A piece of great news for skilled migrants has just been announced. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) formally received its final allocation last week for the current program year. The final allocation of ACT nominations received is a total of 4,050 nomination places. These numbers are a significant increase from the previous year’s final allocation of ACT nominations.
Final Allocation of ACT Nominations Places 2022-23
There has been a significant increase in the final allocation of ACT nominations places for the year 2022-2023. According to the updates, the total number of nomination places are
- 2,025 nomination places for the Skilled Nominated (190) visa subclass
- 2,025 nomination places for the Skilled Work Regional (491) visa subclass
- 10 nomination places for the Business Innovation and Investment Program
The distribution breakdown for the 491 and 190 nomination places has also altered significantly from prior years. The divide is now equal, when before there were more than 491 nomination slots available.
The settings for the ACT Skilled Migration program will be affected by this. As a result, please keep an eye out for revisions to the final allocation of ACT Nominations policy settings in the first half of 2023.
Any modifications to the final allocation of ACT Nominations Guidelines will go into effect right away after being announced, and the present policy settings won’t be carried over.
Things to Consider for Your Migration Options
There are a few things that the ACT Government advises all migrants to consider before making a decision.
To Submit An Application For The ACT Nomination
- The minimal Canberra Matrix score needed to be invited to submit an application for an ACT nomination of a 190 visa is probably going to decrease.
- This may start at as few as 70, and depending on the demand for each occupation, the number of places left, the number of Matrix submissions received, and the number of immigrants who have previously been nominated for that particular occupation, it may go even lower.
- It is strongly advised to everyone who is interested to submit a Canberra Matrix for 190 nominations.
To Receive An Invitation To Apply For The ACT Nomination
- The minimum Canberra Matrix score required to receive an invitation to apply for ACT nomination of a 491 visa will likely drop to as low as 60 initially, and possibly even further depending on occupation demand and the numbers of remaining places, Matrix submissions received, and migrants already nominated for that specific occupation.
- The scores above could go up or down depending on the quantity of Matrix submissions the ACT government receives (per occupation), their scores, and the number of migrants the government nominate (per occupation and per residency status).
- Note that there is no minimum score requirement and these scores are merely illustrative.
Invitation Rounds for the Final Allocation of ACT Nominations
An invitation round will be sent prior to Christmas by the ACT Government to get everything ready for the new year. Instead of two weeks, applicants will have three weeks to complete their applications in order to account for any challenges with gathering the necessary paperwork during this time. This will only be valid for this round of invitations.
The ACT Government will maintain fortnightly invitation rounds and the actual frequency may change depending on many factors. You may have observed that the required minimum score for some professions is already far lower than usual. The ACT Government evaluates the number of the final allocation of ACT nominations received for each occupation each month to make sure they are inviting a diverse group of candidates.
On a case-by-case basis, the government will consider decreasing the minimum score for jobs if they fall under a priority field and receive few Canberra Matrix nominations or submissions. You should also keep a close eye on the Skills Canberra website to know the minimum scores published.
The ACT Government also prioritizes raising the final allocation of ACT nominations for residents who are living abroad. This implies that there will be more invitations for foreign residents. The bulk of nominations is still for ACT residents, despite the fact that there have been more invitations sent out than nominations to date.
Reasons for Refusals
There are many reasons that can result in your refusal. Some major reasons are listed below
Present Employment
Evidence of current employment for foreign residents remains a major factor in the refusal of your nomination. Separate from proving the claimed employment matrix points, all applicants must successfully demonstrate that they are working in a real occupation currently. This means that we require employment records up until the invitation date (not the date of Canberra Matrix submission).
Claimed ACT Residence
Receiving evidence for the duration of the stated ACT residence is one of the persistent grounds for refusal (up to the date of invitation, not Canberra Matrix submission).
Incomplete Documentation
Missing documents and English tests or skill assessments that were valid at the time of Canberra Matrix submission but invalid when assessed Before submitting applications are also a big reason for refusal. Please carefully read the official requirements and make sure you have successfully proved all claims and have provided the complete documents.
Applications are not assessed until the correct contact information is provided. Lastly, please label all attached documents correctly, and do not attach anything unnecessary. If the ACT government didn’t ask for it, don’t attach it. If you do attach it, label it appropriately.
This will really help speed up processing times for your application.
Concluding Remarks
The total final allocation of ACT nomination places has been increased and as a result, more foreign applicants will be considered for nominations. This is great news for all applicants for skilled visas. Canberra Matrix is currently accepting applications from abroad for both 190 and 491 nominations.
There may be a cap on the number of the final allocation of ACT nominations included on the Critical Skills List. As soon as ACT reaches its monthly quota, it will not send further invitations.
If you want to apply for skilled migration in Australia, then book a consultation with The Migration’s professional consultant or you can visit our website for more information.
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I, Muhammad Azeem, am a seasoned content writer specializing in visa and immigration services. Passionate about making the immigration process smoother and more accessible, I combine thorough research with clear and engaging writing.
When not writing, I enjoy exploring new cultures and staying updated on the latest trends in immigration policy.