Because the previous financial year left too many visa applications backlogged, 2023-24 state nomination invitation allocations have shrunk sharply, 189 invitations are nowhere to be seen, and 189/190/491 migration has entered another year of points competition.

By contrast,employer sponsorshipis a special pathway within skilled migration.Subclass 482has no allocation cap, so it can approve as many applications as needed each year,while subclasses 186 and 494do have grant allocations, but their backlog last financial year was at a healthy and reasonable level,with enough allocation available.The chart below shows that186 employer sponsoredhad 36,825 grant places,the highest among all categories, and slightly higher than the previous financial year.

In addition,most of the favourable policy changes foreshadowed this year relate to employer sponsorship, and employer sponsoredprocessing is now very fast, with many of our clients receiving outcomes within a few weeks or one month.

As a result, more and more people are asking us about employer sponsorship.People familiar with Australian 189/190/491 pathways often view sponsorship through the same old lens, including choosing jobs and career plans that try to align with common skilled migration occupation lists.That is a very steady approach, because your work experience is not wasted and you can keep both 189/190/491 and employer sponsorship options open, increasing the chance that one pathway works.

But for thosewho have not found a matching job smoothly, or who have already worked in other occupations in China for a long time, should they still push desperately to find that kind of job?

It may be better to change perspective andconsiderwhether your current work can directly help you migrate.

employer sponsorship

can be divided into:

First, let’s use a table to briefly sort out employer sponsored migration pathways and requirements. The main employer sponsored migration pathways can be divided into four types.

482 to 186

494 to 191

186 DE

SA DAMA

DAMA stands for Designated Area Migration Agreements and can be understood as a special-case pathway within employer sponsorship.——

Several Australian regions have DAMAs. Below I will mainly introduce South Australia, where the programme is relatively mature overall. We list DAMA separately because it is very friendly to older applicants and covers a broad range of occupations; even some occupations not listed in ANZSCO may have migration opportunities.

We have previously introduced the basic requirements for employer sponsorship, including common occupations. See:Accounting, IT, engineering, marketing and many other fields can secure PR without competing on points, moving, or giving up work. Do not forget this category with the largest and most stable allocation this year!）。

This time, I mainly want to discuss:

migration occupations that are uncommon in 189/190/491

some older applicants

and how they may migrate through employer sponsorship.

Migration occupations uncommon in 189/190/491

Australian migration occupation lists contain hundreds of occupations, but we usually hear about only dozens or around a hundred.Many occupations you assume have no chance are actually migration occupations.Here are a few occupations that may be common in everyday life but may not immediately seem migration-related, for your reference.

Real Estate Representative

This occupation is very common in China. Large, medium and small cities all tend to have real estate sales companies. Real estate agencies in China also often have relatively few restrictions on employees’ education and majors, so the chance of being hired can be high.

From an Australian migration perspective, this occupation cansupport both 491 state nomination and 494 regional employer sponsorship.

For real estate representatives,the skills assessmentis also relatively simple. Because it is a VETASSESS Group D occupation,the minimum qualification is only Certificate III. If you have a diploma, bachelor degree or above, you will generally meet the qualification requirement.。

Second, depending on your field and qualification level,one to three years of work experience may be enough to meet the requirements.。

For most applicants, one to two years of work experience may be sufficient.

If an applicanthas three or more years of full-time work experienceand finds an employer in regional Australia (there are still many real estate sales roles in Australia),they may be able to apply directly for a 494 visa.！

Insurance Agent

Insurance Agent is also an occupation for190/491 state nomination and 494 employer sponsorship, and is also very common in China.Many sales representatives at Chinese insurance companies may meet the skills assessment requirements.。

For skills assessment, it is also a VETASSESS Group D occupation, so the basic logic is the same as for real estate representatives.

Cabler (Data and Telecommunications)

This role is common among large mobile data providers in China. The main duties include installing internal telecommunications and data cabling, computer networks, telephones, cable TV, and equipment and peripherals for security and fire alarm monitoring.

