score of just 65, no mandatory work requirement, and no IELTS 7- or 8-band language requirement — we encourage everyone to explore this option. Contact us via the customer service link below for details!

2. NSW Subclass 190 Follows Suit — Broader Invitations, Accounting at 85, Offshore Base Score 60!
Victoria made the first move,and NSW was quick to follow, issuing a new round of Subclass 190 invitations that same evening.This was NSW’s second round for January too, again with higher numbers than the previous round. Overall, compared with Victoria, scores for popular occupations like IT, Engineering and Accounting in NSW are relatively higher (only two rounds in so far, and the population base is simply larger),but NSW does invite more offshore applicants, and many common occupations are invited at very low offshore scores.For example, this round we sawfinance-related occupations invited at around 75 points, and graphic design invited at 60+5 points.
Our clients’ invitation data is summarised below:

For the full dataset, see the earlier article:NSW Subclass 190 Second Round: End-of-Year Quota Below 30% Utilised! Hot Occupations (Accounting/Engineering/IT) at 85 or Lower; Design/Finance Down to 65–70!

It is widely expected that NSW Subclass 190 scores for popular occupations have further room to fall. As for Subclass 491, with roughly 5,000 places barely touched, a significant release is likely. Applicants in the mid-to-low score range are welcome to request an assessment!

3. Canberra Drops Points for IT and Other Occupations; Queensland Opens Priority Processing!
Beyond the two major states, Queensland — the third-largest — had been unusually quiet until now, with a modest quota and seemingly unmoved as other states lowered their thresholds. By year-end, its utilisation for both Subclass 190 and 491 sat around 20%. So finally, Queensland has made its move.

On Monday this week they emailed migration agents, announcing that for certainQueensland state nominationapplicants, a Priority Processing channel is now open,with agents able to apply for Priority Processing on behalf of skill workers in the QLD living pathway before the Friday deadline this week.While not a sweeping change, this is a step in the right direction for Queensland, and based on our conversations with the Queensland government,they are also considering lowering the entry threshold and invitation rules for Queensland nominations (currently issued individually), acknowledging that the current environment calls for a more meaningful show of commitment.


Another state signalling greater commitment isCanberra. The ACT, having secured additional Subclass 190 quota in November, indicated that the matrix was expected to drop, encouraging onshore applicants to target Subclass 190 while offshore applicants would more likely receive Subclass 491. Subsequent invitation rounds, however, did not see a large-scale release.Finally, the round of 23 January arrived.


Nine Small Business Stream Subclass 190 places were released, with scores dropping to 75 (highly recommended for out-of-state applicants in Accounting/IT who don’t have competitive scores through this stream

), 200 onshore Subclass 190 places, and 303 offshore Subclass 491 places.This was followed immediately byIT and other popular occupations being invited at 85–90 points,compared with around 100 points previously. For invitation scores across more occupations, see:

Contact us via the customer service link below to arrange a Canberra state nomination assessment.

4. Parent Visa Alert: Sponsoring One Parent Then the Other via Partner Visa May Not Save Money
The current contribution fee for the Subclass 143/864 Contributory Parent visa is $43,600 per person.As a result, many families consider sponsoring one parent first (contribution fee $43,600), then having that parent sponsor their spouse via a Partner visa once PR is granted (this financial year’s Partner visa fee is $8,085). This appears tosave over $30,000.However, this overlooks a number of additional factors.
First, under the Department of Home Affairs rules, a Subclass 143/864 parent must have held PR for five full years before sponsoring their spouse. This waiting period may generate additional costs:
1.Australian visa fees increase every year, including partner visas.Applying for a Partner visa N+5 years later could cost $10,000–$20,000 more — and that’s before agent fees. There’s also the possibility that eligibility requirements change, such as the introduction of language requirements.
2. This also means the second parent may not be eligible for Medicare for five additional years,potentially requiring five extra years of private health insurance (at least $2,000 per year, exceeding $10,000 over five years),with some insurers refusing to cover elderly applicants altogether.
3.If the second parent wishes to visit Australia during these five years, they will need to apply for a separate visa — most commonly a tourist visa.Visa fees, medical examination fees, and agent fees all add up, and the 18-month stay / 12-month residency restriction will force additional spending on return airfares.
4.Most importantly, five years of Age Pension entitlements are forfeited.In Australia, receiving the Age Pension requires meeting residency criteria: the parent must have lived in Australia as a permanent resident for at least 10 years, with at least 5 of those years uninterrupted. Under current policy, the pension can reach a theoretical maximum of over $20,000 per year (note: assets above the threshold or other income may reduce this amount),Over five years, the total potential loss exceeds $100,000 AUD.
So sponsoring one parent for a parent visa and then having that parent sponsor their spouse for a Partner visa may not actually save money. For a more detailed analysis, see:Does Sponsoring One Parent First Then Their Spouse Via Partner Visa Really Save Money? Complete Guide to AoS Application Requirements and Process!



