[Issue 269 — Australia Migration Weekly] Multiple states still have ample 190 quota! WA to accelerate processing and issue more invitations. Victorian Premier calls for higher skilled migration targets!

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This Week in Migration

Migration Weekly

I. WA Government: Processing will speed up — no quotas wasted
II. State nomination quotas remain very healthy — most states under 50% utilised
III. Subclass 189 backlog growing rapidly — 190 still the fastest pathway!
IV. Victorian Premier personally calls for an increase in skilled migration quotas!
V. Weekly roundup — visa grants, invitations, skills assessments & citizenship

I. WA Government confirms it will accelerate processing and utilise every quota
This week’s state nomination news comes mainly from Western Australia, and Victor, Newstars’ WA project lead, has just confirmed from direct liaison with the state government:
— Starting this month, WA invitations have moved to the first week of February, and will consistently be issued in the first week of each month going forward — so applicants waiting for the next round should expect another 1-2 weeks.
—They still have plenty of quota remaining and will continue issuing large numbers of invitations.
— Regarding the slow processing concern, the state government has added more staff and is working to shorten processing times.
—The state government intends to use all remaining quota this financial year — applicants can be reassured.

The next round of WA pre-invitations will therefore require another 1-2 weeks of waiting.


In the last WA round, popular occupations such as accounting, IT and engineering were invited at EOI scores as low as 75-80 points, covering both 190 and 491 streams. Former WA graduates based interstate or overseas were also invited. Even better opportunities are ahead — contact us to assess your WA state nomination pathway!

II. State nomination quotas remain very healthy — most states under 50% utilised
Indeed, in the Department of Home Affairs’ published data on state nomination quota usage through to the end of December,WA, despite holding large quotas, has the lowest utilisation rate due to slow processing — both 190 and 491 sit at around 15%.The state government has issued substantial pre-invitations; the bottleneck is simply waiting on processing.

End-Dec figures vs total quota vs end-Nov figures


For 190: NSW and Victoria, with the largest quotas, show the strongest results. NSW issued 800 nominations in a single month; Victoria issued nearly 900, equating to 36-40 nominations issued every working day — and this excludes a holiday period in between.Other states sat in the 100-200 range, and Canberra (ACT), which processed only about 50 nominations before receiving additional 190 quota, really needs to lift its game.

For full details, see:Official update: State 190/491 nomination quotas remain very healthy! Cut-offs falling, onshore and offshore applicants both invited!


True, many pre-invitations are still awaiting processing — but with the financial year past the halfway mark and most states under 50% utilised, the second half still holds plenty of opportunity! Get in touch for a free assessment — and remember, your skills assessment and English test can be organised in advance.


III. Subclass 189 backlog growing rapidly — 190 still the fastest pathway!
This week we obtained data on visa processing and new lodgements for the major points-tested skilled visa streams through to the end of November last year. The data aligns broadly with grant and invitation trends we have been seeing — notably,the 189 backlog growth is quite steep.Currently, grants are concentrated among a handful of occupation categories — for other occupations, we hope the pace does not slow further…


The 189 backlog grew from under 13,000 at the end of July to nearly 32,000 by end of November — a jump of 147%. For 190 and 491, new invitations continue to come in; the backlog has grown, but not dramatically,as monthly processing volume is roughly keeping pace with new lodgements.Backed by the November grant surge, the 190 stream has seen high invitations matched by high grants — its backlog remains relatively healthy without a sharp rise.We hope a similar grant surge extends to the 491 stream, whose backlog is approaching 30,000.

Both 887 and 489 have improved compared to their own prior benchmarks, but 887’s 100-200 monthly grants still falls well short of what’s needed…

For more detailed data, see:Skilled visa grant backlog needs attention! Subclass 189 backlog surges to nearly 32,000; three regional streams combined exceed 50,000 pending……


IV. Victorian Premier personally calls for an increase in skilled migration quotas!
The Victorian Premier recently stated in an interview that the federal government should continue to lift skilled migration quotas, adding that the current 195,000 annual cap is insufficient to fill the labour market shortfall. Many Victorian employers are still struggling to find suitable workers.

According to data from the Centre for Population, Melbourne is projected to surpass Sydney as Australia’s largest city within nine years. After a sharp population decline during the pandemic, the city is forecast to grow from roughly 5 million last June to 6 million by mid-2031.

Victoria is therefore concerned not only about skills shortages but also about slower population growth.The state is already taking action.We have noted on multiple occasions that Victoria’s state nomination programme has shown the strongest intent and generosity this financial year.Against a backdrop of lukewarm policy in prior years, it opened its nominations to all eligible migration occupations from the start of the financial year, with the 190 stream carrying no mandatory income or employment requirements — simply being in Victoria with a skills assessment is sufficient to apply.Subsequent invitation rounds have demonstrated genuine commitment — accounting, IT, engineering, marketing and finance professionals have all received invitations, with scores trending downward. Quite a few applicants were invited almost immediately after relocating to Victoria!

