Insights
While awaiting state nomination quotas, note Julian Hill’s remarks at the 2025 MIA conference: Subclass 190 and 491 backlogs meant long waits, so 2025–26 allocations would be reduced to prioritise lodged applications. The size of the cut was unclear.
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The ACT occupation list falls from 152 to 105 unit groups. The 457/482 pathway requires six months with the sponsoring employer, matching visa holding time. Applicants submitting for both Subclasses 491 and 190 who receive a 491 invitation will not receive a 190 invitation.
Read More →Online study outside Australia on a student visa from 1 February 2020 to 25 November 2023 still counts towards the Australian Study Requirement, or at least counts from student visa application lodgement. The change that would have excluded this study will not take effect.
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The second NSW 190 invitation round on 2 November afternoon included engineering, construction and infrastructure occupations. A transport engineer client was invited with 80+5 points, relevant employment and a partner with a skills assessment and scores of 6 in all four components.
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Track Subclass 188/888 waits: pending Subclass 188 numbers fell from 20,015 on 31 July 2023 to 19,986 on 31 August, with just 29 grants over the month. Subclass 888 had 262 grants over the same period. Both totals include primary and secondary applicants.
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Track growth in Australian student and temporary visas: 369,979 student visas were granted in 2022–23, more than 50% above 2019. The total visa backlog is around 570,000, down 40% overall, while the temporary visa backlog has fallen by 70%.
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Waiting for a skilled migration invitation or grant? Backlog figures to the end of August 2023 provide a reference: the Subclass 189 backlog fell to 23,288, the 491 backlog fell by 5,134 over two months, and 5,524 Subclass 190 visas were granted over two months.
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EA skills assessments do not expire in themselves, but are valid for three years for migration. After that, contact EA for a new outcome letter. If your assessment has expired and you have relevant work experience, an employment assessment can provide a new date and record that assessment.
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Parent visa applications continued to rise, reaching 26,000 in 2022–23, with all 8,500 places used. Over the report’s four-year period, the backlog grew from 108,000 to over 140,000. Waiting times remain discouraging, so prepare documents carefully when lodging.
Read More →While awaiting Tasmania state nomination, non-G&G applicants with at least one year of full-time work experience and an employer willing to sponsor them could consider employer sponsorship as an alternative. Experience may be from Australia or overseas, and the sponsoring employer may be interstate.
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