Changes to GSM 8 Februrary 2010/Cap and Cease info
Feb 7th 2010, 6:24 pm
#1
Reg. Migration Agent
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2003
Location: Inner Western suburbs of Sydney
Posts: 4,483
Changes to GSM 8 Februrary 2010/Cap and Cease info
Good Morning everyone,
Nice set of challenges to wake up to.
The critical points about the changes to General Skilled Migration are:
a) Current applicants who applied on or after 1 September 2007 aren't affected - their points and eligibility are locked in and in most cases their processing priority will remain the same until 30 June 2010 at least.
b) People who applied before 1 September 2007 are subject to "cap and kill" legislation, ie the Department is going to process a certain number (not yet announced as far as I know) and then terminate the rest, in which case all application fees paid to the Department of Immigration will be returned to those applicants (directly or through their agents).
c) Current onshore students will not be able to claim MODL points however they will benefit from a complex suite of measures designed to protect them (and the international student industry). The Department will announce the new skilled occupation list by 30 April 2010 (taking effect on 30 June 2010) and most graduates who have not yet applied for a general skilled migration visa will need to wait until then to determine which pathway they should pursue. The Department does not need to announce transitional measures for students whose visas are expiring on 15 March 2010 since those students are able to lodge a subclass 485 (temporary graduate) visa and then change their nominated occupation for their permanent visa application.
d) People planning to apply for General Skilled Migration as of 8 February should consult a migration agent - those who hold positive skills assessments but have not yet applied for their visas will be able to apply however should their nominated occupation not be on the new Skilled Occupation List then their application will most likely be refused.
e) The MODL is dead for new applicants - except for the continued operation of the Critical Skills List which will still give IT MODL skills priority until then.
f) There is still more information needed to clarify many of these points, in particular I would expect inputs from the Minister's speech later today, and also from the Migration Institute of Australia. In the meantime, the major links are all here: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/gener...df/faq-sol.pdf .
Cheers,
George Lombard
__________________
Migration Agent Registration Number 9601056
george[at]austimmigration[dot]com[dot]au
www.austimmigration.com.au
PO Box 257 Summer Hill NSW 2130
Nice set of challenges to wake up to.
The critical points about the changes to General Skilled Migration are:
a) Current applicants who applied on or after 1 September 2007 aren't affected - their points and eligibility are locked in and in most cases their processing priority will remain the same until 30 June 2010 at least.
b) People who applied before 1 September 2007 are subject to "cap and kill" legislation, ie the Department is going to process a certain number (not yet announced as far as I know) and then terminate the rest, in which case all application fees paid to the Department of Immigration will be returned to those applicants (directly or through their agents).
c) Current onshore students will not be able to claim MODL points however they will benefit from a complex suite of measures designed to protect them (and the international student industry). The Department will announce the new skilled occupation list by 30 April 2010 (taking effect on 30 June 2010) and most graduates who have not yet applied for a general skilled migration visa will need to wait until then to determine which pathway they should pursue. The Department does not need to announce transitional measures for students whose visas are expiring on 15 March 2010 since those students are able to lodge a subclass 485 (temporary graduate) visa and then change their nominated occupation for their permanent visa application.
d) People planning to apply for General Skilled Migration as of 8 February should consult a migration agent - those who hold positive skills assessments but have not yet applied for their visas will be able to apply however should their nominated occupation not be on the new Skilled Occupation List then their application will most likely be refused.
e) The MODL is dead for new applicants - except for the continued operation of the Critical Skills List which will still give IT MODL skills priority until then.
f) There is still more information needed to clarify many of these points, in particular I would expect inputs from the Minister's speech later today, and also from the Migration Institute of Australia. In the meantime, the major links are all here: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/gener...df/faq-sol.pdf .
Cheers,
George Lombard
__________________
Migration Agent Registration Number 9601056
george[at]austimmigration[dot]com[dot]au
www.austimmigration.com.au
PO Box 257 Summer Hill NSW 2130
Last edited by George Lombard; Feb 7th 2010 at 6:47 pm.
