Highlights in this week’s migration bulletin—
1. NSW 190 and 491 — the wait is finally over!
2. Queensland to raise the threshold for the 491 small business stream; business investor migration applications now closed
3. South Australia reopens Accountant and Chef; Canberra issues invitations weekly!
4. Some visitor visas can now be applied for free,could October bring a border reopening breakthrough?
5. This week’s roundup: visa grants, invitations, skills assessments and citizenship processing progress
1. NSW 190 and 491 — the wait is finally over!
There’s no doubt the star of this week is NSW — after roughly six months without a single invitation round, NSW 190 has finally issued invitations. From what we can see, the number issued isn’t small (NSW doesn’t publish a summary of each invitation round, so the exact figure can’t be confirmed externally), and this round is quite targeted. So far we’re mainly seeing 261313, along with a small number of other ICT occupations such as 262112 ICT Security Specialist and ICT 261111 Business Analyst, plus Civil Engineering. On points, most invitations went to applicants on a raw score of 95, with a smaller number at 90. Here are the details:
261313 invited at 95+5 points DOE clustered in late 2020 and early 2021
262112 ICT Security Specialist invited at 95+5 points, DOE early November 2020
Civil Engineering invited at 95+5 points, DOE early August 2020
ICT 261111 Business Analyst invited on a raw score of 90, lodged in the past few weeks
As for the timing of the next invitation round,the state government has said this won’t be announced in advance. Back in 2019, when NSW 190 invitations still followed some pattern, a round went out every month — but once state nomination quotas ran short and the pandemic hit, even that little bit of regularity disappeared. So all we can do is hope the next round comes around soon, and that it brings more invitations for other ICT and engineering occupations.
So if you’d like to join theNSW 190/491 state nomination information-sharing groupfor real-time updates on the latest NSW invitation news, you can add our customer service contact belowand note: NSW, to request to join the group.
While everyone’s attention has been on 190, several NSW RDA regions have “quietly” opened 491 submissions and applications. The state’s unified occupation list is concentrated in engineering, ICT and nursing occupations, and there are three categories: graduates, residents and workers in regional areas, overseas applicants, and applicants from Sydney or other states all have a chance. However, when it comes to individual RDA regions, the great majority are not yet accepting overseas applicants, and some have only opened one category. Here’s the latest on a few key regions—
Southern Inland and Murray region:Applications are now open, accepting Categories 1, 2 and 3a; Categories 3b and 3c do not accept offshore applicants,Southern Inland and Murray has already suspended some ICT and engineering occupations.
Greater Sydney region:Already open for applications.The designated regional areas are concentrated inHawkesbury or Blue Mountains LGA, accepting Categories 1, 2 and 3a applications,Categories 3b and 3c do not accept offshore applicants,eligible occupations includeCivil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Nurse Practitioner and Registered Nurse.
Riverina region:Applications are now open, accepting Categories 1 and 2, as well as onshore applicants in Categories 3a and 3c
Orana region:Applications are now open, accepting Categories 1 and 2; Category 3 is not currently accepting offshore applications
Far West region:Applications are now open, not accepting offshore applications under Categories 3b and 3c; all others are open as normal
Central West region:Applications are now open; Categories 3b and 3c are not currently accepting offshore applications, and Category 1 local residents and workers will be given priority processing.
For the closely-watched Hunter and Illawarra regions, there’s no further news on opening yet. For updates on other regions, seeGood news for NSW! 190 invitations issued, with many ICT and engineering applicants invited! Several regional areas have opened 491, with opportunities for Sydney and interstate applicants too!
Newstars wasSouthern Inland and Murrayamong the first to lodge applications for clients as soon as it opened. This year an invitation-code mechanism applies, with submission required within 48 hours, and we’ve already helped a number of clients secure an invitation code and lodge. If you’re in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Production or Plant Engineer, Industrial Engineer, 312212 Civil Engineering Technician or other engineering occupations, or in a popular ICT occupation and can’t reach a high score, and you already have a skills assessment and are onshore in Australia, you’re welcome to come in for an assessment!
Sydney
Melbourne
Canberra
Brisbane
Adelaide
Hobart
Beijing
Guangzhou
2. Queensland to raise the threshold for the 491 small business stream; business investor migration applications now closed
Queensland, whose spots have been in short supply, also announced changes this week. The first isthe popular 491 small business stream,which will raise its threshold from 1 April. If the business is purchased (settled) after 1 April 2021, it will need to meet the following requirements:
—The purchased business must have already been operating for at least two years (previously one year),meaning the seller must have run the business for two years before the takeover
—The purchase price must be at least AUD 100,000 (previously, a total investment of AUD 100,000 was sufficient),which means the contract price itself must be at least $100,000 — items that could previously be included, such as machinery and equipment, work vehicles and fit-out, no longer count under the new policy!
