Interested in applying for Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) or Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491) visa? Currently, all state and territories are closed and not issuing new nominations. States and Territories are waiting for the Federal government to announce the new quota for the 2020-21 program year.
SC 190 and SC 491 visa are based on a Points Test system where points are given to applicants for several categories to ensure that Australia is attracting highly skilled workers. Whilst being able to score 65 points would put you in the queue, it does not guarantee you a visa.
We have compiled a list of ideas to help you maximise your points and your chance to get a General Skilled Visa in Australia while you wait for the 2020-21 year migration program to open up:
English Test
For General Skilled Migration visas, applicants must have at least Competent English. However, you can earn an extra 10 or 20 points by taking an English test to show that you have either Proficient or Superior English:
Proficient English – 10 points
IELTS – At least 7 for each of the 4 test components
TOEFL iBT – At least 24 for listening, 24 for reading, 27 for writing and 23 for speaking
PTE Academic – At least 65 for each of the 4 test components
OET – At least B for each of the 4 test components
Cambridge C1 Advanced Test – At least 185 in each of the 4 test components
Superior English – 20 points
IELTS – At least 8 for each of the 4 test components
TOEFL iBT – At least 28 for listening, 29 for reading, 30 for writing and 26 for speaking
PTE Academic – At least 79 for each of the 4 test components
OET – At least A for each of the 4 test components
Cambridge C1 Advanced Test – At least 200 in each of the 4 test components
Credentialed Community Language Test
Do you speak another language? If you are fluent in another language, consider taking a Credentialed Community Language (CCL) assessment. Successful completion of the CCL would allow you to gain 5 additional points.
You can read more about the CCL here.
Skills Assessment
A requirement of the SC 190 and SC 491 is that you have a positive skill assessment. Skill assessments are issued by the relevant skills assessing authority which essentially check whether your experiences and qualifications meet the standards of work relevant to your occupation. For example, Engineers would have their skills assessed by ‘Engineers Australia’ and Accountants can have their skills assessed by ‘CPA Australia’, ‘CAANZ’ and ‘IPA’.
Each assessing authority has its own timeline and procedures in assessing your experience. Therefore, it would be crucial to spend time to go through the requirements of the skills assessing authorities and start preparing all the relevant documentation. Preparing documents could take time, especially if you have worked overseas or completed your studies abroad, as documents not in English must be translated. It may also take time to gather documents from overseas. Thus, it is wise to start preparing early.
If you have a partner, spouse or de facto, you may also be able to claim an additional 5-10 points depending on the partner’s age, educational qualification/occupation and English language skills.
More information on partners points can be found here.
Prepare your documents
Following on from the above, it is important that you start preparing your documents early. To lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) and State Nomination for SC 190 and SC 491, you need to have:
- Identity documents (e.g. passport and national ID)
- Skills Assessment documents (e.g. work reference letters and payslips)
- English Language Test
Bearing in mind that if your documents are not in English, you must have them translated by a NAATI translator. Besides, gathering documents such as work reference letters and payslips may be time-consuming as you would have to contact your previous employers.
Talk to a migration agent or an immigration lawyer
Applying for a General Skilled Migration Visa can be confusing as there are small intricacies in migration law. To alleviate your stress and worry about how to apply for the visa, you can book a time with us to help you understand the processes to make sure that you are on the right track.
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