5. Weekly Grant, Invitation, Skills Assessment & Citizenship Processing Update
A recent summary of Newstars visa grants and invitations: long-press below to view — the page is continuously updated; we highly recommend saving or bookmarking it!
State Nomination Invitations / GTI Invitation Data Summary
Canberra State Nomination

No updates this week


Victoria State Nomination

See invitation details above


Tasmania State Nomination

14 Dec 2022 lodged TAS 190 ROI, 15 Dec 2022 received TAS 190 pre-invitation, 11 Jan 2023 lodged TAS 190 application, 24 Jan 2023 granted Subclass 190, Software Engineer — 261313, 65+5


NSW State Nomination

See pre-invitation details above


South Australia State Nomination

No updates this week


Queensland State Nomination

No updates this week


Western Australia State Nomination

No updates this week


Northern Territory State Nomination
No updates this week

Business/Investment Visa Invitations
No updates this week

Weekly Visa Grant Progress and Analysis

Subclass 189 — Independent Skilled Migration

14 Sep 2022 lodged, 24 Jan 2023 granted, 189 Occupational Therapist

Oct 2022 lodged, Jan 2023 granted (onshore, Early Childhood (Pre-primary School)
Teacher)

Mar 2021 lodged, Jan 2023 granted (NZ Stream)