The skills assessment for Cableronly requires a relevant diploma-level qualification; of course, you may also skip the skills assessmentand use the relevant two or more years of work experience to apply for a 482 visa directly.。

PS. Home Affairs has previously indicated several times that it plans to further relax 482 settings, specifically:two years of work with an employer may lead to PR, and short-term list occupations may also have a direct PR pathway. More concrete news may come by the end of this year, so people in relevant fields may want to watch this policy space.

If you would like to learn more about employer sponsorship pathways for niche occupations, you are welcome to add us on WeChat for advice.

An older-applicant-friendly option: South Australia DAMA

Recently, many applicants asking us for advice are aged 40+, and some are already close to 44. In these situations, ordinary skilled migration and employer sponsorship may both run into a serious issue: being over 45 at application time.Once you pass this age,many pathways become unavailable,and even if you can obtain a 482 visa, you may not be able to transition to 186.

For this type of applicant, we strongly recommend learning about South Australia’s DAMA programme.

The South Australia DAMA is a formal agreement between the Australian Government, represented by Home Affairs, and the South Australian Government’s Department for Industry, Innovation and Science. DAMA helps South Australian employers sponsor overseas skilled workers to fill positions that local workers cannot fill.

Compared with ordinary employer sponsorship, the South Australia DAMA has three advantages:

Relaxed age requirement

DAMA allows applicants to lodge PR-type visas before they turn55, giving 10 more years compared with ordinary employer sponsorship. The timing requirements for specific visa subclasses are:

– SESR (494): you must be under 55 when the approved sponsor nomination is granted.

– TSS (482): no age limit, but to transition to permanent residence, you must be under 55 when applying for the ENS (186) visa, as noted below.

– ENS (186): you must be under 55 when the approved sponsor nomination is granted.

Lower English score requirements

DAMA applicants may receive English concessions for eligible occupations. Unless the occupation has other higher English requirements, visa applicants can meet the requirement if they satisfy the following:

SESR (494) and TSS (482) concessions:

IELTS overall 5.0 (or equivalent), with minimum IELTS band scores of 4.0 (or equivalent) for specified occupations; or

for specified semi-skilled occupations in South Australian regional positions, IELTS overall 4.5 (or equivalent), with minimum band scores of 4.0 (or equivalent).

ENS (186) concession:

IELTS overall 5.0 (or equivalent), with minimum band scores of 4.5 (or equivalent), as specified on the DAMA occupation list.

DAMA also accepts other English language tests, including:

– Occupational English Test (OET)

– Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based test (TOEFL iBT)

– Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic (home version not accepted)

– Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)

This greatly helps different types of applicants and further lowers the English threshold.

Differences in the occupation list

South Australia DAMA has its own occupation list,which includes occupations not classified by ANZSCO, meaning these occupations do not haveANZSANZSCO codes. This is usually because the occupation is relatively new or extremely niche.

Occupations on the standard occupation lists set by the Australian Government, which we usually call migration occupations, all haveANZSCO codes (for example, the common Accountant occupation is221111 ). By contrast,DAMA has created this special listto provide employers and applicants with as many occupational options as possible.

If you currently work in one of the above occupations and have more than two years of work experience, feel free to contact us about possible migration pathways.

To sum up, last financial year’s 189 and state nomination invitations were explosive and historically unusual.I personally think next financial year may be better than this one, but it will be hard to return to last year’s peak.So whether you are onshore or offshore,we recommend preparing an additional Plan B early.With employer sponsorship policy becoming more favourable, using your current work experience or employer to apply for employer sponsorship can be a safer option.

Recent NewStars

employer sponsorship success stories

Marketing Specialist482 pathway, nomination approved in under two weeks

Accountant482 pathway, visa granted in under two weeks

OffshoreManagement Consultant, nomination and visa approved together after less than one month

Chef, nomination also approved in under two weeks

Previous articles

This round of invitations from Victoria and WA, with no surprises in NSW’s first round…

Last financial year’s migration results are out | Onshore/offshore skilled migration both hit new highs!

Northern Territory opens new 491 applications! Offshore civil, electrical, mining and restaurant manager occupations can apply!

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