Wondering if you should still start your Australian immigration process?

Did you have your sights set on immigrating to Australia? Has the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to your plans? With everything that is going on in the world, this might just feel like there are no more options anymore. These are very uncertain times, but there is one certain thing; you can still start your Visa process to migrate to Australia.

The Department of Immigration will soon release the quotas for the eligible occupations under the general skilled migration program, and you will notice that your occupation might not be represented on the skilled occupation list right now but this does not mean that it won’t be in the future and this should not stop you from starting your Australian immigration process! The department of immigration places a limit for the number of applicants who can be granted a visa based on their occupation and these limits are referred to “occupation ceilings”.

An occupation ceiling may be applied to invitations issued under the independent, skilled regional (provisional) visas. This means there will be a limit on how many EOIs can be invited for skilled migration from an occupation group, i.e Accountants. 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.

Occupation ceiling values are based on a percentage of stock employment figures for each occupation. Employment figures are provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and represent the number of people employed in Australia in each occupation.

Occupation ceilings do not apply to State or Territory Nominated, Employer Sponsored or Business Innovation and Investment visa subclasses.

In short, the purpose of the occupation ceilings is to help regulate the Australian labour market according to its needs and even if you are not invited for skilled migration, it will only apply for that program year and you will more than likely be invited for a skilled visa in the following program year.

As we mentioned, the new quotas will soon be announced and distributed to the state governments so by getting your application in early and being well-prepared will give you a higher chance of being selected. We are anticipating that the state governments will be overwhelmed with applications and will be able to cherry-pick the best of the best. Getting your application in early and being well-prepared when you submit your application will give you a higher chance of being selected.

While we are waiting for Australia’s state government to issue the new visa quotas, here are a few things you can do to be ready:

• Complete a skills assessment;
• Get all your documentation in order;
• Take the English language test;
• Gain more experience in your nominated occupation;
• Thoroughly research state government specific criteria before you apply.

The borders might be closed but getting your Visa application in the queue will ensure that your application can be processed as soon as your Australian opportunity arrives!

Are you ready to take the next step?

Complete our online visa assessment and we will provide free advice on your visa eligibility, visa options, and the next key steps.