Word from Canberra: new system launching, occupation list to be fine-tuned
The ACT Government has just issued a letter briefly reviewing last financial year’s state nomination and updating the outlook for this financial year’s nomination programme:
Canberra ACT: Key New-Financial-Year State Nomination Policies Announced
First, the news for the new financial year:
1. The federal allocation has not yet been received
2. The new system is expected to go live on 27 July. The first invitation round will be held at least one month after the new system launches (if an invitation has already been received before then), meaning the first round of invitations will be issued no earlier than late August to early September
The new system allows applications to be amended or withdrawn, and shows real-time application status.
Both steps — submitting the Matrix and the nomination — are charged!
Matrix $25 / nomination $325
The Matrix is valid for 6 months, and can be extended for a further 6 months after renewal
Existing applications in the current pool will be automatically migrated into the new Portal.
3. The occupation list for the new financial year may be fine-tuned; this is also expected to be announced in July/August, with new guidelines to be published at the end of July.
25-26 Past Financial Year: Full Data Review of Canberra State Nomination
As for last financial year, the 25-26 financial year (see cover image):
All 1,600 places were used, with processing averaging around 18 business days. Of the nominations, 1,417 (89%) went to ACT local residents and 183 (11%) to offshore applicants.
Distribution by stream:
- ACT Occupation list: 1,244 nominations
- Doctoral stream: 133 nominations
- Small business: 124 nominations
- 482 Stream: 109 nominations ..
Overall, the ACT has kept up its usual transparency and rigour, giving advance notice or consultation for almost every change, large or small. It is quite reasonable for the new-system Matrix to carry an application fee — this reduces invalid applications and improves the efficiency of invitations and processing; we would even suggest Subclass 189 could adopt a similar policy, though $25 is a touch on the low side. Those in the ACT can get their documents ready in advance, and Matrix submissions are expected to be able to begin once the new system opens.
New Financial Year: Migration Progress Across the States
In the second week of the new financial year, on the skilled migration front there is no word yet from any state except NT, which has issued 190 Declaration sign-offs. On the visa-decision side, from today we are starting to see grants in the family category — parent migration and child migration visas — while for skilled migration only Subclass 191 has issued a good number of case-commencement letters, with no grants yet. Last financial year, skilled migration also began seeing good grant news in the second week.