See the latest Victoria round here:Australia’s skilled migration keeps opening up — Victoria’s first invitation round of the new year! Accounting, IT, engineering, finance and marketing all invited, onshore and offshore!

To discuss Victoria state nomination planning and strategy, contact our team below:



V. Weekly roundup — visa grants, invitations, skills assessments & citizenship
Recent Newstars visa grants and invitation summary — press and hold the image below to view; the page is updated continuously, so we highly recommend saving or bookmarking it!
State Nomination & GTI Invitation Data
ACT State Nomination
None this week

Victoria State Nomination

Formal Nomination

Lodged 190 Nomination: 06 Jan 2023 | Nomination invited: 16 Jan 2023 | 90+5 pts (Marketing Specialist – 225113)

Lodged 190 Nomination: 08 Jan 2023 | Nomination invited: 20 Jan 2023 | 85+5 pts (Accountant (General) – 221111)


Tasmania State Nomination

Lodged 190 ROI: 16 Jan 2023 | ORANGE
pass | Invited to apply for Nomination: 20 Jan 2023 | 75+5 pts (Developer Programmer – 261312)

Lodged 190 ROI: 19 Jan 2023 | ORANGE
pass | Invited to apply for Nomination: 20 Jan 2023 | 70+5 pts (ICT Business Analyst – 261111)

Lodged 190 ROI: 16 Jan 2023 | ORANGE
pass | Invited to apply for Nomination: 20 Jan 2023 | 70+5 pts (Accountant (General) – 221111)


NSW State Nomination

Formal Nomination

Pre-invitation issued: 10 Jan 2023 | Nomination approved: 16 Jan 2023

Lodged: 17 Jan 2023 | Approved: 19 Jan 2023 | NSW 491, offshore, Graphic Designer, 50+15

Lodged: 17 Jan 2023 | Approved: 19 Jan 2023 | NSW 190, offshore, Organisation and Methods Analyst, 70+5

Lodged: 15 Jan 2023 | Approved: 18 Jan 2023 | NSW 190, offshore, Television Journalist, 65+5


South Australia State Nomination

None this week


Queensland State Nomination

Lodged 491 EOI: 16 Aug 2022 | Invited to apply for Nomination: 19 Jan 2023 | 85+15 pts (Quantity Surveyor – 233213)


WA State Nomination

None this week


NT State Nomination
None this week

Business/Investor Migration Invitations
None this week

This Week’s Grant Progress & Analysis

Subclass 189 Skilled Independent

 Lodged: 12 Oct 2022 | Granted: 18 Jan 2023

Lodged: 12 Oct 2022 | Granted: 18 Jan 2023 | 189 Secondary School Teacher

Lodged: 11 Oct 2022 | Granted: 17 Jan 2023 | 75 pts | Secondary
School Teacher – 241411 (lodged onshore, granted onshore)

Lodged: 12 Oct 2022 | Granted: 18 Jan 2023 | 75 pts | Secondary
School Teacher – 241411 (lodged onshore, granted onshore)

Lodged: 11 Oct 2022 | Granted: 16 Jan 2023 (onshore)

Lodged: 11 Oct 2022 | Granted: 17 Jan 2023 (offshore)

Lodged: 21 Sep 2022 | Granted: 19 Jan 2023 (onshore)

Lodged: 18 Oct 2022 | Granted: 19 Jan 2023 (offshore)


Subclass 190 State Nominated Skilled
Lodged: 20 Apr 2022 | Granted: 18 Jan 2023 | 190 Marketing Specialist

Applied: 01 Jul 2020 | Granted: 19 Jan 2023 | Onshore | Occupation: Program or Project Administrator

Lodged: 27 Mar 2020 | Granted: 19 Jan 2023 | NSW 190, offshore, Statistician

Lodged: 27 May 2020 | Granted: 19 Jan 2023 | VIC 190, offshore, Agricultural Consultant

Lodged: 13 Apr 2022 | Granted: 17 Jan 2023 | 95+5 pts | ICT Business Analyst – 261111 (lodged onshore, granted onshore, with partner)

Lodged: 10 Apr 2022 | Granted: 17 Jan 2023 | 75+5 pts | Mechanical Engineer – 233512 (lodged onshore, granted onshore, with partner)

Lodged: 09 Jun 2021 | Granted: 19 Jan 2023 (onshore)


Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional / Subclass 489 (legacy)

Lodged: 04 Aug 2021 | Granted: 16 Jan 2023 | 491 Computer Network and Systems Engineer

Lodged: 11 Feb 2021 | Granted: 18 Jan 2023 | 491 Translator

Lodged: 29 Apr 2021 | Granted: 16 Jan 2023 | TAS 491, offshore, Mechanical Engineer


