Since the start of FY2022–23 there have been two Subclass 189 invitation rounds, both showing a significant surge in allocations — over 24,000 invitations issued in total.

As everyone knows, Subclass 189 invitations tightened sharply after the onset of the pandemic. Aside from health occupations such as nursing, Allied Health (e.g. physiotherapy), and medical fields, only a handful of heavy-industry occupations were invited. These two rounds have shown a trend ofbroad occupational coverage, a preference for offshore applicants, low points cut-offs, and no queue — though that trend also introduces greater uncertainty into future rounds, and we hope the Department of Home Affairs will continue to follow some consistent criteria, such as points thresholds, going forward.

Among the main occupations invited, alongside the welcome inclusion of health roles, the rounds also featured early-childhood and secondary educators, social workers, university lecturers, anda wide range of trade occupations— a major highlight. The majority required as few as 65 points to receive an invitation. This kind of favourable opportunity is truly unprecedented!

Sotoday we focus on trade occupations, which account for roughly half of all invited roles.

Migratable Trade Occupations

Trade occupations can be understood as blue-collar roles, such asautomotive mechanics, welders, bricklayers, blocklayers, and plasterers, and so on.

In the context of Australian migration, the broader category of trades can also include more skilledroles such as chef, civil construction design drafter, and telecommunications technician, and so on.

Most trade occupations are eligible for Subclass 189 Skilled Independent migration.

The Subclass 189 process follows three steps:

– Skills assessment

– Expression of Interest (lodge a federal EOI)

– Receive an invitation and lodge the visa application

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As noted above, most trade occupations are currently being invited at 65 points, and we have entered a rare phase with no queue and no points competition — with a lean towards offshore applicants. For trade occupation candidates, the most critical factor in seizing this opportunity is theskills assessmentitself!

Most Australian skilled migration pathways, including Subclass 189 Skilled Independent, require a skills assessment.

For trade occupations, skills assessments in this article can be broadly grouped into two types:

A — Using work experience

B — Using qualifications

A breakdown of each follows —

A. Using Work Experience

This category mainly targets the occupations most commonly understood in China asblue-collar roles — manual workers and chefs.All pathways in this category require work experience, though not necessarily formal qualifications. The sub-categories are as follows:

A1. No Australian work visa + specific occupations (e.g. chef, automotive mechanic — contact a consultant for the full list) — via the TRA OSAP programme. Specific requirements are as follows:

A1.1 No Australian trade qualification, no apprenticeship or professional training — 5 years of full-time hours of work experience required, including at least 1 year of full-time experience in the past 3 years.

A1.2 No Australian trade qualification, with apprenticeship or professional training — 3 years of full-time hours of work experience required, including at least 1 year of full-time experience in the past 3 years.

A1.3 With an Australian trade qualification — 3 years of full-time hours of work experience required, including at least 1 year of full-time experience in the past 3 years.

A1.1–3: The entire process includes both an evidence/documentation assessment and an interview. All interviews are conducted in English; applicants need to know basic industry terminology in English and have a basic level of listening and speaking ability. An IELTS score of 5.5 is recommended.

A2. No Australian work visa + other occupations (e.g. shipwright, blocklayer — contact a consultant for the full list)

— via the TRA MSA programme; specific requirements are as follows:

– Qualifications equivalent in standard and level to the relevant Australian occupation

– Overseas qualifications or Australian non-RPL qualifications: 3 years of full-time hours post-graduation work experience required

– Australian RPL qualifications: 3 years of full-time hours from the date the qualification was awarded, or 6 years of full-time hours in total

A3. Using an Australian student visa + Australian work visa + occupations other than electrician, air-conditioning technician, or plumber

— via the TRA Job Ready Programme:

Refer to our earlier article:

A Different Path — Combine Study, Migration, and Employment to Sidestep the Competition! Skilled Trades in Australia Are Now Genuinely Attractive!

B. Using Qualifications

This category mainly coversengineering technician occupations assessed by Engineers Australia (EA).There are fewer occupations in this category,because assessment can be obtained by completing an Australian Advanced Diploma or Associate Degree directly — the advantage being that both onshore and offshore applicants can enrol, and the costs are reasonable.For example:

– Advanced Diploma in Civil Construction Design — maps to the corresponding occupationCivil Engineering Draftspersonalso satisfies the Subclass 485 Graduate Work visa

– Associate Degree in Civil and Structural Engineering (Design Drafting) — maps to the corresponding occupationCivil Engineering Draftsperson

– Advanced Diploma in Information Technology — maps to the corresponding occupationTelecommunication Network Planner also satisfies the Subclass 485 Graduate Work visa

For more programme options, please contact a consultant directly!

In addition, because engineering occupations allow a skills assessment immediately upon graduation, they are particularly well suited to some more relaxed pathways,such as the Northern Territory Graduate Subclass 190 programme, the MINT Investment Subclass 190 programme, and the South Australia regional programme (roughly equivalent to a working holiday), and so on.Contact us for more details on these options.

These two large Subclass 189 invitation rounds clearly aim to address Australia’s labour shortages,particularly the most acute shortage of blue-collar skilled workers locally.Whether you areonshore and looking to study a trade to upskill,offshore and currently working in a trade and wanting to plan ahead for Subclass 189 or state-nominated migration, or onshore working in a trade but feeling uncertain about your path forward — you are welcome to add our consultant on WeChat for a chat!

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Western Australia second round — 1,500 invitations; Victoria ROI mainly awarded to onshore applicants!Tap‘Original Link’ — Weekly Bulletin Episode 7 video version

Trades & Blue-Collar Occupations Invited at as Low as 65 Points — No Work Experience Required?! How Onshore and Offshore Applicants Can Seize This Opportunity Fast

The Department of Home Affairs should treat onshore Subclass 189 applicants fairly and issue invitations fairly!

Subclass 190 actual grants exceeded the original quota by 74%! Over 60,000 Subclass 482 visas approved!

New engineering pathways added including QS/ET — nursing and early childhood education invited at very low points!

New engineering pathways added including QS/ET — nursing and early childhood education invited at very low points!

New engineering pathways added including QS/ET — nursing and early childhood education invited at very low points!

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