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11 SkillSelect For general information about migration to Australia, read information form 1126i Migrating to Australia, or visit the website www.immi.gov.au
E-mail: info@mara.gov.au Mail: PO Box Q1551 QVBNSW1230 AUSTRALIA Level 8 22 Market Street SYDNEY NSW AUSTRALIA Ofce hours are 9am 5pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST)
In person:
Telephone: 1300 226 272 or +61 2 9078 3552 Fax: +61 2 9078 3591
The Ofce of the MARA investigates complaints against registered migration agents and may take disciplinary action against them. If you have a concern about a registered migration agent, you should contact the Ofce of the MARA. The Code of Conduct and complaint form are available from the Ofce of the MARA website.
Contents
Introduction Terms you need to know Part 1 Information for intending migrants
Expression of Interest (EOI) Visa programs supported by SkillSelect Submitting an EOI EOIs submitted in SkillSelect Invitation and selection process If you are invited or selected If you are not invited or selected Bridging visas
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SkillSelect
Introduction
SkillSelect is an online service that enables skilled workers and business people interested in migrating to Australia to record their details to be identied for a skilled visa through an expression of interest (EOI). People could be found and nominated for skilled visas by Australian employers or state and territory governments, or they could be invited by the Australian Government to lodge a visa application.
Intending migrants
This booklet will help you understand the steps required to submit an expression of interest (EOI) using SkillSelect. Please ensure you read this entire booklet as it will help you to understand what requirements you need to meet to enable a complete submission of your EOI. It is important to remember that the submission of an EOI is not an application for a visa. If you are interested in the following visa programs, you will need to submit a complete EOI and receive an invitation before you can apply for a visa. Subclass 189 Skilled Independent (Permanent) (Class SI) Subclass 190 Skilled Sponsored (Permanent) (Class SK) Subclass 489 Skilled Regional Sponsored (Provisional) (Class SP) Subclass 132 Business Talent (Permanent) (Class EA) Subclass 188 Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) (Class EB). You can also express interest in the following visa programs on your EOI to be selected by an employer. Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme (Class EN) Subclass 187 Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (Class RN) Subclass 457 Temporary Business (Long Stay) (Temporary) (Class UC). The booklet will also provide more information on the SkillSelect process and what you need to know before you submit an EOI.
Australian employers
This booklet has also been designed to assist Australian employers seeking to sponsor a skilled migrant. It contains information on accessing SkillSelect to source skilled workers seeking employer sponsorship.
Further information
For further information, please visit the SkillSelect website www.skillselect.gov.au
SkillSelect
Expression of Interest (EOI) An online form which allows an intending migrant to express interest in applying for a skilled visa. An intending migrant can only lodge a points tested skilled or business innovation and investment visa application once they have submitted a complete EOI and have subsequently received an invitation from the Minister to apply for a visa. Intending migrants can also express interest in the employer sponsored visa programs and be found and contacted by an employer to discuss employment and sponsorship opportunities. Intending migrant Occupation ceiling A person who submits an EOI in SkillSelect with the intention of migrating to Australia. The occupation ceiling is a limit on how many people could be invited to apply for a skilled visa from a particular occupation group. Its purpose is to prevent the skilled migration program being dominated by a small number of occupations. Once the limit is reached for each program year, there would be no further invitations to apply for migration from that particular occupation group. This is the minimum number of points you must score to pass the points test for certain visa types. You must indicate that you reach the pass mark before you can be selected by SkillSelect for an invitation to apply for a visa with a pass mark. Permanent visa holders are able to enter, live and work in Australia indenitely. After a specied period they can apply for Australian Citizenship. For some visa categories, you must pass a points test. The pass mark changes from time to time. For current information on the skilled migration points test, refer to the departments website at www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/points-test For current information on the business innovation and investment points test, refer to the departments website at www.immi.gov.au/skilled/business/ A provisional skilled migration visa allows the holder to enter, live and work in Australia for a specic period. Provisional skilled migration visas provide a pathway to permanent residence in Australia.
