Many people know that skilled migration is one of the lowest-cost and most reliable pathways to migrating to Australia. To qualify for the skilled migration pathway, you must meet these four key requirements:

1. A skills assessment in a relevant occupation

2. Under 45 years of age

3. English at IELTS 6 in each band (or equivalent)

4. An EOI score of 65 points or above

It’s not hard to see that a skills assessment is the first step in Australian skilled migration. Among the various assessing authorities, VETASSESS covers most of the common occupations we see, such as those in the image below:

From 1 August

VET priority processingmoves to new rules

Beyond the occupations above, many others are also assessed by VETASSESS. For applicants in a hurry to migrate to Australia, a VET assessment could previously be lodged through the priority channel, with results issued within ten working days, whereas the standard processing time quoted on the official website is currently 10–12 weeks— a world of difference.

However, the VET assessing authority updated its priority-processing rules from 1 August. Many people are curious about exactly what the new rules involve. Today we’ll walk you through how the process works now.

If you open the VET submission page now, you’ll find that it currently offers three channels for applicants to choose from.

The first is the standard, non-priority channel. There’s not much to say about this one — you simply wait.

The second is for applicants with no particular grounds for priority processing (see the third channel below for what counts as priority grounds) but who would still like to take the priority channel. In this case, you need to join the queue and wait until a priority place becomes available and is allocated to you.

How it works:

When you lodge, you first pay the standard application fee. If a priority place later comes up for you, you’ll receive a notification with a payment link, and you then pay the additional priority fee to take the priority channel.Note:receiving the payment link does not mean your priority place is 100% locked in — you must complete the priority payment for the place to be yours.If you don’t pay at that point, or if your turn never comes up, the application is processed through the standard, non-priority channel.

The third is the priority channel for applicants who need priority processing and have one of the following grounds:

[1] The applicant has received an invitation from the Department of Home Affairs or an Australian state or territory, and that invitation has an expiry date

[2] The applicant’s visa will expire within eight weeks and no other visa is available

[3] The applicant will turn 33, 40 or 45 within eight weeks

[4] The applicant’s English test results (IELTS or PTE) will expire within eight weeks

[5] The applicant’s partner’s skills assessment or English test results will expire within eight weeks. In this case, the relevant supporting documents must be uploaded.

In this case, the process is to upload the additional supporting documents and pay the priority fee directly at the time of payment.One thing to note here, though: if the supporting documents don’t meet the requirements, the application may be processed as standard.

Our Client Reached the Priority Queue in 4 Days

As soon as this news broke, many people messaged us with the same question: if you have no priority grounds but want to take the priority channel, exactly how long do you have to wait before receiving a priority notification?A week? A month? Three months?

And this past Monday, one of our clients answered that very question through a VET priority application.

This client lodged a VET Marketing Specialist priority assessment application after the priority rules changed on 30 July. Like most applicants at present, they fell into the second category above — that is, no urgent grounds, but a willingness to apply for priority processing. The VET assessment timeline was as follows:

1 Aug — We lodged the assessment for the client after the new policy took effect

4 Aug — Received the notification to pay the priority fee

So this client’s answer is: — in just four days, the client received the priority payment notification, which is clearly very fast indeed!

This suggests that, for now, there aren’t many applicants with urgent grounds. In fact, it’s only a few days slower than the priority channel before the rules changed — which offers a great deal of reassurance to the many clients hoping to get a VET assessment. But this reassurance is only temporary, and will shift as more applications with urgent grounds come in and more general priority lodgements of the same kind pile up.

The longer you put it off, the more applicants pile up waiting, which could mean a longer wait for notification — so the sooner you act, the better.

Fee Increase, Effective Today, 9 August

On top of the priority-rule changes that took effect on 1 August, VET has rolled out another major move from today — VET assessment fees are going up too!

As you can see from the fee-increase table:

The VET assessment fee is currently rising from $962—>$1033

and the priority fee is rising from $623—>$806

In other words, the cost of fast-tracking a VET assessment has risen from $1585 to $1839!

VET has been making frequent moves lately, but none of them are helping people get their assessments any faster… Plenty of people have flat-out asked what on earth VET is up to — less efficient than before, and charging more on top of it! The more you think about it, the more disheartening it feels.

On that note, here’s what we’d say: in this era when the price of everything is soaring, on the migration journey, lodging early and entering the pool early not only means you may land your outcome sooner, it also genuinely saves you money! And these rules could change again at any moment! The sooner you have your assessment, the more secure you’ll feel — and once the Subclass 189 and the various state-nominated 190 and 491 visas open, they’ll all be options for you! Scan the QR code below to have our consultant assess your case!

More Great Reads

A 1-Year Early Childhood GD Accreditation Course + Skills Assessment + Migration: The Most Complete Guide Anywhere!

Can the self-employed apply for employer sponsorship? Family businesses? Companies you’ve invested in? Which ones qualify?

Overseas marketing / project management / finance / conference organisers and more secure invitations at consistently low scores under Canberra’s 491!

Migration News Group

2023

Step 1: Press and hold to add our client service

Step 2: After adding, please

Study · Migration · Visas — We’re the Experts

Attention!Please verifya genuineNewStars consultant!

Study & Migration Enquiries Client Service in Every Location

Sydney Head Office

Melbourne

Canberra

Brisbane

Adelaide

Hobart

Beijing

Guangzhou

Perth

Next Branch

Follow the NewStars Official Account

In the official account, reply withany of the numbers or keywords below (not in the article comments) to get the most timely, most professional migration news! Reply [A] to see the directory (covering every topic)!

Reply:0000 → see the 16 Nov policy update (491 + skilled migration points)

First Success Story After the New VET Skills-Assessment Priority Rules — Priority Status Granted in 4 Days! Fast-Tracking Your Assessment Is Still Possible! Plus, Application Fees Have Risen Across the Board from Today!

A 1-Year Early Childhood GD Accreditation Course + Skills Assessment + Migration: The Most Complete Guide Anywhere!

Can the self-employed apply for employer sponsorship? Family businesses? Companies you’ve invested in? Which ones qualify?

Overseas marketing / project management / finance / conference organisers and more secure invitations at consistently low scores under Canberra’s 491!

Quick Links

Popular Services

Our Offices

Follow Us