First thing Monday morning,the Department issued a deluge of Subclass 189 invitations! Invitations are still flowing, and the occupations receiving invites remain predominantly those that were in high demand during COVID,social workers, teachers, nurses, and a wide range of healthcare roles — but scores have dropped significantly!
— Some of the invitations our clients received —
Social worker 85 points DOE 2021.2.2
Offshore social worker 65 points
Secondary school teacher 85 points DOE 2022.3.19
Early childhood educator 80 points DOE 2021.9.8
Early childhood educator 85 points DOE 2021.6.2
Early childhood educator 85 points DOE 2022.3.28
Early childhood educator 85 points DOE 2022.4.28
Early childhood educator 80 points DOE 2022.8.16
Offshore early childhood educator, 70 points, DOE 2022.6.2
Registered Nurse (mental health) 70 points DOE 2022.2.15
Midwife 65 points DOE 2021.7.1
GP 90 points 2022.2.7
Physiotherapist 75 points DOE 2022.5.26
— Data collected from external sources —
Civil engineer 95 points
Chef 80 points
Construction project manager 90 points
University lecturer 85 points
By our estimate, this round issuedat least 2,000–3,000 invitations. As of the time of writing,we have not yet seen any IT or accounting occupations invited,and the remaining invitations appear to cover specialties such as Speech Pathologist, Veterinarian, Medical Diagnostic Radiographer, and other healthcare-related fields,with most of the dominant COVID-era occupations receiving invitations in the 70–85-point range, and a smattering of other occupations above 90.While the same top COVID-era occupations still dominate this round,the scores are noticeably lower compared to the final round of the last financial year.
Reminder 1: When is the next round?
For Subclass 189, the current financial year is expected to see one round every three months. The first round was originally scheduled for July but has been pushed back to August,meaning the next round is likely around October–November,and we hope to see a broader range of occupations invited next time.
Reminder 2: If you have already lodged another migration visa (such as 491/190/or a Subclass 887 transition), can you still apply for Subclass 189?
If your current visa has not yet been granted,you are welcome to try Subclass 189 if you wish — though we’d suggest treating it as a Plan B, as visa fees will need to be paid again and Subclass 189 grant times are not particularly fast.
If you have already been granted a visa,if Subclass 190 has already been granted, re-lodging a Subclass 189 after receiving an invitation will generally not result in approval. If Subclass 491 has already been granted, you cannot apply for Subclass 190 or 189 for three years.
Reminder 3: If you received an invitation in this round and have lodged multiple EOIs, remember to withdraw your other EOIs — try not to waste future invitation opportunities.
Question 4: How fast is Subclass 189 being processed?
The Subclass 189 points-based backlog has fallen to just a few thousand cases, the smallest of the 491/190/189 group — not because processing is fast, but because very few invitations were issued previously,aside from one large round in the final quarter of the last financial year.In practice, overall Subclass 189 grant times are not meaningfully faster than other visa classes,and the speed really comes down to occupation, so the visa class itself makes little practical difference
If there are further invitation updates in this round, we will report them as they come in.
This financial year has had a distinct sense of ‘everything coming back to life’ for skilled migration,If you are thinking about Subclass 189, or have already received an invitation and have questions about lodging your visa, feel free to contact our team below!
Or if you’d like to stay up to date withall the latest skilled migration pathways and invitation news for the 2022–23 financial yearplease contact our team and mention:New policyto be added to our information-sharing group!
Western Australia — policy changes and expanded occupation list
Western Australia was the first state to announce its policies for the financial year, locking in its policies and occupation list even before July arrived, and loudly declaring its aim to secure 5,000 state nomination quota places. Two weeks ago the transitional quota was officially released, and Western Australia delivered on its promise — with Subclass 190 alone receiving more than 5,000 transitional quota places.
WA transitional quota: 5,350 × Subclass 190 and 2,790 × Subclass 491
But watching other states simultaneously receive transitional quota and then announce new policies in rapid succession — with Victoria, the Northern Territory, and Queensland going as far as opening all migration occupations for application — ambitious WA said: we cannot be overshadowed! They have just issued a new announcement, and we are updating accordingly!