Feb 7th 2010, 6:40 pm
#2
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 93
Re: Changes to General Skilled Migration 8 Februrary 2010
hi george
hw are you
im not to good. i have just completed gathering information for my TRA application for my trade CABINET MAKER now as you said if im correct, i should wait until the new list comes out because even if i apply now and my trade is on the sol at present, however if it comes off in june that means i am no longer accepted. is this correct.
another question. i know u cannot tell the future. but your gut feeling,
would you think that cabinetmaking will come off this list , is my trade coming to the end of its days.
i just dont know weather to go ahead with the TRA or wait,you see im going through an agent and they will require money from me before they will lodge the application
hw are you
im not to good. i have just completed gathering information for my TRA application for my trade CABINET MAKER now as you said if im correct, i should wait until the new list comes out because even if i apply now and my trade is on the sol at present, however if it comes off in june that means i am no longer accepted. is this correct.
another question. i know u cannot tell the future. but your gut feeling,
would you think that cabinetmaking will come off this list , is my trade coming to the end of its days.
i just dont know weather to go ahead with the TRA or wait,you see im going through an agent and they will require money from me before they will lodge the application
Feb 7th 2010, 6:41 pm
#3
Just Joined
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 14
Re: Changes to General Skilled Migration 8 Februrary 2010
Hello George,
Thank you a lot for your point of view all those news. You haven`t mentioned anything about State migration plan, do you know something about this? I was on cat5 according to previous changes in Sep., but now i have no idea which group i belong to cat 2 or cat 5????
Thank you a lot for quick answer.
Thank you a lot for your point of view all those news. You haven`t mentioned anything about State migration plan, do you know something about this? I was on cat5 according to previous changes in Sep., but now i have no idea which group i belong to cat 2 or cat 5????
Thank you a lot for quick answer.
Feb 7th 2010, 6:50 pm
#4
Reg. Migration Agent
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2003
Location: Inner Western suburbs of Sydney
Posts: 4,483
Re: Changes to General Skilled Migration 8 Februrary 2010
Hello George,
Thank you a lot for your point of view all those news. You haven`t mentioned anything about State migration plan, do you know something about this? I was on cat5 according to previous changes in Sep., but now i have no idea which group i belong to cat 2 or cat 5????
Thank you a lot for quick answer.
Thank you a lot for your point of view all those news. You haven`t mentioned anything about State migration plan, do you know something about this? I was on cat5 according to previous changes in Sep., but now i have no idea which group i belong to cat 2 or cat 5????
Thank you a lot for quick answer.
Fogfurn - I have to say your trade is not one I would immediately say is likely to be critical, although I would be shocked if it's not on the new SOL. Best to wait until 30 April.
Cheers,
George Lombard
Feb 7th 2010, 6:53 pm
#5
Reg. Migration Agent
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2003
Location: Inner Western suburbs of Sydney
Posts: 4,483
Re: Changes to General Skilled Migration 8 Februrary 2010
Impossible to answer everyone today, but I would certainly regard state sponsorship as an important solution for many - details still not available - and for specific occupations you'll just need to wait and see.
Fogfurn - I have to say your trade is not one I would immediately say is likely to be critical, although I would be shocked if it's not on the new SOL. Best to wait until 30 April.
Cheers,
George Lombard
Fogfurn - I have to say your trade is not one I would immediately say is likely to be critical, although I would be shocked if it's not on the new SOL. Best to wait until 30 April.
Cheers,
George Lombard
Useful documents
More information on the changes announced by the
minister on 8 February 2010 is available on the following
information sheets:
• Revoking the Critical Skills List - http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/gener...df/csl-gsm.pdf
• Changes to the current Skilled Occupation List - http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/gener...df/faq-sol.pdf
• Changes to offshore General Skilled Migration visa
applications received before 1 September 2007 - http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/gener...eseptember.pdf
• Outcomes of the Migration Occupation in Demand
List review—frequently asked questions - http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/gener...f/faq-modl.pdf
• General Skilled Migration Points Test Review - http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/gener...oints-test.pdf
• Onshore international students—frequently asked
questions - http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/gener...re-student.pdf
• Changes to Priority Processing - http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/gener...processing.pdf
Cheers,
George Lombard
Feb 7th 2010, 7:10 pm
#6
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 93
Re: Changes to General Skilled Migration 8 Februrary 2010
thanks george, i guess it could be worse
Feb 7th 2010, 7:41 pm
#7
Reg. Migration Agent
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2003
Location: Inner Western suburbs of Sydney
Posts: 4,483
Re: Changes to General Skilled Migration 8 Februrary 2010
More on the changes from the Australian press:
Australia rejects 20,000 migrants
MARK METHERELL
February 8, 2010
THE government will dump 20,000 applications from would-be migrants in a crackdown on low-skilled entrants.
