On 10 May 2011, as part of the 2011–12 budget allocation for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Minister Chris Bowen MP announced that funding has been allocated to assist with the development of a new Skilled Migrant Selection Model (the Model).
It is proposed that the Model will be a two stage process whereby potential applicants first register their claims for skilled migration through an online Expression of Interest (EOI), and subsequently may be invited to make an application for a visa. This is a significant change from the current situation, as applicants for independent or state/territory sponsored migration will require an invitation to lodge a visa application. The Model will ensure a match between the number of applicants and the number of available program places and consequently, the selection of the best and brightest migrants as well as streamlined processing times.
The visa subclasses which will be affected by the Model are:
- Skilled – Independent (Migrant) subclass 175
- Skilled – Sponsored (Migrant) subclass 176
- Skilled – Independent (Residence) subclass 885
- Skilled – Sponsored (Residence) subclass 886
- Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) subclass 475
- Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) subclass 487.
For further information, you can read the article in here.