Adding occupations + reducing work experience / Job Offer requirements
Published directly via a press release from the WA Premier — that says a lot!
1.Graduate stream applicants for both Subclass 190 and 491 no longer need work experience or a Job Offer
2.For General Stream Schedule 1 & 2 — primarily for applicants from interstate and overseas — if applying for Subclass 190, the Job Offer requirement is reduced from 12 months to 6 months; for Subclass 491 the requirement is removed entirely;General Stream Schedule 1 retains its work experience requirement,General Stream Schedule 2 already had no work experience requirement.
3. Language requirements eased —Manager and professional category occupations previously required at least four 7s; this is now reduced to four 6s
4. The AUD 200 state nomination application fee is abolished, and you no longer need to demonstrate sufficient funds to settle in Western Australia
5.The occupation list continues to expand — the Graduate stream list has grown to a total of 331 occupations;General Stream Schedule 1 has grown to 90 occupations (primarily medical and nursing roles),General Stream Schedule 2 has grown to 189 occupations.
General stream sch2This is the stream open to interstate applicants and covers most common occupations — here are the new additions in this update:
141999 Accommodation and Hospitality Managers, nec
233911 Aeronautical Engineer
234111 Agricultural Consultant
233912 Agricultural Engineer
323111 Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Avionics)
323112 Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Mechanical)
323113 Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Structures)
232111 Architect
233913 Biomedical Engineer
234514 Biotechnologist
351211 Butcher or Smallgoods Maker
342411 Cabler (Data and Telecommunications)
233111 Chemical Engineer
312212 Civil Engineering Technician
411711 Community Worker
263111 Computer Network and Systems Engineer
149311 Conference and Event Organiser
149212 Customer Service Manager
451211 Driving Instructor
272312 Educational Psychologist
312311 Electrical Engineering Draftsperson
391111 Hairdresser
and so on
Previously confirmed additions to the eligible occupations include
Graduate Occupation List The more common additions include:
-Architectural Draftsperson
-Cook
-Customer Service Manager
-262111Database Administrator
-261111 ICT Business Analyst
-261399 Software and Applications Programmers, nec
-261112 Systems Analyst
-233999 Engineering Professionals, nec
-233914 Engineering Technologist
-411411 Enrolled Nurse
-External Auditor/Internal Auditor
-Landscape Architect
-Motor Mechanic (General)
– Multiple specialisations of Registered Nurse
-Sales and Marketing Manager
General Stream Schedule 2The common occupations that were already on the list include:
-Accountant (General)
-261311 Analyst Programmer
-Architectural Draftsperson
-Cafe or Restaurant Manager
-Chef
-Cook
-Civil Engineer
-262111 Database Administrator
-261312 Developer Programmer
-Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher
-Electrical Engineer
-Hotel or Motel Manager
-Mechanical Engineer
-Middle School Teacher
-Primary School Teacher
For local graduates, this is a WA state nomination pathway you simply cannot afford to miss. If you are planning to study or migrate to Western Australia, contact our team below! For interstate applicants, Western Australia is currently an excellent Plan B option — reach out to us now!
Selection criteria for the General Stream pathway:
– Quota allocated to your specific occupation in WA state nomination (determined internally by the state government)
– Meeting the minimum requirements for the General Stream
– EOI score
Selection criteria for the Graduate pathway:
– Quota allocated to your specific occupation in WA state nomination (determined internally by the state government)
– Quota allocated to higher education graduates versus VET graduates in WA state nomination (determined internally by the state government)
– Meeting the minimum requirements for the Graduate Stream
– EOI score
Priority ranking for local graduates by qualification level
Applicant priority levels:
Priority 1: Applicants residing in Western Australia
Priority 2: Applicants residing elsewhere in Australia
Priority 3: Applicants residing overseas
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ACT state nomination floodgates open! State government writes to migration agents with several reminders
Victoria eases eligible occupations! Tasmania nearly doubles its Subclass 190 quota!
Victoria eases eligible occupations! Tasmania nearly doubles its Subclass 190 quota!
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WA pre-invites flow — accountants at 80 points make the cut!Clickthe ‘original link’ — Migration Weekly Bulletin (video edition)