In changes aimed at making skilled migration more responsive to Australia's needs, the government will tighten the list of target occupations and focus instead on healthcare, engineering and mining.
All general skilled migration applications lodged before September 1, 2007 - when English and work experience requirements were easier - will have their applications withdrawn and application fees totalling $14 million refunded.
The government will also abolish the current list of skills in demand, which contains 106 occupations, and review the points test used to assess migrants to improve selection.
The Immigration Minister, Chris Evans, said last year 170,000 people applied to live and work permanently in Australia as skilled migrants, but there were just 108,100 places available.
Australia needed a program that ''delivers the skills that are actually in demand in the economy, not just the skills that applicants present with'', he said.
''If hospitals are crying out for and willing to sponsor nurses then of course they should have priority over the 12,000 unsponsored cooks who have applied and who, if all were granted visas, would flood the domestic market,'' Senator Evans said.
''In recent years, the skilled migration program has been skewed as the pool of applicants has become dominated by a handful of occupations.''
The current points system puts an overseas student with a short-term vocational qualification gained in Australia ahead of a Harvard-educated environmental scientist.
The bar was being raised for applicants without an Australian employer prepared to sponsor them. There were many occupations where the supply of qualified young Australians was adequate. But there were some jobs where there was a high demand for skills such as for hospital nurses, country doctors and resource sector employees.
Yesterday the Finance Minister, Lindsay Tanner, warned against a dramatic migration drop. The need for doctors, nurses, mining engineers, and IT specialists from overseas was ''crucial to our economy'', he told Channel Ten's Meet the Press.
The Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, warned yesterday he would take a tough line on asylum seekers.
Asked on ABC television what he would do to counter strains on the Christmas Island detention centre, he said: ''We will try to stop it becoming overcrowded by making it absolutely crystal clear that people who get here illegally can't expect to stay here.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/austr...0207-nkxh.html
Australia rejects 20,000 migrants
MARK METHERELL
February 8, 2010
THE government will dump 20,000 applications from would-be migrants in a crackdown on low-skilled entrants.
In changes aimed at making skilled migration more responsive to Australia's needs, the government will tighten the list of target occupations and focus instead on healthcare, engineering and mining.
All general skilled migration applications lodged before September 1, 2007 - when English and work experience requirements were easier - will have their applications withdrawn and application fees totalling $14 million refunded.
The government will also abolish the current list of skills in demand, which contains 106 occupations, and review the points test used to assess migrants to improve selection.
The Immigration Minister, Chris Evans, said last year 170,000 people applied to live and work permanently in Australia as skilled migrants, but there were just 108,100 places available.
Australia needed a program that ''delivers the skills that are actually in demand in the economy, not just the skills that applicants present with'', he said.
''If hospitals are crying out for and willing to sponsor nurses then of course they should have priority over the 12,000 unsponsored cooks who have applied and who, if all were granted visas, would flood the domestic market,'' Senator Evans said.
''In recent years, the skilled migration program has been skewed as the pool of applicants has become dominated by a handful of occupations.''
The current points system puts an overseas student with a short-term vocational qualification gained in Australia ahead of a Harvard-educated environmental scientist.
The bar was being raised for applicants without an Australian employer prepared to sponsor them. There were many occupations where the supply of qualified young Australians was adequate. But there were some jobs where there was a high demand for skills such as for hospital nurses, country doctors and resource sector employees.