— Sub-leased franchise businesses are not accepted; the business must be company-owned or independently operated, for example a petrol station
— Home-based businesses are not accepted, such as courier or cleaning companies.
— Monitoring processes will be considered, to help ensure the business can keep operating for more than 3 years
— A small business already used for a 491-SBO application cannot be swapped for another one to make a fresh 491-SBO application.
If you’re preparing a Queensland small business 491 application, speed up the purchase process where you can, to try to get in before 1 April. For more details, see:491 Queensland small business requirements are changing! Prepare early for the new policy! Attention applicants currently purchasing a business!
In addition,the Queensland business and investor migration programmesuddenly announced this week that it will close at midnight on 24 February 2021, and will no longer accept new EOI submissions — EOIs already lodged will continue to be processed as normal. The situation will be reviewed in April to assess whether it’s appropriate to reopen.Queensland’s business and investor migration programme is currently prioritising applications that create jobs, support post-pandemic recovery, or are located in regional areas.
If you’d like to find out more about Queensland state nomination, or if you’ve been affected by this week’s sudden changes and are looking for a Plan B, please contact our customer service below.
3. Canberra issues invitations weekly,South Australia reopens Accountant and Chef!
Canberra continued its weekly invitation rounds this week,hands down the hardest-working and most generous state government during this period.This round issued 58 190 Matrix invitations and 44 for 491. Here’s how some popular occupations fared:
Accountant:Lowest score to secure 491 was 105 points (lodged mid-January), and 190 at 110 points (lodged late January)
Civil Engineering:Lowest score to secure 491 was 65 points, and 190 at 75 points
Architect occupations:Lowest score to secure 491 was 70 points
Other Engineering 2339:Lowest score to secure 190 was 80 points
Graphic and Web Designer occupations:Both 190 and 491 required a minimum of 75 points
ICT occupations 2611/2613/2621/2631/2632:The lowest score to secure 491 was 65–70 points, and for 190 it was mostly around 70 points.
Canberra isn’t just issuing Matrix invitations frequently —formal nominations are also being processed quickly, with formal nomination invitations arriving within a week of lodging the full documents. They’ve even been working on weekends — see the details below in #This Week’s Invitation Roundup#
Based on our recent survey of Canberra applicants:
— Accounting applicants made up the largest share, with 134 accounting-profession responses received, or 41.75%.
— Next were applicants in Civil Engineering; based on our experience, quite a few of these came from interstate. We received 41 responses in total, or 12.77%.
※ IT applicants mainly comprised Developer/Programmer, ICT Business Analyst and Software Engineer — combined, these three make up 15.88%, overtaking Civil Engineering in total share.
※ The remaining occupations include the ever-steady Quantity Surveyor, Registered Nurse, Graphic Designer, Social Worker, Architect and others — we also received plenty of feedback data on these.
※ Worth noting,the Translator occupation, back on the list this year, has given hope to those who previously studied translation courses — we’d suggest applicants with translation experience give it a try.
For more detailed survey data, see:Accounting/ICT/Civil/Nursing/QS/Design… How much competition do you have for state nomination, and what scores are needed? Canberra state nomination survey findings!
While you’re still hesitating, others in the same occupation are being invited without having to reach 90/95/100 points! If your occupation has already been “called up”, watching round after round of steady invitations, watching others in your field land their PR one by one — doesn’t that make you want to move? Take the first step now: scan the QR code below and contact our customer service to arrange a points assessment and evaluation!
During the week,South Australiagave an update that some high-demand occupations were on the review list — if these occupations weren’t visible for the time being, that didn’t necessarily mean they’d be removed; an update on the official website was expected. Then on Friday, the update arrived,the popular occupations of Accountant and Chef made a “comeback” — though both now come with adjusted requirements.
For details on South Australia’s newly launched Talent and innocation program, see:An emerging migration pathway open to international students! Non-migration occupation? No work experience? No high-scoring English test? You can still apply!
