Immigration To Australia & The New Points Test
Posted on: April 14, 2011
Australian Immigration has proposed a new points test that will apply to applications made from 1 July 2011, unless the applicant is eligible for transitional arrangements.
The pass mark under the new skills test is 65 points.
Age Points
The maximum age threshold for applicants will be raised from 45 to 49. While applicants aged 45-49 will be eligible to apply, no points will be awarded for age.
• 30pts 25 – 32
• 25pts 18 – 24 and 33 – 39
• 15pts 40 – 44
• 0pts 45 – 49
English Points
The threshold English language requirement will be Competent English, which is a minimum score of 6 in each of the four components of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test. No points will be awarded for English language where an applicant has Competent English. Points will only be awarded for Superior or Proficient English
• 20 Superior English (8 in each of the four components of the IELTS test)
• 10 Proficient English (7 in each of the four components of the IELTS test)
Australian work experience
• 15pts 5 years Australian work experience in the seven years before lodging an application
• 10pts 3 years Australian work experience in the five years before lodging an application
• 5pts 1 year Australian work experience in the two years before lodging an application
Overseas work experience
• 15pts 8 years overseas work experience in the ten years before lodging an application
• 10pts 5 years overseas work experience in the seven years before lodging an application
• 5pts 3 years overseas work experience in the past five years
Professional Year Points
5 points will be awarded to applicants who complete an approved Professional Year in their nominated occupation or a closely related skilled occupation.
Education Points
• 20pts PhD
• 15pts Bachelor Degree (including a Bachelor Degree with Honours or Masters)
• 10pts Diploma completed in Australia/ AQF III/IV completed in Australia / Offshore recognised apprenticeship
The new points test will only allow applicants to claim points for their highest level qualification.
To claim points for a qualification or apprenticeship obtained overseas, it will need to be recognised as being of a standard comparable to that awarded by an Australian education institution.
To claim points for an Australian qualification, the qualification must have been undertaken while the applicant was in Australia and it must have been completed as the result of a course of study that was at least two academic years.
Australia Study Points
Applicants who have studied in Australia and who have met the Australian study requirement will be eligible for 5 points under the new points test.
Regional Study Points
Under the new points test applicants who satisfy the Australia study requirement while studying in regional Australia will continue to be awarded an additional five points. These points will be available in addition to points claimed for the qualification and for meeting the Australian study requirement.
Community Language Points
The new points test will award 5 points to applicants who meet the requirements to claim points for community language.
The new points test will recognise applicants who are accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) in a designated language.
Points for designated language will no longer be able to be claimed on the basis of having obtained a qualification from a university where instruction was in that language.
Partner Skills Points
The new points test will continue to award 5 points where the primary applicant’s partner satisfies the threshold criteria for GSM.
Under the new points test, to claim partner points the primary applicant’s partner will need to meet the following criteria:
• be included on the same visa application as the primary applicant
• not be an Australian permanent resident or citizen
• be less than 50 years old at the time of application
• nominate an occupation on the Skilled Occupation List, and be assessed by the relevant assessing authority as having suitable skills for the occupation
• have Competent English
• have been employed in a skilled occupation for at least 12 months in the 24 months before the application is lodged
Sponsorship Points
• 5pts Nomination by a state or territory government under a state migration plan, for the purposes of a subclass 176 or 886 application.
• 10pts Nomination by a state or territory government under a state migration plan, or sponsorship by an eligible relative, to a regional area for the purposes of a subclass 487 or subclass 475 Skilled – Regional Sponsored application.
As part of the changes accompanying the introduction of the new points test, from 1 July 2011 applicants for the Skilled – Sponsored subclass 176 or 886 visa subclasses will need to be sponsored by a state or territory government under a state migration plan.
There will no longer be a permanent family sponsored skilled migration visa however eligible family members can still sponsor relatives under the provisional sponsored skilled migration visa. Holders of a provisional sponsored skilled migration visa may be eligible for a Skilled Regional (Residence) visa (subclass 887) after meeting certain eligibility criteria.
The new points test will continue to award points to applicants for a subclass 475 or subclass 487 who are sponsored to a regional area by an eligible family member or a state or territory government under a state migration plan. Holders of either of these provisional sponsored skilled migration visas may be eligible for a Skilled Regional (Residence) visa (subclass 887) after meeting certain eligibility criteria.
This information is of a general nature and should not be taken as authoritative legal advice for specific cases. Australia has a scheme that requires persons who give immigration assistance to be registered as migration agent. The writer, Mr. Sanjayai Kapoor is a registered migration agent based at Adelaide, Australia. You can contact the author by email at: contact@myimmigrationhelp.com
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