Yesterday the Finance Minister, Lindsay Tanner, warned against a dramatic migration drop. The need for doctors, nurses, mining engineers, and IT specialists from overseas was ''crucial to our economy'', he told Channel Ten's Meet the Press.
The Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, warned yesterday he would take a tough line on asylum seekers.
Asked on ABC television what he would do to counter strains on the Christmas Island detention centre, he said: ''We will try to stop it becoming overcrowded by making it absolutely crystal clear that people who get here illegally can't expect to stay here.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/austr...0207-nkxh.html
Feb 7th 2010, 7:44 pm
#8
Reg. Migration Agent
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2003
Location: Inner Western suburbs of Sydney
Posts: 4,483
Re: Changes to General Skilled Migration 8 Februrary 2010
... and from the Australian:
SKILLED migrants who line up a job will be given priority to come to Australia, while those who don't will find it harder to gain a visa, under a revamp of the nation's immigration program to be unveiled today.
The current occupations-in-demand list will be scrapped immediately and replaced with a new list of highly skilled professions and trades to be introduced mid-year.
Immigration Minister Chris Evans will also announce that the "points test" used to assess migrants on their qualifications, English language skills and experience will be overhauled.
The new test could better reward qualifications from ivy-league universities, English skills and certain occupations.
The government will also consider a new system in which businesses and federal, state and territory governments could review applications and prioritise certain candidates.
In a speech to the Australian National University, Senator Evans will declare that aspects of the current scheme are "rusty".
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
The changes are likely to hurt overseas students in Australia who are training in areas scrapped from the skilled occupation list.
Those students will have until the end of 2012 to apply for a temporary skilled graduate visa, with the hope of acquiring work experience and sponsorship from an employer.
In addition, the government will deny skilled migration visas to about 20,000 people who applied from overseas before September 2007, when less stringent rules applied.
Under the changes, state and territory governments will develop their own migration plans and the Immigration Minister will gain new powers to limit the number of visas for any one occupation.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1225827628185
SKILLED migrants who line up a job will be given priority to come to Australia, while those who don't will find it harder to gain a visa, under a revamp of the nation's immigration program to be unveiled today.
The current occupations-in-demand list will be scrapped immediately and replaced with a new list of highly skilled professions and trades to be introduced mid-year.
Immigration Minister Chris Evans will also announce that the "points test" used to assess migrants on their qualifications, English language skills and experience will be overhauled.
The new test could better reward qualifications from ivy-league universities, English skills and certain occupations.
The government will also consider a new system in which businesses and federal, state and territory governments could review applications and prioritise certain candidates.
In a speech to the Australian National University, Senator Evans will declare that aspects of the current scheme are "rusty".
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
The changes are likely to hurt overseas students in Australia who are training in areas scrapped from the skilled occupation list.
Those students will have until the end of 2012 to apply for a temporary skilled graduate visa, with the hope of acquiring work experience and sponsorship from an employer.
In addition, the government will deny skilled migration visas to about 20,000 people who applied from overseas before September 2007, when less stringent rules applied.
Under the changes, state and territory governments will develop their own migration plans and the Immigration Minister will gain new powers to limit the number of visas for any one occupation.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1225827628185
Feb 7th 2010, 7:50 pm
#9
Just Joined
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: india
Posts: 6
Re: Changes to General Skilled Migration 8 Februrary 2010
Good Morning everyone,
Nice set of challenges to wake up to.
The critical points about the changes to General Skilled Migration are:
a) Current applicants who applied on or after 1 September 2007 aren't affected - their points and eligibility are locked in and in most cases their processing priority will remain the same until 30 June 2010 at least.
b) People who applied before 1 September 2007 are subject to "cap and kill" legislation, ie the Department is going to process a certain number (not yet announced as far as I know) and then terminate the rest, in which case all application fees paid to the Department of Immigration will be returned to those applicants (directly or through their agents).
c) Current onshore students will not be able to claim MODL points however they will benefit from a complex suite of measures designed to protect them (and the international student industry). The Department will announce the new skilled occupation list by 30 April 2010 (taking effect on 30 June 2010) and most graduates who have not yet applied for a general skilled migration visa will need to wait until then to determine which pathway they should pursue. The Department does not need to announce transitional measures for students whose visas are expiring on 15 March 2010 since those students are able to lodge a subclass 485 (temporary graduate) visa and then change their nominated occupation for their permanent visa application.