4. Some visitor visas can now be applied for free — could Australia’s border reopen with a breakthrough this October?
This week, some visitor visas affected by the pandemic have a chance to be applied for with no application fee, provided all of the following conditions are met
1. The new visitor visa must be lodged offshore (excluding the 10-year visitor visa)
2. The new visitor visa must be lodged between 27 February 2021 and 31 December 2022
3. The applicant must have previously been granted a visitor visa offshore before 21 March 2020; that visa’s expiry date must fall between 20 March 2020 and 31 December 2021; and that previous visitor visa must have been a multiple-entry visa, or a single-entry visa that was never used.
4. The fee-free application is limited to one use only
Processing of offshore visitor visa applications hasn’t yet resumed, although lodgement has remained possible throughout, while onshore visitor visa applications have continued to be lodged and granted as normal.
If you need to renew your visa, whether you’re onshore or offshore, we can give tailored advice based on your purpose and background. Also worth noting: if parents want to renew their stay in Australia, the visitor visa isn’t the only option — feel free to contact us to plan out different renewal strategies.
Australia’s leading airline,Qantas, announced this week that it will resume international flights on 21 October this year, giving many people a fresh glimmer of hope for international border reopening,though Qantas’s decision was driven mainly by a record half-year loss — in fact this is already later than the July date they’d originally planned. International flights are closely tied to border reopening, so does this mean there’s a chance of an earlier easing?Qantas says it’s still discussing the reopening of international borders with the federal government.
Australia’s airports have also called for a phased reopening of the international border. The head of the Australian Airports Association said they want to see a blueprint to help the aviation industry,and what they really want to see is these borders reopened in stages, to rebuild confidence in travel.It’s fair to say all of Australia is hoping to see that blueprint.
189 EOI backlog by occupation —
the latest figures
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5. This week’s roundup: visa grants, invitations, skills assessments and citizenship processing progress
A recent roundup of Newstars’ visa grants and invitations across all categories — press and hold below to view,the webpage is continually updated,so we strongly recommend yousave and bookmark it!
State nomination invitations / GTI invitation data
Canberra state nomination
Lodged 190 on 2021/02/04, invited on 2021/02/25, 261312
Lodged 190 on 2021/01/07, invited on 2021/02/25, 232111
Lodged 491 on 2021/01/27, invited on 2021/02/22, 241111
Lodged 491 on 2021/01/12, invited on 2021/02/22, 272413
Lodged 491 on 2020/10/27, invited on 2021/02/24, 261312
Victoria state nomination
Lodged VIC ROI application on 5 January 2021, received ROI invitation on 22 January 2021, lodged state nomination on 27 January 2021, formally received VIC 190 invitation on 24 February 2021, Social Worker (272511), 80+5
Tasmania state nomination
Lodged on 11 August 2020, received 491 invitation on 25 February 2021, Software Engineer (261313), 65+15
NSW state nomination
Pre-invitation:
Multiple 261313 invited at 95+5 points DOE clustered in late 2020 and early 2021
262112 ICT Security Specialist at 95+5 points, DOE early November 2020
Civil Engineering at 95+5 points, DOE early August 2020
South Australia state nomination
None this week
Queensland state nomination
None this week
Western Australia state nomination
Lodged 491 on 20 January 2021, invited on 23 February 2021 (Chef)
Northern Territory state nomination
None this week
GTI invitations
None this week
This week’s visa grant progress and analysis
[Video Guide] If you’re waiting on a grant, this is a must-watch↓
189 Skilled Independent Migration
Lodged 15 January 2020, granted 23 February 2021 (Electrical Engineer, 90, single applicant, onshore)
Lodged 15 January 2020, granted 23 February 2021 (Computer Network and Systems Engineer 263111, onshore)
Lodged 23 January 2020, granted 23 February 2021 (ICT Business Analyst 261111, onshore)
Lodged 18 January 2020, granted 23 February 2021 (ICT Business Analyst 261111, onshore)
Lodged 13 February 2020, granted 28 February 2021, with spouse, onshore, Telecommunications Engineering
Lodged 13 March 2020, granted 28 February 2021, onshore, QS
Lodged 19 March 2020, granted 28 February 2021, with spouse, onshore, QS
Lodged 27 February 2020, granted 28 February 2021, onshore, Computing 2631