21 Sep 2021 lodged, 25 Jan 2023 granted (offshore)


Subclass 190 — State Sponsored Skilled Migration

08 Jun 2021 lodged, 26 Jan 2023 granted (onshore)

30 Jun 2021 lodged, 26 Jan 2023 granted (onshore)

11 Jun 2021 lodged, 27 Jan 2023 granted (onshore)

12 Jan 2021 applied, 27 Jan 2023 granted, Occupation: Valuer, with spouse, onshore

3 Jun 2021 applied, 27 Jan 2023 granted, Occupation: Program or Project Administrator, onshore

14 Sep 2022 lodged, 24 Jan 2023 invited, 190 Accountant (General)

2 Sep 2022 lodged, 24 Jan 2023 invited, 190 Secondary School Teacher

11 Aug 2022 lodged, 24 Jan 2023 invited, 190 Social Worker

19 Oct 2022 lodged, 25 Jan 2023 invited, 190 Accountant (General)

20 Jul 2021 lodged, 27 Jan 2023 invited, 190 Quantity Surveyor


Subclass 491 (New Regional) / 489 (Old Regional) State Sponsored Visa

3 Jun 2021 lodged, 27 Jan 2023 invited, 491 Systems Administrator


Subclass 887 — Regional Permanent Residence Visa

No updates this week


Employer Sponsored 

No updates this week


Business/Investment Migration / GTI
No updates this week

Subclass 600 — Visitor Visa

No updates this week


Subclass 500 — Student Visa

25 Jan 2023 lodged, 27 Jan 2023 granted, 500

Jan 2023 lodged, Jan 2023 granted

Jan 2023 lodged, Jan 2023 granted

Jan 2023 lodged, Jan 2023 granted

Jan 2023 lodged, Jan 2023 granted

Nov 2022 lodged, Jan 2023 granted

11 Jan 2023 lodged, 23 Jan 2023 granted (offshore)

19 Dec 2022 lodged, 23 Jan 2023 granted (offshore)

19 Jan 2023 lodged, 24 Jan 2023 granted (onshore)

08 Nov 2022 lodged, 25 Jan 2023 granted (onshore)

24 Jan 2023 lodged, 27 Jan 2023 granted (onshore)


Subclass 485 — Graduate Temporary Visa

29 Jul 2022 lodged, 24 Jan 2023 granted, 485

30 Jul 2022 lodged, 24 Jan 2023 granted, 485

8 Mar 2022 lodged, 25 Jan 2023 granted, 485

8 Mar 2022 lodged, 25 Jan 2023 granted, 485

Mar 2022 lodged, Jan 2023 granted

1181 Jan 2023 lodged, 23 Jan 2023 granted (onshore)

16 Aug 2022 lodged, 23 Jan 2023 granted (offshore)

24 Jan 2023 lodged, 24 Jan 2023 granted (onshore)

22 Jun 2022 lodged, 26 Jan 2023 granted (onshore)

21 Jan 2022 lodged, 27 Jan 2023 granted (onshore)



Partner Visa

No updates this week


Parent Migration / Visa

No updates this week


Subclass 408 — Temporary Activity Visa

Aug 2022 lodged, Jan 2023 granted

Jul 2021 lodged, Jan 2023 granted

20210121 lodged, 20230124 granted


Subclass 155 — Resident Return Visa

Jan 2023 lodged, Jan 2023 granted


Citizenship Application
No updates this week

This Week’s Skills Assessment Processing Update

CPA Australia (Accounting-related)

13 Dec 2022 lodged, 24 Jan 2023 completed


CA (Accounting-related)

20230104 lodged, 20230127 completed


ACS (IT-related)

No updates this week


EA (Engineering)

No updates this week


VETASSESS

Contract Administrator, approved 25 January

Marketing Specialist, approved 23 January

Financial Investment Adviser, approved 23 January

Financial Investment Adviser, approved 21 January


ANMAC Skills Assessment – Nursing-related

No updates this week

 Previously Recommended —Click Image to Read Article 


Year-End Quota Below 30% Utilised, NSW Subclass 190 Issues Another Wave of Invitations!

‍ ‍

The Three Core Questions of Australian Skilled Migration

‍ ‍

VIC January Second Round: Broad Invitations for Onshore and Offshore Applicants Across All Occupations, Base Score 60!


Migration News Sharing Group


2023 


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Reply in the official account withany of the following numbers or keywords (not in the article comments section),to receive the most timely and professional migration updates!Reply [A] to view the full index (covering all topics)!

Reply:0000 → View 16 Nov policy update (491 + Skilled Migration points)

Reply: 000 → Latest visa/citizenship processing wait times

Reply: 001 → Latest Subclass 189 EOI official report

Reply:002 →Subclass 189 — Independent Skilled Migration

Reply: 003 → State Subclass 190 Nomination (all states)

Reply: 004 → Subclass 489 Regional State Nomination

Reply: 005 → International Graduate Business/Investment Migration

Reply: 006 → Parent Migration Visa

Reply: 007 → Employer Sponsored Visa

Reply: 008 → Subclass 485 Visa

Reply: 009 → Partner Migration / Points Boost

Reply: 010 → Work Experience Points Boost

Reply: 011 → PY Points Boost

Reply: 012 → NAATI/CCL Points Boost

Reply: 013 → Regional Points Boost

Reply: 014 → Tourist/Family Visit Visa

Reply: 015 → Working Holiday Visa

Reply: 016 → TAFE Study

Reply: 017 → Australian International Student Migration to Canada

Reply: 018 → Subclass 407 Training Visa

Reply: 019 → Subclass 408 Temporary Activity Visa

Reply: 020 → New Zealand Migration

2023 Recommended

Year-End Backlog Down by 400,000! Is Bridging Visa to Permanent Residency the Reform Priority?ClickClick “Original Link” — Migration Weekly Video Edition

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