Recent Changes announced for Skilled Migration Program of Australia

There have been changes in the eligibility criteria for the Australian visa and the list of skilled occupations eligible for them has also been updated. The changes came into effect on 11th March 2019 and they include new requirements for employing overseas trained medical doctors.

Visa Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent – Points tested stream)

A new document (LIN 19/051) has been published and new occupations have been added to the list. There are now 212 occupations eligible for the visa and they are included in the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List.

Visa Subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated)

The new instrument i.e. the LIN 19/051 is also applicable for this subclass and the applicants can also look at the Short-term Skilled Occupations List for more information. They can also take aid from the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List so the immigrants can contribute to the local Australian economy. 427 skilled professions can now apply for an Australian visa through this program.

Combined List of Occupations
The lists have been updated according to the subclasses mentioned above. They also include the following information:

• The categorization of occupations based on the short-term, medium and long-term nature of the skills
• The visa subclasses a particular skilled worker is eligible for
• Occupational forewarnings to certain subclasses of visas

Note:

The following changes and requirements are not applicable on those individuals were granted a subclass 457 before 18th April 2017 which is still in effect or held a TSS visa when they were applying for another one. Those who applied for a subclass 457 visa before 18th April 2017 and were later granted one are also exempt from the above changes.