Dear John, 
I am a qualified carpenter by trade. 
I met the 120 points needed to apply for my Skilled Independent Visa and was getting it ready when Immigration announced the new Skilled Occupation List won’t be out until July 1 (2010). I also heard the points are changing. Will carpenters be able to apply on July 1 and how can I check if I still meet the points test?
Brian.

Dear Brian,

On May 8, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) put a hold on accepting skilled independent and State sponsored skilled visas until the New Skilled Occupations List (SOL) comes in to force on July 1. The new list has been released and the good news is that carpenters are still on the list.

DIAC has also announced that the points system will not change on July 1, so if you have calculated your points correctly, and have your migration skills assessment done, you should be able to lodge a skilled application on or after July 1.

The points system is under review by the government but changes are not expected to come in until much later this year or early 2011.

The new SOL uses new six-digit occupation codes based on ANZSCO instead of the old ASCO codes.

It’s important you check for, and use, the correct new occupation code on your visa application especially if your skills assessment was done under the old four-digit ASCO codes. DIAC have said that they will release a report on July 1 showing which old codes match the new occupation codes.

The new SOL is much shorter than the old list, limiting the occupations that can apply for independent visas.

However, there are still lots of permanent visa opportunities via the current and much longer Employer Nomination Scheme Occupations List (ENSOL). 
(www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/1121i.pdf) This lists occupations that can be sponsored by an employer.

ENSOL will also be the baseline of occupations that can be sponsored by an Australian State government on its new Migration Occupation Plans also due for release from July 1.

Check individual state websites for details (for example, www.migration.wa.gov.au)
The classification codes will also change on ENSOL, the long list will be much as it is now but the new codes  may also mean a few of the occupation titles will be updated particularly in IT and engineering roles.

Employer and state sponsored visa applications will be the fast track options to permanent migration after July 1.

DIAC has yet to announce what priority will be given to visa applications. With occupations on the new SOL, industry expectation is that the new SOL will get the same priority as the old Critical Skills List (CSL), i.e. processed in less than 12 months.

Expect to see an announcement from DIAC on July 1 and watch this space for details.

Before you commit to making an application consider having your situation professionally assessed by a registered migration agent.

Irish reports of Australian visa cuts have been dismissed as 'scare mongering' by a Sydney-based migration agent.

A Sydney-based Irish migration agent has said recent reports in Ireland that Australia is about to cut back its immigrant numbers is “scare mongering”.

“Some of the press in Ireland have been reporting that people are going to have their applications cancelled. I think that’s scare mongering to be quite honest,” said John McQuaid.

Mr McQuaid says the Australian Government is about to make some changes to the immigration system partly because of a massive over representation of accountants, hairdressers and cooks in recent years’ migrant numbers.

He says Australia has been looking at introducing a cap on individual occupations due to the number of overseas students studying here to get a qualification just to apply for skilled migration, regardless of whether or not they ended up working in that occupation.

“If they were able to introduce a law to cap occupations they could turn around and say ‘we’ll only accept 2,000 applications for accountants each year’ … then [the remainder of applicants] would have to reapply the following year,” he said.

“There has been an ongoing review of different areas of the whole migration system. Most of the review has already taken place and there already have been changes taking place over the last few months.

“The biggest new change that’s coming up is the new Skilled Occupation List. That won’t come into force until the end of June or mid-July.

“It is expected that the new occupations list will be much shorter. There won’t be as many occupations on it,” said Mr McQuaid.

The Department of Immigration has indicated it wants to target the skilled migration programme towards employer and state sponsorship and has asked each state government to produce its own skilled migration plan. That plan will list the occupations in demand in each state.

“There is also what is called the ENSOL list, the Employer Nomination Scheme Occupation List. It shows occupations, some of which are eligible for independent applications and some of which are only eligible for employer nomination,” said Mr McQuaid.

“So the expectation is that when the new list comes into force that some occupations will not have the opportunity to apply independently.

“They will have to apply for state sponsorship or employer sponsorship.”

A spokeswoman for the Minister of Immigration Senator Chris Evans said that the new list of occupations to be prioritised by Australia will be released “mid year”.

Immigration looks set to be a key issue in the forthcoming election as Australia deals with increasing numbers of asylum seekers and debate rages over the nation’s ideal population.