COVID

Before we knew it, the pandemic had stretched on for over two years — just as one wave subsides, another emerges. This relentless cycle has kept everyone on edge. Unlike natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes, which strike suddenly and end swiftly,the COVID-19 pandemic, which began at the end of 2019, has inflicted prolonged and sustained psychological and emotional strain on people.During this extraordinary period, the pressures of work, home isolation, economic disruption caused by the pandemic, and the constantly shifting rhythms of daily life have left many people physically and mentally exhausted,making mental health more important than ever.

This brings us to one profession in particular — the psychologist.

In the last financial year 2020–2021, fewer than 20 invitations were issued under the Subclass 189 for psychology-related occupations. This reflects both the scarcity of places and the fact that the Subclass 189 itself issues very few invitations overall — it is no longer the mainstream migration pathway for international students.

Within the psychology occupation category,there are four occupations eligible for the Subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa and Subclass 190 / state nomination:They are:

272311 Clinical Psychologist

272312 EducationalPsychologistEducational Psychologist

272313 OrganisationalPsychologistOrganisational Psychologist

272399 OtherPsychologistsPsychologist(NEC)

All four occupations currently have access to state nomination pathways across multiple states; however, state governments tend to prioritise locally trained graduates in their allocation policies, so a thorough assessment and weighing of options from the outset is recommended.

You may also considerSubclass 482, 494, or 186 employer-sponsored visas.

Skills Assessment for Psychologists

Those wishing to migrate through psychology via the general skilled migration pathway must first obtain a skills assessment from the Australian Psychological Society (APS) before lodging a migration application.

APS Skills Assessment Requirements:

Education requirements:

– If the applicant obtained their qualifications overseas, they must have completed the equivalent of six years of psychology study as recognised in Australia, or already hold unconditional registration as a psychologist in Australia;

– If the applicant obtained their qualifications within Australia, they must have completed six years of psychology study in Australia.

English language requirements:

Applicants must meet the following language requirements:

Provide, within the past two years,Academic IELTSresults of 7 in each band. Combined scores from two sittings are accepted, provided the gap between sittings does not exceed 6 months, the overall score in each sitting is no less than 7, and no individual band score falls below 6.5;

or, within the past two years,PTEPTE Academic scores of 65 in each of the four components. Combined scores from two sittings are accepted, provided the gap between sittings does not exceed 6 months, the overall score in each sitting is no less than 65, and the listening and speaking scores are each no less than 58;

or, within the past two years,TOEFL results with a total score of no less than 94, listening at 24, writing at 27, and speaking at 23. Combined scores from two sittings are accepted, provided the gap between sittings does not exceed 6 months, each sitting’s overall score is no less than 94, and per-sitting scores meet: listening ≥ 20, reading ≥ 19, writing ≥ 24, speaking ≥ 20. 

If the applicant’s psychology qualifications were obtained inAustralia, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Canada, or the United States, and the programme was conducted entirely in English,the applicant may be exempt from providing language test results.

4 + 2

A four-year Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) + a two-year Master of Psychology or a higher-level programme.

3 + 1 + 2

A three-year Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science majoring in psychology + a one-year Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) + a two-year Master of Psychology or a higher-level programme.

Migration Information Sharing and Q&A Group

2021 Australia Migration: Annual Summary and Outlook Across All Pathways!Click ‘Original Link’to watch the video summary!”