Lodged 19 March 2020, granted 28 February 2021, onshore, Computing 2621
Thanks to a friend for sharing: lodged January 2020, granted 26 February 2021, onshore, Auditing
190 State-Nominated Skilled Migration
Lodged 6 November 2020, granted 23 February 2021 (NSW, 90+5, Biomedical Engineer, single applicant, onshore)
Lodged 30 April 2020, granted 23 February 2021 (WA, 75+5, Mining Engineer (excluding Petroleum), primary and secondary applicant, onshore)
Lodged 7 January 2021, granted 25 February 2021, Agricultural Scientist (234112), 70+5, with spouse, onshore
491 New Regional / 489 Old Regional Sponsored Visa
Lodged 20 July 2020, granted 23 February 2021
887 Skilled Regional Permanent Visa
None this week
858GTI Program
None this week
Employer Sponsorship
Lodged 494 nomination on 11 January 2021, nomination approved on 22 February 2021, Marketing Specialist
600 Onshore Visitor Visa
Lodged 12 January 2021, granted 24 February 2021 (onshore)
Lodged 25 November 2020, granted 25 February 2021 (onshore)
Lodged 27 November 2020, granted 26 February 2021 (onshore)
Lodged 6 January 2021, granted 26 February 2021 (onshore)
Lodged 16 February 2021, granted 22 February 2021
Lodged 18 November 2020, granted 22 February 2021
Lodged 25 November 2020, granted 25 February 2021
500 Student Visa
Lodged 13 November 2020, granted 22 February 2021 (onshore)
Lodged 11 February 2021, granted 23 February 2021 (offshore)
Lodged 19 January 2021, granted 23 February 2021 (offshore)
Lodged 16 December 2020, granted 23 February 2021 (onshore)
Lodged 16 December 2020, granted 23 February 2021
Lodged 7 December 2020, granted 23 February 2021
Lodged 15 February 2021, granted 25 February 2021
485 Graduate Work Visa
Lodged 2 October 2020, granted 23 February 2021
Lodged 18 September 2020, granted 25 February 2021 (with spouse)
Lodged 26 February 2021, granted 26 February 2021
Lodged 30 July 2020, granted 26 February 2021
Lodged 28 August 2020, granted 24 February 2021 (with spouse)
Lodged 24 February 2021, granted 24 February 2021 (same-day grant)
Lodged 28 March 2020, granted 25 February 2021
Partner Migration
Lodged 820/801 visa application on 21 February 2019, granted 820 and 801 together on 22 February 2021
Lodged 820/801 visa application on 7 August 2020, granted 820 on 22 February 2021
Lodged 309/100 visa application on 12 February 2020, granted 309 and 100 together on 22 February 2021
Lodged 309/100 visa application on 21 June 2019, granted 309 and 100 together on 23 February 2021
Lodged 820/801 visa application on 28 June 2019, granted 820 on 24 February 2021
Lodged 820/801 visa application on 21 February 2019, granted 820 and 801 together on 25 February 2021
Lodged 820/801 visa application on 24 March 2020, granted 820 on 26 February 2021
Lodged 309/100 visa application on 19 October 2019, granted 309 and 100 together on 26 February 2021
Parent Migration/Visa
Lodged 870 visa on 17 December 2020, granted 24 February 2021
155 Resident Return Visa
Lodged 25 February 2021, granted 25 February 2021
Lodged 24 February 2021, granted 24 February 2021
408 Visa
Lodged 4 January 2021, granted 25 February 2021
Lodged 20 November 2020, granted 23 February 2021
Entry/Exit Exemption Applications
Applied for entry exemption on 17 February 2021, received exemption on 23 February 2021
Applied for exit exemption on 18 February 2021, approved on 21 February 2021
8503/8534 Condition Waivers
None this week
This week’s skills assessment processing progress
CA (Accounting-related)
Lodged 21 February 2021, completed 25 February 2021
CPA (Accounting-related)
None this week
EA (Engineering-related)
Lodged 28 January 2021, completed 23 February 2021 (expedited)
Lodged 3 February 2021, completed 24 February 2021 (expedited)
VETASSESS
Lodged 11 February 2021, completed 23 February 2021 (expedited)
AITSL (Teaching-related)
None this week
ACS (IT-related)
Lodged 19 January 2021, completed 22 February 2021
ANMAC assessment (Nursing-related)
Lodged 22 February 2021, completed 26 February 2021
NAATI Recertification (Translation-related)
None this week
AIQS (QS-related)
None this week
If you can’t find the data category you’re following — meaning none this week — you can click into[Migration Weekly Bulletin Archive]at the top of the article to browse past bulletins and find the relevant data.
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The Prime Minister says: once vaccination is widespread, Australia is very likely to reopen its borders? Broader international travel in 2022 seems to be looking more and more realistic!
Migration news-sharing and Q&A group
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A must-read for anyone waiting on a visa grant!Click “Original Link”,to find out whether you can actually work full-time, and what to do if you’re offshore.
