1 July 2018
Breaking News – Pool and Pass Mark for GSM will increase to 65 points from the 1st July. In the last year we saw a lower number of invitations issued by the Australian Government whilst the points score required to receive an invitation continued to increase. English scores have now become more important than ever.
Skilled Independent 189 and Family Sponsored 489 Visas
Applicants trying to secure an invitation to apply for the Skilled Independent subclass 189 visa should be trying to build up a minimum score of 75 points, an increase from 70 points in recent months. This applies to all non-pro rata occupations meaning that all occupations that traditionally were invited at 60 or 65 points, now require 75 points.
This also applies to Registered Nurses, Managements Consultants, trade occupations and all other non-pro rata occupations sitting on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL).
Family Sponsored subclass 489 applicants are expected to reach 80 points before being considered for an invitation. Despite the fact that the points necessary are very high, invitations are very slow. . On average, up to 5 invitations are being issued per round.
Pro Rata Occupations
Below is a summary of points required for pro rata occupations by occupational category:
- Accountants: 80
- Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers: 80
- ICT Business and System Analysts: 75
- Software and Applications Programmers: 75
- Electronics Engineer: 75
- Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers: 75
- Other Engineering Professionals: 75
- Computer Network Professionals: 75
Skilled Nominated Subclass 190 Visa
It is still possible to be invited for the Skilled Nominated Subclass 190 Visa with only 60 points (before being awarded the additional 5 points for the State or Territory Nomination), and a Regional Sponsored Subclass 489 visa with a total of 55 points (before being awarded the additional 10 points for the State or Territory Nomination) . These are great options for those struggling to meet the point score of 75 however, requires the nominated occupation to be on the chosen State’s occupation list and additional criteria to be met as prescribed by each State.