Changes to the General Skilled Migration Programme

Changes to the General Skilled Migration Programme

Changes to the General Skilled Migration programme (GSM) will be introduced on 1 September 2007. People who have made an application for a skilled visa on or before 31 August 2007 will not be affected by the changes.

Changes will include:
• increasing the English language threshold for GSM visa applicants
• rewarding GSM visa applicants who have very good English language proficiency
• greater emphasis on skilled work experience
• introduction of a new temporary work visa for graduates
• simplifying the GSM visa structure.

The threshold level of English language proficiency will be raised from an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 5 (vocational) to 6 (competent) on all four components. However, applicants applying for trade occupations will be required to meet the current threshold of an IELTS score of 5.
Under the points test system, bonus points will be given to applicants who achieve English language scores above the threshold level and additional points will be allocated for skilled work experience in Australia.

Note:
Migration Occupation in Demand List (MODL) points will only be awarded to applicants with at least 12 months experience in their nominated occupation or one that is closely related.
To ensure skilled migrants have the skills Australian employers need, there will be tighter requirements on links between study, work experience and nominated occupation.
International students who are unable to meet the new requirements for a permanent skilled visa will have an opportunity to apply for an 18 month Skilled-Graduate (subclass 485) to build on their skills and work experience. This visa will have unrestricted work rights.

The changes aim to ensure that overseas students who decide to stay on in Australia after completing their studies have a much better chance of competing for jobs in their chosen vocation.
There are currently 15 GSM visa subclasses available to people onshore and offshore, who are wishing to apply to migrate to Australia. Under the new visa structure, this will be reduced to nine visa subclasses - four offshore and five onshore. This new structure enables applicants to more easily identify the visa subclass best suited to their circumstances.

Changes Decoded

What is the purpose of the changes?
The Australian government has introduced the changes because it wants international students who apply for a GSM visa to have a stronger understanding of the English language and to have more work experience in their relevant field.
The changes aim to ensure that overseas students who decide to stay on in Australia after completing their studies have a much better chance of competing for jobs in their chosen vocation. It also addresses the skills shortages that Australia is currently facing as students will have an incentive to work in the area of their qualification, and not just acquire a qualification which they don’t intend to work in for the sake of gaining permanent residency.

What does it mean to us?
To achieve these goals the basic changes to the GSM visa rules are:
A higher English language proficiency threshold (this is the level of English expertise required to be eligible for a GSM visa) as measures by the IELTS test. The threshold level will be raised from an IELTS score of 5.0 (vocational) to 6.0 (competent) on all four components. (However, applicants applying for trade occupations will be required to meet the current threshold of an IELTS score of 5.0.)

• Under the points test system, bonus points will be given to applicants who achieve IELTS scores above the threshold level and additional points will be allocated for skilled work experience in Australia.
• Changes to the points test so that applicants are rewarded for better English skills and more skilled work experience and completion of advanced tertiary courses.

Some more detail about the key changes:
1. Bonus points will be given to applicants who achieve IELTS scores of 7.0 (with no band less than 6.0) or above. Students enrolled in a TAFE qualification which requires only an overall score of 5.5 or those in a preliminary ELICOS program with a 5.0 IELTS score will clearly have to improve their English proficiency before applying for any of the GSM categories, on completion of their course. The demand for IELTS testing (and preparatory programs) will therefore grow strongly (both in Australia and other locations such as India where there is high demand for migration) as students will be able to score more points through their IELTS scores.
2. Additional points will be allocated for skilled work experience in Australia.
• Courses with inbuilt internship modules will be highly sought after. At the vocational level, students will converge on courses which have the stipulated 900 hours of work based training.
• Students who have completed Australian degrees and require training as part of their professional registration requirement, either in Australia or in India, like accounting, will be able to apply for Occupational Trainee Visa (Subclass 442) and gain this experience.
• Diploma holders who wish to gain some experience in a regional area can also opt for the Trade Skills Training Visa (Subclass 471)
3. Migration Occupation in Demand List (MODL) points will only be awarded to applicants with at least 12 months experience in their nominated occupation or one that is closely related.
4. Tighter requirements on links between study, work experience and nominated occupation.

What are the options for students who do not qualify for PR under the new rules?
International students who are unable to immediately meet the new requirements for a permanent skilled visa will have an opportunity to apply for an 18 month Skilled-Graduate (subclass 485) to build on their skills, further improve their English proficiency and gain work experience. This visa will have unrestricted work rights and is not points tested Students can apply for a permanent or provisional GSM or an employer sponsored visa at any time. This temporary visa is likely to be attractive to many international students who would like the opportunity to work in Australia for a period after the completion of their course.
Students can also apply for any of the temporary residency categories such as the Skilled Independent Regional (Provisional) Visa – subclass 495.
Those with prior work experience in India (relevant to their course of study) may also be able to get an employer to sponsor them under the Business Visa Long Stay (457 subclass) and work in Australia up to 4 years.

When will these changes come into effect?
Changes to the General Skilled Migration program (GSM) will be introduced on 1 September 2007. Students graduating prior to July 2007 and making an application for a skilled visa on or before 31 August 2007 will not be affected by the changes. This will certainly see a rush in applications for PR (under the existing subclasses) from current graduates who might not qualify under the new rules.

Important Points
• Students who wish to apply onshore for any of the GSM categories , must do so within six months of completing their course. Otherwise they have to return to India and apply.
• To qualify, they must have completed a CRICOS registered single qualification requiring at least two (2) years full-time study or more than one qualification resulting in a total period of at least two (2) years full-time study. Two (2) years full-time study could also means four (4) terms/semesters over a total period of at least 16 months.(eg. Bond University courses)
• Students who have undertaken Australian degrees in Dubai, Singapore etc , online / distance education programs do not qualify for the onshore GSM categories for overseas students.
• Students who are unable to declare financial resources upfront for 2 years of study, can opt for a one year program (Grad.Dip or Masters) which can be upgraded in Australia on completion of the first qualification. This second qualification can be undertaken at the same education institution or at another education institution.
Source http://www.immi.gov.au

Written by admin on May 15th, 2007 with no comments.
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