General%20Skilled%20Migration

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General Skilled Migration Robert
Bailey Industry Outreach Officer
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General Skilled Migration (GSM)

• You can apply to migrate as a skilled person
  independently, or you can be sponsored by an
  eligible Australian relative or State/Territory
  government.
• Requirements vary depending on which visa
  subclass you apply for.
• In addition to the basic requirements, some visas
  require that you be assessed against a points
  test and obtain a pass mark.
• There are two GSM streams Offshore (Outside
  Australia) and Onshore (In Australia).
• The Onshore stream is for recent graduates who
  have completed two years of study in Australia.

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Changes to GSM23 September 2009

• New priority processing Direction gives priority
  to applications with
• Employer sponsorship under ENS and RSMS
• State or Territory Sponsorship with occupation on
  CSL
• 3. Sponsorship by family with occupation on CSL
• 4. An occupation on the CSL (Accountants if over
  7.0 IELTS on all bands)
• 5. State or Territory Sponsorship with occupation
  not on CSL
• 6. An occupation on the MODL or Sponsorship by
  family with occupation not on CSL
• 7. All other applications listed on the SOL

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• Onshore GSM
• visa structure

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Onshore GSM Visa Structure
pass marks
120
100
100
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• Who can apply for an
• Onshore GSM visa

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Who can apply for an Onshore GSM visa?

• To lodge a valid application for an Onshore GSM
  visa, applicants must
• have either
• Held an eligible student visa in the last six
  months and met the two year study requirement or
• Have held a Trade Skills Training (TST), Skilled
  Recognised Graduate (subclass 476) or a Skilled
  Graduate (subclass 485), when applying for a
• Skilled Independent (subclass 885) or Skilled
  Sponsored (subclass 886) visa or
• Have held a Working Holiday Maker (WHM) or
  Occupational Trainee (OT) visa when applying for
  a Skilled Regional Sponsored (subclass 487)
  visa.

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• Core requirements when lodging a valid GSM
  application

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General Skilled Migration Important requirements
when applying for an Onshore visa

• Meet the age requirement
• Meet the two year study requirement (where
  applicable)
• Meet the English language threshold requirement
• Be the holder of an eligible visa
• Nominate a skilled occupation from the Skilled
  Occupation List (SOL) http//www.immi.gov.au/allfo
  rms/pdf/1121i.pdf
• Health and police clearances
• Pay the correct Visa Application Charge (VAC)

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• The Skilled Graduate
• (Subclass 485) visa

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Skilled - Graduate (Subclass 485)About this visa

• New visa category for overseas students who are
  unable to immediately qualify for GSM on
  completing their studies
• No work or study restrictions
• Not points tested
• Holders can reside anywhere in Australia
• No sponsorship or nomination is required from an
  eligible relative or potential employer
• Valid for 18 months from date of grant.
• Applicants can only hold this visa ONCE (as the
  primary visa holder)
• 485 visa holders can apply for a three year
  provisional or permanent GSM visa, or an employer
  sponsored visa at any stage of the visas
  validity

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Skilled Graduate (Subclass 485)
visaEligibility Requirements

• At time of application, main applicant must
• be under 45
• have met the two year study requirement in the
  last six months
• have evidence that they meet the English language
  threshold.
• have applied for a suitable skills assessment in
  their nominated 50 or 60 point occupation from
  the SOL which is closely related to their study
  (for which they were awarded a degree, diploma or
  trade qualification to meet the two year study
  requirement).

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New processing priorities for 485

• Priority processing for Subclass 485, in order
  of highest priority first
• persons who have completed a PhD at an Australian
  educational institution in Australia
• persons who have nominated an occupation on the
  CSL
• persons who have completed a Bachelor degree and
  a Masters degree at an Australian educational
  institution in Australia
• persons who have completed a Bachelor degree and
  an Honours degree (at least upper second class
  level) at an Australian educational institution
  in Australia
• persons who have completed a Bachelor degree or a
  Masters degree at an Australian educational
  institute in Australia
• all other valid applications are to be processed
  in the order in which they are received.
• Greater focus on the skills we need in a changing
  labour market

