New Immigration Rules allocate places to best and brightest migrants

Intending skilled migrants who want to come to Australia will have to ask permission to apply from 1 July 2011.

From  1 July 2011, applicants for the Independent Skills category, Family Sponsored, State/ Territory Sponsored visa, Business Skills will have to lodge an online Expression of Interest ( EOI ) and wait for an invitation before they can make a formal application.Applicants will have to meet the English language and the skill assessment requirements and ensure that they will meet the new pass mark of 65 points before  considering lodging an EOI.

Although not a requirement, skilled applicants who would like to be considered under the Subclass 457 visa or the Permanent Employer Sponsored visa should also consider lodging an EOI. Under the new scheme, registered employers, state and territory  will have the facility to search and contact the skilled workers they need for the job from the data base.

Expression of Interest (EOI) will be ranked. EOI from Independent/ Family sponsored applicants are  electronically ranked according to the points score.

If selected, the applicant will be invited and can then lodge a visa application. Invitation is only valid for 2 months so it will be necessary to finalize the necessary documentation to lodge a visa application in time.If applicant is not invited, the EOI will remain in the data base for a period of two years from the date it was submitted. There is a chance that the applicant’s EOI may be selected in the subsequent invitation round. If the applicant’s circumstances change, he/ she must update his/her details.

The Immigration Department website says the new system will help “deliver the skills Australia needs by matching the best and brightest migrants to the available places in the migration program”.

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The author

Lita Mahle is a Registered Migration Agent and director of PRT Corp based in Dandenong, Victoria and an office in the Philippines. For more information about this article, email Ms Mahle on info@palmsimmigration.com or visit her website
www.palmsimmigration.com.