Victoria’s Skilled Migration Program for 2021-2022

Victoria’s skilled migration program for the financial year 2021-2022 is currently open for application to seek nominations. There has been a total allocation of 3500 places for subclass190 visa and 500 places for subclass 491 visa. To understand under which sectors the places have been assigned and how to apply for a successful nomination this brief guide has been designed. As evident from the place allocation, Victoria is focusing more on subclass 190 visas relative to subclass 491 visas. This is in response to Victoria’s plans to deal with the current Covid situation and also to holistically benefit the state post pandemic.

Therefore, Victoria has made some significant changes to the visa requirement and it’s target sector revolves around STEMM skills. A detailed analysis on what STEMM skills are will be discussed shortly, followed by a brief step-by-step guide on how to make an application for state nomination.

In the 2021-2022 skill migration program of Victoria, following changes have been made:

The minimum experience and the minimum work hour required has been crossed off.
The target sectors have been broadened to accommodate more occupations that include STEMM skills.
The occupation the application is seeking nominations under is required to have STEMM skills and the occupation should classify under either Skill Level 1 or Skill Level 2. If you have an occupation of Skill Level 3 under the STEMM skills then you may qualify for applying for subclass 491 nominations.

It’s apparent that if your occupation belongs to the target sector then you are eligible to apply for state nominations for either subclass 190 or subclass 491. The relaxation of the minimum requirements and the broadening of the target sectors gives your application a higher chance of success. But it’s also important to keep in mind that this opens the gateway for more applicants therefore, the competition, particularly for subclass 491 that only got 500 places, might be quite stiff. Thus, extra care must be taken when applying so that you are putting forward the best application with a higher scope of success.

At Path Migration, we have handled numerous applications for subclass 190 and subclass 491 nominations. We have helped many of our clients with temporary visas receive invitations to apply for permanent visas. This includes international students, professionals and entrepreneurs.

STEMM

Occupation that includes STEMM skills refers to the occupation under the following branches.

Science
Technology
Engineering
Mathematics
Medicine

The Department of Education, Skills and Employment has listed 108 occupations as STEMM occupations. Therefore, if you are considering applying for a state nomination, it’s very important to first check if your occupation is listed under the STEMM list or not.

Target Sector

To help better combat the current Covid19 situation and ensure a faster economic recovery post pandemic, Victoria is focusing on the following target sectors.

Health: The occupations in the health sector are not limited to the provision of medical services only, such as physicians and nurses. Rather it also includes anyone working in the health sector, for example software developers working to develop a hospital’s software. It also includes any occupation in the health sector that is related to education, research and development.

- - For applicants in the nursing profession it is important to note that nomination applications are only accepted for applicants with specific specifications. This includes:
    - Midwife– 254111
    - Registered Nurse (Aged Care)- 254412
    - Registered Nurse (Critical Care and Emergency)- 254415
    - Registered Nurse (Mental Health)- 254422
    - Registered Nurse (Perioperative)- 254423
    - Registered Nurse (Paediatrics)- 254425

Medical research: This sector includes occupations that conduct research in universities and research institutions. Any activity that involves clinical trials , development of drugs, the production of health products and medical devices, along with any activity that contributes to digital health will be considered under the medical research category. Bottomline, if you are using your STEMM skills to facilitate the medical research in Victoria, you will be considered to be belonging to this sector.

Life Sciences: This sector is composed of a variety of big industries, such as: medical technology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Furthermore, industries dealing with food processing, nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals are also considered to be included in this sector.

Digital: This sector includes industries and occupations that incorporate the use of technology and innovation, designed to propel economic growth, raise productivity and the competitiveness in Victoria.

- - But it must be noted that currently Victoria is only accepting state nomination applications from individuals with cyber security skills for subclass 190 visa nomination.
  - Applicants in any other segment of the digital sector can instead make applications for the subclass 491 visa nominations.
  - Additionally, if you do have digital skills and it’s being utilized in other target sectors then you can nominate your occupation under that target sector.
  - Example includes- software engineers working in medical research.

Agri-food: If your occupation involves high skills for developing mechanisms for food growth and production, or if you are working to modernise Victoria’s agri-food sector, then you can apply for state nomination under this sector. However, do note that you only qualify for application if you are using your STEMM skills for innovation in this sector, which includes and not limited to conducting research and development and advanced manufacturing.

Advanced manufacturing: If your occupation includes using STEMM skills to promote innovation in the defence and aerospace industry then you might consider applying for a state nomination under this sector. The activities in your occupation may also include research and development, design, supply chain management that promotes global competitiveness through the incorporation of technology.

New energy, emissions reduction and circular economy: If you are working in the following industries then you may be eligible to apply for state nomination under this sector. The applicants should be using their STEMM skills to help reduce waste, lower pollution levels and help protect the environment.

- Clean energy
- Renewables
- Bioenergy
- Carbon capture and energy storage

If you believe that your occupation belongs to one the above mentioned target sectors then you may be eligible to apply for the state nomination. The application process will include a variety of documents that justify why you might be the best fit for the nomination and it can be a very time consuming process too. Therefore, before applying, please make sure that you have all the right documents with you and you are including all the relevant documents as a part of your application.

Application Process

Although, very complex and time consuming, the application process can be briefly listed in four steps:

Expression of Interest (EOI): Using the SkillSelect Platform, you need to first make an online lodgement of Expression of Interest, and you need to select Victoria as your preferred state.

Registration of Interest (ROI): Then you need to submit a Registration of Interest for the Victorian Visa Nomination. It is important to keep a few factors in mind while submitting your ROI:

1. 1. An ROI is not an application for Victorian visa nomination, rather it is used as a filtering mechanism to choose the eligible applicants, i.e applicants who can demonstrate exceptional talent.
  2. While submitting your ROI you need to be very careful with information you provide, as it cannot be altered once submitted. Instead, you’d need to withdraw your existing ROI and submit a new one, with updated information.
  3. At any time, you can only have one active ROI submitted.
  4. ROI’s are submitted by first creating an account on the Live In Melbourne website.

Apply for Nomination: Only after your ROI has been accepted and you have received an invitation can you then apply for a nomination via the Victorian government website. It is vital to note that you must apply for the nomination within 14 days from the day of the invitation grant.

Apply for the Visa: If your nomination application is successful, only then can you apply for the visa with the Department of Home Affairs. You have to make the visa application within 60 days after the grant of nomination from the Victorian Government.

As mentioned previously, this application process can become very complex and overwhelming. Not only do these applications include a lot of paperwork but from the steps above it’s apparent that one needs to keep track of the timing as well, which further adds to the complexity. Moreover, as an applicant in order to understand what papers to include and which category or streams gives your application the best chance of success you should consult with professionals who are experts in the field of migration law.

At Path Migration, we have dealt with many applications for Victoria state nominations and have always had a successful application. We take the time to carefully go through our clients’ documents and personal circumstances so that we are able to put forward an application that ensues success.

Not only have we helped with applications for current students and recent graduates, but we have also assisted set up businesses in Australia for offshore applicants. We have also had a good many experiences with skilled individuals seeking permanent residency by highlighting how their work experiences are so well related to their current occupation and the occupation nominated.

If you are someone who is actively looking for permanent residency in Australia and would like professional consultation regarding your personal situation then do not hesitate to contact us. At Path Migration, we have a wonderful team of immigration lawyers who are highly experienced and specializes in migration law. To book your personalised consultation please contact us or email directly to hello@pathmigration.com.