Pass mark
Provisional visa
SkillSelect
Skills Assessment
A Skills Assessment is an assessment of an intending migrants skills and qualications which is undertaken by a recognised assessing authority. A skills assessment needs to be completed in order to submit a complete EOI accurately reecting the intending migrants nominated occupation. A full list of recognised assessing authorities can be located on the departments website www.immi.gov.au/asri/ The Skilled Occupation List (SOL) is a list of approved occupations that are available for permanent and temporary skilled migration to Australia. An occupation must be nominated by the intending migrant to facilitate a complete EOI submission. The departments website contains current information on the SOL at www.immi.gov.au/skilled/sol/ SkillSelect is an online service that enables skilled workers and business people interested in migrating to Australia to record their EOI. Intending migrants could be nominated or receive an invitation to apply for a skilled visa. For some visa categories you must be sponsored. For family sponsorship, a relative aged 18 years or over who is an Australian citizen or permanent resident or an Eligible New Zealand Citizen and is prepared to sponsor your application and who undertakes to assist the applicant, to the extent necessary, nancially and in relation to accommodation for a period of 2 years. An eligible relative must live in a designated area of Australia. For employer sponsorship, a sponsor is an Australian business or overseas business that has been approved as a standard business sponsor. A substantive visa means a visa other than: A bridging visa; or A criminal justice visa; or An enforcement visa.
Sponsor
Substantive visa
SkillSelect
SkillSelect
SkillSelect
If you receive an invitation to apply, and your score under the points test is less than claimed in your EOI, your visa may be refused even if you are able to pass the points test or meet other threshold criteria. If you receive an invitation and your points have decreased or your personal information is not accurate, you do not have to proceed to make an application. You should correct the information in your EOI and wait to receive another invitation. If you receive 2 invitations and you do not lodge a visa application in response to either of these invitations, your EOI will be removed from SkillSelect. If you are unable to access your EOI for a length of time, then you can choose to suspend your EOI. While this will not extend the validity of your EOI it will stop you receiving invitations or contacts that you cannot act on, and will avoid your EOI being removed while you are, for example, on holiday and have received 2 invitations during that time. If you receive an invitation to lodge a visa application for a permanent or provisional visa and are subsequently granted that visa, your EOI will be removed from SkillSelect. If you are granted a temporary visa, such as the Subclass 457 Temporary Business (Long-Stay) visa, your EOI will still remain in SkillSelect for future selection unless you withdraw your EOI. Be aware: You must be able to support the claims you make in your EOI with documentation and have this documentation ready to provide when making your application. An invitation to make a visa application may be issued within a short timeframe after you submit your EOI. You will have 60 days from the date of invitation to make a valid visa application.
SkillSelect
Occupation ceilings
An occupation ceiling may be applied to invitations issued under the independent, family sponsored and state or territory sponsored visas. This means there will be a limit on how many EOIs can be selected for skilled migration from an occupation group. This ensures that the skilled migration program is not dominated by a small number of occupations. Once this limit is reached, no further invitations for that particular occupation group will be issued for that program year. Invitations will then be allocated to intending migrants in other occupation groups even if they are lower ranking. For the state or territory migration programs, a state or territory will not be able to nominate you if your nominated occupation has reached its occupation ceiling. You can view the occupation ceilings that apply to SkillSelect at www.skillselect.gov.au.
SkillSelect
Applications received outside of this timeframe will not be valid and you will need to wait for a further invitation before being eligible to make an application. The online visa application system will use information from your EOI, therefore you do not need to re-enter information already provided. Be aware: If you do not make a valid visa application after receiving 2 invitations, your EOI will be removed from SkillSelect. You must provide evidence to support your claims with your visa application. Health and character requirements will be assessed and requested during the visa application stage. For assistance in lodging a visa application for: Independent, Family sponsored or State and Territory Sponsored Migration, refer to booklet 6 Business Innovation and Investment Entry, refer to booklet 10 Employer Sponsored Migration, refer to booklet 5 Temporary Business (Long Stay) (Subclass 457) Visa, refer to booklet 9.
Bridging visas
An EOI is not a visa application and you will not be granted a Bridging visa by submitting an EOI. Your eligibility for a Bridging visa would only be considered once a valid visa application is lodged. If you are in Australia and the visa you hold is about to expire before you are invited and able to apply for a skilled visa, you will need to apply for another visa to remain in Australia. If you do not meet the requirements for the grant of another visa, you will need to depart Australia before your visa expires.
SkillSelect
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SkillSelect