What is the Current Status of the Australian Invitation Rounds 2024-25?

Each year, Australia strives to attract overseas skilled migrants through an annual migration program. For this purpose, the Australian government issues periodic invitation rounds via state and territory nominations throughout the year for:

• Skilled Independent Visa Subclass 190
• Skilled Work Regional ( Provisional) Visa Subclass 491: Family-Sponsored 

 

These Australian immigration invitation rounds are crucial for managing the general skilled migration intakes to fill the gap of skill shortages in Australia. In this post, I will explain the current status of Skillselect Invitation Rounds for Australian Visas throughout the year until December 2024.

 

Note: These rounds do not affect the state or territory government nominations for skilled visas. 

 

Before moving forward, let’s have a look at the latest outcomes of the Australian invitation round:

 

Key Outcomes of Recent Invitation Rounds 

The Department of Home Affairs announced the results of the latest Skillselect invitation round on November 7, 2024. Here is an overview of the number of EOIs invited for Australia’s skilled migration program. 

 

Visa Subclass Category	Total Invitations Issued	Date of Tie-Break (Month/Year)
Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)	15,000	01/2023
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional)—Family Sponsored	0	N/A

 

Accounting and Finance  

 

Occupation	Minimum Score
Accountant (General)	95
Actuary	85
Economist	90
Management Accountant	95
Taxation Accountant	85
External Auditor	85
Internal Auditor	90
Primary Health Organisation Manager	95

 

Engineering Industry

 

Occupation	Minimum Score
Aeronautical Engineer	85
Agricultural Engineer	90
Civil Engineer	85
Electrical Engineer	85
Mechanical Engineer	85
Mining Engineer (excluding Petroleum)	90
Petroleum Engineer	85
Structural Engineer	70
Transport Engineer	70
Telecommunications Engineer	85

 

IT and Technology Industry

 

Occupation	Minimum Score
Analyst Programmer	85
Developer Programmer	95
ICT Business Analyst	95
ICT Security Specialist	95
Software Engineer	95
Systems Analyst	95
Computer Network and Systems Engineer	95
Multimedia Specialist	85

 

Medical and Healthcare Industry

 

Occupation	Minimum Score
Audiologist	75
Biochemist	90
Cardiothoracic Surgeon	85
Clinical Psychologist	75
Dermatologist	75
General Practitioner	75
Medical Laboratory Scientist	75
Psychiatrist	75
Physiotherapist	75
Registered Nurse (General Categories)	70-75

 

Science and Research Industry

 

Occupation	Minimum Score
Agricultural Scientist	90
Environmental Consultant	90
Environmental Research Scientist	90
Marine Biologist	90
Zoologist	90

 

Trades and Technicians 

 

Occupation	Minimum Score
Airconditioning and Mechanical Services Plumber	70
Electrician (General)	65
Carpenter	65
Welder (First Class)	70
Cabinetmaker	65

 

Education Sector

 

Occupation	Minimum Score
Secondary School Teacher	70
Education Special Needs Teacher	70
University Lecturer	90

 

Other 

 

Occupation	Minimum Score
Architect	70
Dancer or Choreographer	90
Solicitor	85
Social Worker	70

 

Overall Invitations for the Migration Program 2024-25

 

Visa Subclass	July	Aug	Sep	Nov	Dec
Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)	0	7,973	0	15,000	0
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)—Family Sponsored	0	0	0	0	0

 

State and Territory Invitation Round for July to October 2024

 

Visa Categories	ACT	NSW	NT	QlD	SA	Tas	Vic	WA
Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)	182	188	120	53	994	519	843	268
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional)—State Nominated (491)	119	23	93	41	148	152	560	232

 

A Short Comparison of Invitation Round Australia

In the recent invitation round, Skillset Australia issued an enormous 15,000 invitations for the subclass 189 skilled independent visa. The minimum point score required can be different by occupation, with some in-demand occupations requiring a highest score of 95. 

 

In the previous invitation round, approximately 5,292 were issued on June 13, 2024, for both the Skilled Independent Visa subclass 189 and the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491). For this Australian immigration round, a minimum 65-point score was required. 

 

Further,  this current Australian invitation round, occupations like Registered Nurses and trades, including Carpenters and Bricklayers, have been crucial for meeting work gaps, which are seen by their lower minimum score. 

 

Key Features for the Australian Invitation Round

Here are some of the key features of Australia’s invitation round for the 2024-25 migration year

 

1. Visas Subclasses (Categories)

 

Skilled Independent Visa Subclass 189: 

Subclass 189 allows skilled workers to live and work in Australia as permanent residents.

 

Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa Subclass 491- Family Sponsored: 

Subclass 491 allows overseas skilled workers who want to live and work in regional areas of Australia.

 

 2. Invitation Rounds

Throughout the year, the invitation rounds are conducted periodically for skilled occupations. 

The number of invitations issued can differ depending on the number of applications on hand. 

 

Minimum Scores by Occupation

There are different occupations that have different minimum scores that are required for an invitation. For instance, accountants occupations required a minimum score of 95, while civil engineers required an 85 for invitation.

 

State and Territory Nominations:

The state and territory governments can nominate skilled workers across the world for certain visas that are not affected by the federal invitation round. 

 

Tie Breaking

If multiple applications have obtained the same score, then the date and time will be considered while determining who gets the first invitation.

 

Conclusion

I hope these outcomes of Australian invitation rounds and insights will be valuable for the potential skilled migrants who are waiting for the invitation for their prior Australian visa. This is going to be a historic round, more specifically for the subclass 189 invitations. Now, Australia is focusing on 189, apart from 190 and 491. 

 

This is a great opportunity for you to secure your migration visa in your prior region in Australia. As you know, there is very tough competition; you are required to improve your EOIs and submit them appropriately.

 

For this purpose, you need to consult with a skilled consultant at the Migration regarding your EOI’s application process and other essential, unique needs. They will guide you through your skilled migration journey.

Consult with our professional, skilled visa consultants now!

 

 

 

FAQs

Q: 1  What is the Invitation Round?

Invitation round is the process in the context of the Australian immigration process, where the Department of Home Affairs sends invites to the candidates to apply for certain types of general skilled migration visas for Australia. These invitation rounds are sent periodically throughout the migration program of the year. 

Q: 2 What is Occupation Ceiling?

The occupation ceiling is limiting the number of invitations for a skilled occupation group within the migration program of the year. This means that when the occupation ceiling is reached, invitations are filled with its set number; no further invitations will be issued for the occupation group for that particular program year.  

Q: 3  What are cut-off Points?

In the process of the Australasian migration program, cut-offs are minimum points score, which are required to receive an invitation to apply for a skilled migration visa in Australasia.