This week, the Migration Institute of Australia (MIA), the association for Australia’s registered migration agents, continued its state government policy briefings, with Queensland and Victoria each outlining their state nomination arrangements for the new financial year.
Queensland had already opened its ROI process, so there were few new policy changes at this briefing. Victoria, meanwhile, has now confirmed that it has only 900 Subclass 190 places for this financial year, and the state government provided further details of its invitation arrangements for the year and the latest position on Subclasses 190 and 491.
Meanwhile, applicants facing strong competition as Civil Engineers and Quantity Surveyors may also wish to assess alternatives in the construction-related 3122 occupation group or as a Construction Project Manager.
Victoria to issue Subclass 190 invitations this week; Subclass 491 remains on hold
The Victorian Government has confirmed that it will issue its first invitation round of the new financial year this week, with invitations currently limited to Subclass 190.
As Victoria has not yet received its final Subclass 491 allocation, Subclass 491 invitations will remain suspended until the federal allocation is received.
Victoria then plans to issue invitations once a month, although the dates will not necessarily be fixed. With its Subclass 491 allocation still unconfirmed, the state government also cannot yet determine which month subsequent invitations will run until.
Applicants can currently submit a Subclass 190 ROI first. If Subclass 491 subsequently opens, they can consider withdrawing it and switching to a Subclass 491 application, subject to the relevant rules.
How will the 900 Subclass 190 places be allocated?
Victoria’s final Subclass 190 allocation for this financial year has been confirmed at 900 places.
On the distribution of places between onshore and offshore applicants, the state government said there is no fixed ratio; selection is primarily based on the VPT scoring system.
The specific distribution between priority and non-priority pathways has also not yet been determined.
Victoria is also holding a state election at the end of the month, and the Victorian Government entered caretaker mode on 3 November. State government officials have not provided further details of how this arrangement will affect the progress of state nomination work.
Are there other migration options for Civil Engineers and Quantity Surveyors?
Competition for Civil Engineers and Quantity Surveyors has become increasingly intense in recent years. In particular, these occupations have gone for a long time without satisfactory opportunities in Subclass 189 invitation rounds.
If an applicant’s actual work does not fall entirely within the duties of an engineer or quantity surveyor, and instead leans more towards construction drafting, CAD/BIM, on-site technical support, testing or construction technology, they can consider reviewing their duties to see whether they match the 3122 Civil Engineering Draftsperson and Technician occupation group.
This is not simply a matter of changing an occupation title. It requires an assessment of the applicant’s actual qualifications, duties and experience to determine whether they genuinely meet the skills assessment requirements.
What does the 3122 Civil Engineering Draftsperson and Technician group cover?
The 3122 occupation group mainly comprises Civil Engineering Draftsperson and Civil Engineering Technician.
Although both are related to civil engineering, their work has different areas of focus.
312211 Civil Engineering Draftsperson focuses more on office-based work and drawings, primarily involving CAD/BIM drafting, producing and revising engineering drawings, and developing detailed construction drawings.
312212 Civil Engineering Technician focuses more on on-site technical support, such as data collection, site inspections, materials and soil testing, assistance with costing, and site measurements.
For some civil engineering graduates, therefore, if their actual work after graduation does not consist purely of engineering duties but instead involves sustained drafting, drawing production or on-site technical work, they can further assess whether the 3122 occupation group is a closer match for their background.
What are the main pathways to a 3122 skills assessment?
Under the current skills assessment requirements, 3122 can be assessed through different combinations of qualifications and work experience.
One option is a highly relevant qualification together with at least 1 year of relevant work experience. For example, an applicant may hold a diploma or higher qualification related to civil engineering or civil drafting, with at least 1 year of relevant work experience within the past 5 years.
If the qualification is unrelated, an assessment may also be possible through a relevant Certificate IV (C4) qualification plus relevant work experience.
Applicants may also be assessed through options such as 2 years of relevant work experience, or any educational background plus 4 years of relevant work experience.
The specific position needs to be assessed against the applicant’s qualifications, duties and periods of employment. An occupation title alone cannot determine whether the skills assessment requirements are met.
Are there successful examples of Civil Engineers moving to 3122?
There are already some real cases to draw on.
One applicant held an Australian bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and had accumulated around 2 years of civil engineering drafting experience. They successfully obtained a skills assessment as a 312211 Civil Engineering Draftsperson and subsequently received a Western Australian Subclass 190 invitation.
Another applicant held an Australian honours bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and had the educational background to apply for an EA engineering skills assessment. Taking their local Australian drafting experience into account, they ultimately obtained a successful skills assessment in the 3122 group.
A further applicant held a non-engineering qualification from the United States but successfully obtained a skills assessment as a 312212 Civil Engineering Technician on the strength of relevant work experience in China.
These cases show that an applicant’s highest qualification does not necessarily restrict them to an engineering occupation. What matters more is identifying the best-matched occupation by considering their qualifications, actual duties and work experience together.
Despite no recent Subclass 189 invitations for 3122, state nomination opportunities remain
There have been no evident invitations for the 3122 occupation group in the last two Subclass 189 invitation rounds, but this does not mean the occupation offers no migration opportunities.
Past and recent invitation activity across the states shows that several state governments remain interested in 3122.
Western Australia has recently continued inviting Civil Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians; Canberra has also continued issuing relevant Subclass 190 and 491 invitations. New South Wales invited draftspersons at various points in the previous financial year, and 3122 occupations remain on its Subclass 190 occupation list for this financial year.
Queensland also officially added Civil Engineering Draftsperson and Technician to its construction priority pathway this year.
If an applicant’s actual work experience is closer to drafting or technical work than to traditional Civil Engineer duties, 3122 may therefore offer a state nomination pathway through a different occupation.
Another option: Construction Project Manager
Engineers who have already developed strong all-round management skills in the construction industry can also consider another option: 133111 Construction Project Manager.
Applicants who already have comprehensive experience in areas such as project management, budget control and construction coordination, together with a highly relevant bachelor’s degree or higher qualification, can further assess this occupation.
A civil engineering qualification is one of the relevant educational backgrounds. The skills assessment needs to be considered against the applicant’s actual qualifications and duties.
Current invitation activity suggests that competition for Construction Project Managers differs from that for some traditional engineering occupations. Civil Engineers with strong project management experience can therefore also assess it as a Plan B.
Civil Engineers may have more than one migration pathway
Applicants facing strong competition as Civil Engineers or Quantity Surveyors can review their occupational background if their actual work is more focused on engineering drafting, CAD/BIM, on-site technical support or project management.
Depending on their actual duties, they may be able to seek a skills assessment as a 312211 Civil Engineering Draftsperson, 312212 Civil Engineering Technician or 133111 Construction Project Manager.
Of course, changing occupations cannot simply mean changing an occupation title for migration purposes. Any assessment must ultimately be based on the applicant’s genuine qualifications, duties, work experience and the skills assessment requirements.
If you are currently a Civil Engineer or Quantity Surveyor, or work in construction drafting, on-site technical work or project management, you can assess whether other occupations and state nomination pathways may be a better fit for your specific duties and work history.
