Australia has recently introduced a major change in how skilled visas are prioritized and as per this, the skilled visa applications for teachers and healthcare workers are now being assessed within just three days. The Department of Home Affairs has also stopped using the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List(PMSOL) for ranking skilled visa applications. This decision was taken as the List was found to be out-dated and no longer reflecting the shortage of workforce across Australia.
The PMSOL was introduced in September 2020 and it included 44 occupations previously identified as part of the wider Skilled Migration Occupation List (SMOL). The aim of PMSOL was to fast-track the processing of visa applications for these occupations amid the COVID-19 pandemic recovery. But its usage was discontinued from October 28, 2022.
The list mainly included engineers, chefs, accountants, psychiatrists, programmers and pharmacists, besides nurses and doctors. But the list did not have teachers.
The latest change applies to all the skilled visa nomination and visa applications which are yet to be decided. The change is also applicable to new applications including temporary, employer-sponsored and regional visas.
The new order of priority for skilled visa applications is as follows:
- Healthcare or teaching occupation applications;
- For employer-sponsored visas, applicants nominated by an Approved sponsor with Accredited Status;
- Those for a designated regional area;
- For permanent and provisional visa subclasses, visa applications that count towards the migration program, excluding the Subclass 188 (Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional)) visa;
- All other visa applications.
In each of these categories, priority is given to those applicants who are located outside Canada and have applied for provisional and permanent skilled visa applications.
The visa categories for which the latest change is applicable are as follows:
- Subclass 124 (Distinguished Talent)
- Subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme)
- Subclass 187 (Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme)
- Subclass 188 (Business Innovation and Investment) (Provisional)
- Subclass 189 (Skilled – Independent)
- Subclass 190 (Skilled – Nominated)
- Subclass 191 (Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional))
- Subclass 457 (Temporary Work (Skilled))
- Subclass 482 (Temporary Skill Shortage)
- Subclass 489 (Skilled – Regional (Provisional))
- Subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional (Provisional))
- Subclass 494 (Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional))
- Subclass 858 (Global Talent)
- Subclass 887 (Skilled – Regional)
- Subclass 888 (Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent).
The experts are of the opinion that the latest change would accelerate the processing of visa applications. At the same time, Australia is planning to introduce more changes after assessing the effectiveness of the current Skilled Migration Occupation List. Australia has also effectively brought down the backlog of visa applications. Since June 1 this year, Australia’s Department of Home Affairs has finalised more than 43,000 temporary skilled and 47,000 permanent skilled visas.
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