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• Pathways to Permanent
• Residence when holding a
• Skilled Graduate 485 visa

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Pathways for students via the Skilled - Graduate
visa

• Eligible Student visa
• Two years study
• in last 6 months
• Skills Assessment
• English
• Under 45

Employer Sponsored visa
Skilled Graduate Subclass 485

• 100 points
• Relative sponsor
• living in a
• designated area

• 100 points
• State/Territory
• Nominator

• 120 points

• 100 points
• State/Territory
• Nominator

• Two year residence
• One year work
• in regional Australia

• 100 points
• Relative sponsor

Skilled Independent Subclass 885
Skilled Sponsored Subclass 886
Skilled Regional Sponsored Subclass 487
Skilled Regional Subclass 887
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• Permanent Visa Options
• Skilled Independent (Subclass 885)
• Skilled Sponsored (Subclass 886)

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Permanent onshore visa options

• Student visa holders can directly apply for PR on
  completion of their studies
• Skilled Independent (Subclass 885) visa or
• Skilled Sponsored (Subclass 886) visa.
• Applicants MUST meet a range of basic
  requirements
• Under 45 when applying
• Meet the two year study requirement in the last
  six months
• Nominate an occupation from the SOL and receive
  suitable skills assessment in that occupation
• Meet the English language requirement
• Meet the prescribed pass mark and
• Obtain sponsorship or nomination (Skilled
  Sponsored Subclass 886 visa only)

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• Provisional Visa Option
• Skilled Regional Sponsored
• (Subclass 487) Visa

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Skilled Regional Sponsored (Subclass 487)About
this visa

• This visa allows an applicant to live and work or
  study in a Specified Regional Area in Australia
  for up to three (3) years.
• This visa is a 'provisional' visa.
• To be eligible for this visa an applicant must be
  either nominated by a participating State or
  Territory government or, be sponsored by an
  eligible relative living in a designated area of
  Australia.
• After an applicant has lived in a Specified
  Regional Area in Australia for at least two (2)
  years, and worked full time for periods totalling
  at least one (1) year, they can apply for
  permanent residence via the
• Employer Sponsored program or
• Skilled Regional (Subclass 887) visa.

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Skilled Regional Sponsored (Subclass 487)
VisaEligibility Requirements

• Has satisfied the two year study requirement in
  the last six months and study is closely related
  to the nominated occupation
• Suitable skills assessment
• Has been nominated by a state/territory
  government agency or sponsored by an eligible
  relative usually resident in a designated area of
  Australia
• Has competent English, or vocational English if a
  trade occupation nominated or
• Has concessional competent English if the
  applicant
• is sponsored by an eligible relative who resides
  in a State or Territory in which arrangements are
  established for suitable English language
  training and has paid the fee or charge for that
  training or
• is nominated by a State or Territory in which
  arrangements are established for suitable English
  language training and has paid the fee or charge
  for that training

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• State/Territory Nomination
• and
• Eligible Relative Sponsorship Requirements
• Skilled Regional Sponsored
• (Subclass 487 and 475) visas

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State or Territory Nomination for the Skilled
Regional Sponsored (Subclasses 475 and 487) Visas

• State or Territory Nomination
• If you are being nominated by a participating
  State or Territory government, you must agree to
  live in regional Australia or a low population
  growth metropolitan area.
• If you wish to move to another regional area to
  live and work, you must notify both your current
  and new nominating State or Territory government
  of this change.
• It is important to note that Nomination from a
  State or Territory government does not
  automatically result in the grant of a visa. Your
  application must also be assessed by the
  Department of Immigration and Citizenship against
  a number of visa-specific requirements. You will
  only be granted a visa if all requirements are
  met.

