Overview of the General Skilled Migration 2017 – 2018

https://migrationalliance.com.au/immigration-daily-news/entry/2017-03-general-skilled-migration-skilled-occupations-list-sol-2017-2018-review-update.html

The type of a permanent residence visa given to points-tested skilled workers who would like to live and work in Australia is called the subclass 189 visa. This visa is for those who are not sponsored by a family member or an employer, or nominated by a territory or state government.

If you are interested to submit an application for this visa, an expression of interest would first need to be submitted, and then an invitiation would need to be sent through SkillSelect before the proper application. You don’t need to be inside Australia when you apply and when the visa is granted.

The subclass 189 visa is a permanent residence visa, and these are the benefits you, or any of your family members who have also been granted a visa, will be given:

• It lets you stay in Australia for an indefinite period of time
• It lets you work and study in Australia
• It lets you enrol in Australia’s scheme for health-related care and expenses, called Medicare
• It lets you apply for Australian citizenship, provided you are eligible
• It lets you sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
• It lets you travel to and from Australia for 5 years from the time the visa is granted (you are going to need a resident return visa or another visa to return to Australia)

Review of the Skilled Occupations List (SOL) 2017 – 2018

The agency responsible for giving advice to the head of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) regarding the composition of the Skilled Occupations List is the Department of Education and Training (DET). Occupations that would benefit from skilled migration for the purpose of meeting the medium to long term skill needs of our country’s economy are identified by the SOL.

A 2-step process is done in order to assess the suitability of an occupation in order to be included in the SOL. The 1^st step requires the identification of occupations that are most susceptible to the constraints of supply, (such as the duration of time needed to develop the skills required) and/or most likely to need the intervention of the government to deal with these constraints (such as the effect of shortage or the probably effect of supply side policies).

The 2^nd step involves the assessment of medium to long-term skill needs of the country’s economy for all of the occupations which have been identified during step one, to decide whether the occupation would benefit from skilled migration. Generally, an occupation will be able to satisfy step 2 if an excess of skilled workers is not likely to happen in the medium to long term. The assessment procedure during step 2 will be based on a number of indicators apart from the input of the stakeholder.

A number of occupations are removed and added to the Skills Occupation List each year, which takes effect on the 1^st of July.

The number of occupations that are taken off of the list is most probable to exceed to the number of added occupations. SOL 2017 – 2017 submissions have now been closed and a comprehensive review is now being made.

The Skilled Occupations List 2017-18 is going to come into effect on the 1^st of July, 2017.
In 2016, a number of occupations were added and removed to the list.

The occupations that have been added to the SOL from the 1^st of July 2016 are the following:

• Orthotist or Prosthetist (ANZSCO 251912)
• Audiologist (ANZSCO 252711).

The occupations that have been removed off of the SOL on the 1^st of July, 2016 are:

• Mining Engineer (Excluding Petroleum) (ANZSCO 233611)
• Petroleum Engineer (ANZSCO 233612)
• Metallurgist (ANZSCO 234912)
• Environmental Health Officer (ANZSCO 251311)
• Occupational Health and Safety Adviser (ANZSCO 251312)
• Dental Hygienist (ANZSCO 411211)
• Dental Prosthetist (ANZSCO 411212)
• Dental Technician (ANZSCO 411213)
• Dental Therapist (ANZSCO 411214).

In the mean time, the occupations below have been flagged to be removed during the last review:

• 133513 Production Manager (Mining)
• 221111 Accountant (General)
• 221112 Management Accountant
• 221113 Taxation Accountant
• 224111 Actuary
• 224511 Land Economist
• 224512 Valuer
• 231212 Ship’s Engineer
• 231213 Ship’s Master
• 231214 Ship’s Officer
• 232212 Surveyor
• 232213 Cartographer
• 232214 Other Spatial Scientist
• 233111 Chemical Engineer
• 233211 Civil Engineer
• 233212 Geotechnical Engineer
• 233213 Quantity Surveyor
• 233214 Structural Engineer
• 233215 Transport Engineer
• 233411 Electronics Engineer
• 233511 Industrial Engineer
• 233512 Mechanical Engineer
• 233513 Production or Plant Engineer
• 233911 Aeronautical Engineer
• 233912 Agricultural Engineer
• 233913 Biomedical Engineer
• 233914 Engineering Technologist
• 233915 Environmental Engineer
• 233916 Naval Architect
• 234611 Medical Laboratory Scientist
• 234711 Veterinarian
• 251211 Medical Diagnostic Radiographer
• 251212 Medical Radiation Therapist
• 252411 Occupational Therapist
• 262611 Podiatrist
• 252712 Speech Pathologist
• 253111 General Practitioner
• 253211 Anaesthetist
• 253312 Cardiologist
• 253315 Endocrinologist
• 253316 Gastroenterologist
• 253317 Intensive Care Specialist
• 253321 Paediatrician
• 253913 Obstetrician and Gynaecologist
• 253999 Medical Practitioners nec
• 271111 Barrister
• 271311 Solicitor
• 272314 Psychotherapist
• 272399 Psychologists nec
• 351311 Chef*
• 399111 Boat Builder and Repairer
• 399112 Shipwright

Source: https://www.education.gov.au/flagged-occupations-sol-2016-17

Skilled Occupations List (SOL) – What you should be doing

If you would like to submit an application for a subclass 189 visa, especially if the occupation you are interested to apply for is flagged, it is crucial to make sure that you lodge your expression of interest via SkillSelect and get an invitation to apply for the 189 visa before the 1^st of July 2017 as there is a probability (but not necessarily a guarantee) that the occupations mentioned above are going to be affected as part of the ongoing review. It is also not uncommon for unflagged occupations to be removed as part of the review procedure.

Just like the other visa subclasses, there are criteria that apply at the time of the submission of the application which need to be met so a favourable outcome will be received.