Subclass 887 Skilled Regional (Permanent)

Lodged: 30 Sep 2021 | Granted: 15 Jan 2023


Employer-Sponsored 

Lodged 482 nomination: 16 Dec 2022 | Approved: 17 Jan 2023 (Photographer)


Business Migration / GTI
None this week

Subclass 600 Visitor Visa

Lodged: 13 Jan 2023 | Granted: 18 Jan 2023 (onshore)

Lodged: 23 Dec 2022 | Granted: 18 Jan 2023 (offshore)

Lodged: 23 Dec 2022 | Granted: 19 Jan 2023 (offshore)


Subclass 500 Student Visa

Lodged: 16 Jan 2023 | Granted: 19 Jan 2023 | 500

Lodged: 18 Jan 2023 | Granted: 20 Jan 2023 | 500

Lodged: 15 Oct 2021 | Granted: 20 Jan 2023 | 500

Applied: 12 Jan 2023 | Granted: 17 Jan 2023 | offshore

Lodged: 24 Dec 2022 | Granted: 16 Jan 2023

Lodged: 17 Nov 2022 | Granted: 19 Jan 2023

Lodged: 13 Dec 2022 | Granted: 16 Jan 2023 (offshore)

Lodged: 20 Dec 2022 | Granted: 16 Jan 2023 (offshore)

Lodged: 12 Jan 2023 | Granted: 17 Jan 2023 (offshore)

Lodged: 17 Nov 2022 | Granted: 19 Jan 2023 (offshore)


Subclass 485 Graduate Work Visa

Lodged: 18 Jan 2023 | Granted: 18 Jan 2023

Lodged: 18 Jan 2023 | Granted: 18 Jan 2023

Lodged: 13 Mar 2022 | Granted: 19 Jan 2023

Lodged: 17 Jan 2023 | Granted: 19 Jan 2023

Lodged: 18 Feb 2022 | Granted: 16 Jan 2023 (onshore)

Lodged: 12 Mar 2022 | Granted: 19 Jan 2023 (onshore)


Partner Migration

Lodged 820: 26 Mar 2022 | Granted: 18 Jan 2023

Applied 820: 15 Mar 2022 | Granted: 15 Jan 2023

Lodged 820/801: 20 Feb 2020 | 820 granted: 01 Jun 2021 | 801 granted: 16 Jan 2023

Lodged 820/801: 20 Apr 2022 | 820 granted: 17 Jan 2023

Lodged 820/801: 02 Aug 2022 | 820 granted: 19 Jan 2023

Lodged 820/801: 15 Jan 2020 | 820 granted: 18 Mar 2021 | 801 granted: 19 Jan 2023


Parent Migration / Visa

Lodged 143: 23 Jan 2017 | Received additional info and AOS request: 25 Oct 2022 | Received contribution fee invoice: 13 Jan 2023 | Granted: 16 Jan 2023

Lodged 143: 30 Jan 2017 | Received additional info and AOS request: 28 Oct 2022 | Received contribution fee invoice: 20 Dec 2022 | Granted: 16 Jan 2023

Lodged 143: 11 Feb 2017 | Granted: 16 Jan 2023


Subclass 408 Visa

Lodged: 02 Dec 2022 | Granted: 18 Jan 2023 | 408

Lodged: 07 Dec 2022 | Granted: 18 Jan 2023 | 408

Lodged: 19 Jan 2023 | Granted: 20 Jan 2023 | 408


Subclass 155 Visa

Lodged: 18 Jan 2023 | Granted: 18 Jan 2023

Lodged: 11 Jan 2023 | Granted: 17 Jan 2023 (1 year)

Citizenship Applications
None this week

Skills Assessment Processing This Week

CA ANZ (Accounting-related)

Lodged: 19 Dec 2022 | Completed: 17 Jan 2023

Lodged: 15 Dec 2022 | Completed: 17 Jan 2023

Lodged: 03 Jan 2023 | Completed: 19 Jan 2023


ACS (IT-related)

Lodged: 30 Sep 2022 | Completed: 20 Jan 2023


Engineers Australia (Engineering)

Lodged: 21 Dec 2022 | Completed: 16 Jan 2023

Lodged: 23 Dec 2022 | Completed: 18 Jan 2023

Lodged: 02 Dec 2022 | Completed: 19 Jan 2023


VETASSESS

Lodged: 30 Jun 2022 | Completed: 16 Jan 2023

Lodged: 01 Sep 2022 | Completed: 16 Jan 2023

Lodged: 24 Aug 2022 | Completed: 16 Jan 2023

Lodged: 13 Jan 2023 | Completed: 19 Jan 2023 (urgent/priority)


ANMAC Skills Assessment – Nursing

Lodged: 14 Dec 2022 | Result received: 20 Jan 2023

 Previous Articles — Click an image to read 


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