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Participating State and Territory governmentsfor
the Skilled Regional Sponsored (Subclasses 475
and 487) Visas

• Participating State and Territory governments for
  this visa are
• South Australia
• http//www.immigration.sa.gov.au/site/index.php
• Tasmania
• http//www.development.tas.gov.au/migration/
• Victoria
• http//www.liveinvictoria.vic.gov.au/ViewPage.act
  ion
• Western Australia
• http//www.migration.wa.gov.au/
• New South Wales
• http//www.business.nsw.gov.au/migration/skilled_
  migration.asp
• Queensland
• http//www.migration.qld.gov.au
• Northern Territory
• http//www.migration.nt.gov.au/

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• The Two Year Study
• Requirement

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The Two Year Study Requirement

• To meet the two year study requirement an
  applicant must have completed one or more
• degrees, diplomas or trade qualifications for
  award by an Australian educational
• institution as a result of a course or courses
• registered on the Commonwealth Register of
  Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students
  (CRICOS) see http//cricos.deewr.gov.au/
• completed as a result of at least two academic
  years study
• completed in a total of no less than 16 calendar
  months
• that the applicant studied in Australia while
  holding a visa that allowed study
• for which all instruction was conducted in
  English
• Applicants will need to demonstrate that they
• were in Australia for any component of their
  study undertaken online (to a maximum of 25)
• met the two year study requirement in the last 6
  months and
• their studies were closely related to their
  nominated occupation
• Students must have completed at least 92 weeks of
  CRICOS registered study

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The Two Year Study Requirement (cont)

• Intention is successful completion of the
  equivalent of two academic years study without
  benefit from credit or recognition of prior
  learning (RPL) which did not meet the conditions
  of the two year study requirement.
• First consider the standard duration of the
  applicants course/s as registered on CRICOS.
• In the simplest cases, where the student does not
  have any RPL
• if using a single course to meet the two year
  study requirement, the course must have a
  registered duration of at least 92 weeks or
• if the applicant is using more than one course to
  meet the two year study requirement, the courses
  must have a total registered duration of at least
  92 weeks.

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The Two Year Study RequirementExample of RPL and
university studies

• Applicant enrolled in a university course and
  received credit from
• earlier studies
• A student should be able to
• - determine whether this credit was granted on
  the basis of study which met
• the conditions of the two year study
  requirement (e.g. CRICOS registered, conducted
  in English, student was physically present in
  Australia etc)
• - compare the standard duration of the course
  registered on CRICOS and
• - the number of credit points necessary to
  complete the full course
• to determine how many credit points an applicant
  would need to successfully complete in two
  academic years in that course.
• For example
• If an applicant enrolled in a Bachelor course
  with a standard duration of 3 years that
  comprised 48 credit points, they would have
  completed two academic years study when they
  completed 32 credit points

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The Two Year Study RequirementAustralian
credited study which meets the two year study
requirement

• Can contribute towards meeting the two year study
  requirement
• May originate from an incomplete course
• Can only be counted once i.e. when courses
  overlap and both courses are used towards
  meeting the two year study requirement any
  credited study will not count a second time
  towards meeting this requirement
• Applicants should look at weighting of the
  credited study and not the weighting of the
  previous study for which credit was granted

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The Two Year Study RequirementSuspension or
De-registration of a course

• When a CRICOS registered course is suspended, the
  course is no longer listed on the CRICOS
  register. Students may need to provide evidence
  that the course was registered during the time
  they studied.
• When a CRICOS course is deregistered and the
  student continues with the course of study, this
  study cannot be considered towards meeting the
  two year study requirement.
• The only exception is where a course is
  deregistered less than two months before an
  applicant was due to complete the course, in
  which case it may be unreasonable to expect an
  applicant to change providers.

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MODL Review

• What
• A review of the MODL has commenced and is
  expected to be completed in late 2009.
• Aimed to make it a more strategic tool to
  identifying medium to long term skill needs.
• Why
• Develop a better link between skilled migrant
  employment outcomes and the national training
  agenda to ensure skilled migration is aimed at
  responding to future skill needs which cannot be
  addressed through domestic training and skills
  development.
• When
• Arrangements for the transition to the new MODL
  will be determined once the outcomes are settled.
  
• The Critical Skills List will remain in place and
  will be phased out following the review.
• Priority processing of CSL applications
• Occupations which are listed on the CSL currently
  receive priority processing - this will continue.
  Once the Review is finalised, arrangements for
  the phasing out the CSL will be announced.
• Nominated occupations currently on the MODL will
  continue to receive the specified MODL points
  until the Review is finalised.

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General Skilled Migration (GSM)

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