Skilled independant migration... 2024-2025

What’s in store for Australian Migration in 2024-2025?

With the change of the financial year soon approaching, the Department looks forward towards its migration plan.  This mainly relates to how many visas to allocate to different areas of the migration program and how some visas can be changed or removed altogether to better service Australia’s needs. The Department has released their planning levels and overall, there has not been a great adjustment in migration numbers.  A reduction of only 5000.

Where we have seen a significant change is to the Skilled Migration program for those looking to migrate independently.  The financial year 2023-2024 saw 30,375 visa allocations; now it is reduced to 16,900. This is most likely due to the TSS 482 Visa short-term stream now open to permanent residency, so they needed to balance up those visa numbers.  This year there were only 36,825 places whereas next year, that increases to 44,000.
At the moment there is consultation in regards to how the Skilled points system can be modified to better suit the program; how partner should be better considered in the points system; education levels and of course, the skilled occupation list. However at this stage, all remains the same and when changes are announced we will be there to let you know all the details.  In the meantime….

Is independent skilled migration still possible? Of course it is!!

Although the Department has reduced independent Skilled Migration numbers, they have actually increased Government sponsored skilled visas – for both major cities and regionally.  This year State/Territory allocated visas was 30,400… next year sees that increase to 33,000.  What will be interesting to see is what number of visa placements will be given to each state and territory; and in turn how will those State and Territory governments balance their allocation.

The Skilled program for Government sponsorship has somewhat closed for this year, in that each state has either closed their programs or exhausted their allocation. So now is the perfect time to continue getting your documents ready for when the new program opens in the coming months.

1. Skills Assessment – these can take months to obtain!  Make sure you are applying with all the documents the assessors need to avoid any further delay or possible refusal.  Engaging with a migration agent to help you determine if you will meet the requirements and assist with putting together a successful application is worth every cent!
2. English test – even if you are holding an eligible passport and don’t need to sit a test to pass this component, you may actually benefit from doing so.  As the visa is points based, the more points you score, the more likely you are to be selected… so study hard and obtain those top points rather than relying on your passport to pass.
3. Work experience – every month of formal paid full-time work is extremely valuable in building your professional experience.  Make sure it is as closely related to your tertiary study as possible. Areas most likely to garner a visa invitation will be those who are in fields of work that are highly desirable and lacking in Australia: health professionals; teachers; construction industry; specialist IT; engineering specialists.   
4. Research the states and territories of Australia to determine which interest you in terms of their lifestyle, population, climate and possibility of obtaining employment.  You can then focus on their priorities when selecting candidates – for example: WA were focusing on construction and trades; VIC focused on high English scores; others focused on work experience. Also, do not avoid the regional program.  Yes, you may need to be outside a major city for a few years, but once your PR is granted, you are free to live and work anywhere in Australia.  Who knows, you may actually like it and stay.  Short-term pain for long-term gain!
   
   

Great Australian Migration offers a FREE Skilled Migration eligibility check to see if you meet the program needs.  Take advantage and send through your resume ensuring the following details are included:
- date of birth and marital status
- tertiary education and qualifications: name of studies and timeframe of study
- work experience: title and task responsibilities; date frame of employment
- English level: if you have taken a formal test, please advise the result.  If not, you can use this guide to provide an approximate level: https://ielts.org/organisations/ielts-for-organisations/compare-ielts

The services offered by a registered migration agent are worth the investment.  At Great Australian Migration we promise to give you a fair and honest assessment!