General Skilled Migration Australia - Visa classes 189, 190, 491/191

General Skilled Migration (GSM)

The General Skilled Migration program is aimed at attracting applicants with recognised skills and employment experience to live and work in Australia. Depending on your nominated occupation you can either apply independently or be nominated by a state or territory government or sponsored by a close relative residing in a designated area of Australia.

SkillSelect and the GSM points test

SkillSelect is the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) online system which enables you and your spouse to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) and record details such as your age, qualifications, work experience and English language test results to determine your points total. Please click here for a full summary of the points test.

What General Skilled Migration visa sub-classes can be applied for?

Skilled Independent visa for Australia - subclass 189

The Skilled Independent visa is a permanent GSM visa which does not require nomination by a state/territory government or sponsorship by a relative. Your nominated occupation must be on the Medium and Long Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL). Invitation rounds are targetted based on economic and employment trends. To view past and present invitation rounds please click on the following link - invitation-rounds

Skilled Nominated visa for Australia - subclass 190

The Skilled Nominated visa is a permanent GSM visa which requires you to be nominated by a state or territory government. You must also have a commitment to living and working in the nominating state or territory for 2 years. Successful candidates are awarded an additional 5 ponts for being nominated.

Skilled Regional Work visa for Australia - subclass 491/191 

The Skilled Regional Work visa for Australia is for applicants who are willing to live in a regional area of Australia (anywhere except Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane) for a minimum of 3 years. You can either be nominated by a state/territory government or sponsored by a close relative settled and residing in a designated area of Australia. If you are sponsored by a relative your nominated occupation must be on the MLTSSL and you will also be subject to invitation rounds. Holders of a subclass 491 visa will become eligible to apply for permanent residence (subclass 191 - Skilled Regional visa) providing they have lived and worked or studied in a designated regional area of Australia for a minimum of 3 out of a total of 5 years. Successful candidates are awarded an additional 15 points for being nominated or sponsored.

State/territory nomination criteria

Being invited to apply for nomination is at the sole discetion of the state and territory governments. Invitation rounds are ongoing but, we cannot predict when they will be held or advise if and when you will be invited to apply to be nominated but if you are nominated you will automatically receive an invitation from SkillSelect to apply for a visa. Places afre competitive and the pool of candidates is constantly changing with some occupations prioritised to reflect skilled shortages and demand. Applicants must generate a minimum of 65 points but some occupations may require additional points. Generally, applicants with the highest number of points will stand a better chance of being invited and therfore you should consider sitting an English language test to boost your points score. Consideration will generally be determined by factors such as your overal points score, committment to residing in the nominatying state or territory, the number of years work experience, specialised skills, employability, Englsh language skills, close ties and your financial capacity to settle in the nominating state or territory.

Visa stages

To be invited by the DHA to apply for a GSM visa your need to:

• have received a positive skills assessment in your nominated occupation
• have competent English
• achieve a minimum of 65 points 
• lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI)
• be nominated by a state or territory government if applying under subclass 190 or 491
• be under 45 years of age at the time of invitation
• meet health and character requirements

Invitation to submit an application

If you receive an invitation from the DHA, your application must be submitted within 60 days. Once your documents have been assessed and the claims made in your EOI have been verified by a DHA case officer, you will be instructed to arrange health and character checks to enable your application to be decided.  

Consultations

Complex visa legislation and policy can be difficult to interpret leaving you with more questions than answers. A consultation with the Registered Migration Agent will provide an opportunity for you to seek answers to your questions regarding the skilled visa process in a language you can understand. For example:

• Is my nominated occupation on a state or territory skills list?
• Will my qualifications be recognised by an Australian assessing authority?
• What are the maximum points I can claim?
• Is my points score enough to be nominated and invited?
• Do I need to achieve proficient or superior English?
• How much work experience can I claim points for?
• Where do I want to live in Australia?
• Am I prepared to reside in regional Australia?
• Am I able to meet state/territory criteria?
• Will special conditions or ranking reduce my prospect of being nominated?
• Will I need a job offer?
• How much funds are required to settle in Australia?.

Concept Australia charges a fee of £95 + VAT for a consultation which is deducted from the first stage of our fee outlined below should you appoint us as your migration agent within 3 months from the date of the consultation. 

What services can I expect to receive from Concept Australia?

Applying for a skilled visa is not a straightforward process and understanding how the migration regulations and policy will be applied to your application is complex requiring careful interpretation.

Concept Australia has been assisting people since 1991 to obtain skilled visas to reside in Australia and offers a full range of bespoke visa application services tailored to meet your specific requirements. All of our staff including the Registered Migration Agent (9901024) are based permanently in the UK and have previously held positions with the DHA. We work directly with our clients and do not sub-contract work out to other companies or individuals. We take responsibility for the entire management of your application and offer a personal service throughout the visa process so as to ensure that your case runs as smoothly as possible. If you decide to appoint Concept Australia to act on your behalf, a director with more than 15 years experience in skilled migration will take responsibility for managing your application throughout the visa process.

Our services include:

• A consultation to examine your visa options and discuss the visa process
• Completing the skills assessment and visa application forms
• Lodging your EOI once your skills have been recognised for migration purposes
• Ensuring claims made in your EOI can be substantiated and are correct
• Uploading all relevant documents to the online SkillSelect ImmiAccount
• Managing your application until your skilled visa is decided by the DHA
• Discussing any other issues such as health and character

Why should I only use an agent registered with MARA?

Registered Migration agents are managed by the DHA who is responsible for monitoring the conduct of registered migration agents both in and outside Australia. An agent registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) must meet professional standards and is accountable for the advice and information provided to its clients. MARA agents must subscribe to DHA migration regulations and undertake annual professional development activities to ensure they maintain up-to-date knowledge of migration law and procedure. For more information click here.

Making an initial enquiry for a preliminary assessment of your potential eligibility

Seeking advice at an early stage will provide you with a clear understanding of what you have to achieve to be invited to apply for a GSM visa for Australia. When you contact Concept Australia, an experienced staff member will provide you with an honest appraisal of your visa options. If you would like to know how we can assist you in obtaining a GSM visa for Australia, please complete the Enquiry form below and submit your details to Concept Australia.