d) People planning to apply for General Skilled Migration as of 8 February should consult a migration agent - those who hold positive skills assessments but have not yet applied for their visas will be able to apply however should their nominated occupation not be on the new Skilled Occupation List then their application will most likely be refused.
e) The MODL is dead for new applicants - except for the continued operation of the Critical Skills List which will still give IT MODL skills priority until then.
f) There is still more information needed to clarify many of these points, in particular I would expect inputs from the Minister's speech later today, and also from the Migration Institute of Australia. In the meantime, the major links are all here: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/gener...df/faq-sol.pdf .
Cheers,
George Lombard
__________________
Migration Agent Registration Number 9601056
george[at]austimmigration[dot]com[dot]au
www.austimmigration.com.au
PO Box 257 Summer Hill NSW 2130
Nice set of challenges to wake up to.
The critical points about the changes to General Skilled Migration are:
a) Current applicants who applied on or after 1 September 2007 aren't affected - their points and eligibility are locked in and in most cases their processing priority will remain the same until 30 June 2010 at least.
b) People who applied before 1 September 2007 are subject to "cap and kill" legislation, ie the Department is going to process a certain number (not yet announced as far as I know) and then terminate the rest, in which case all application fees paid to the Department of Immigration will be returned to those applicants (directly or through their agents).
c) Current onshore students will not be able to claim MODL points however they will benefit from a complex suite of measures designed to protect them (and the international student industry). The Department will announce the new skilled occupation list by 30 April 2010 (taking effect on 30 June 2010) and most graduates who have not yet applied for a general skilled migration visa will need to wait until then to determine which pathway they should pursue. The Department does not need to announce transitional measures for students whose visas are expiring on 15 March 2010 since those students are able to lodge a subclass 485 (temporary graduate) visa and then change their nominated occupation for their permanent visa application.
d) People planning to apply for General Skilled Migration as of 8 February should consult a migration agent - those who hold positive skills assessments but have not yet applied for their visas will be able to apply however should their nominated occupation not be on the new Skilled Occupation List then their application will most likely be refused.
e) The MODL is dead for new applicants - except for the continued operation of the Critical Skills List which will still give IT MODL skills priority until then.
f) There is still more information needed to clarify many of these points, in particular I would expect inputs from the Minister's speech later today, and also from the Migration Institute of Australia. In the meantime, the major links are all here: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/gener...df/faq-sol.pdf .
Cheers,
George Lombard
__________________
Migration Agent Registration Number 9601056
george[at]austimmigration[dot]com[dot]au
www.austimmigration.com.au
PO Box 257 Summer Hill NSW 2130
I am glad if u help me in this.
My Details as follows
Application Type: Class BQ Subclass 138 Skilled – Australian-Sponsored
Applied before I sept 2007 (ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RECEIPT OF VISA APPLICATION 27 aug 2007)
I want to be sure that these changes is applicable in my case also?
Thanks!
Feb 7th 2010, 7:54 pm
#10
Just Joined
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: india
Posts: 6
Re: Changes to General Skilled Migration 8 Februrary 2010
Hi George!
Can u please clear that these cahnges is applicable in my case also
I applied for "Class BQ Subclass 138 Skilled – Australian-Sponsored" but applied in aug.2007.
Please help me to clear this.
Thanks!
Can u please clear that these cahnges is applicable in my case also
I applied for "Class BQ Subclass 138 Skilled – Australian-Sponsored" but applied in aug.2007.
Please help me to clear this.
Thanks!
Feb 7th 2010, 8:02 pm
#11
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: Uk...But hopefully not for too much longer!
Posts: 48
Re: Changes to General Skilled Migration 8 Februrary 2010
So the new State lists are crucial to us applicants that are in Cat 5 - non csl- with a SS approval
Do you have any idea when these will be announced....Seems again, very unfair to not announce them now.....
Do you have any idea when these will be announced....Seems again, very unfair to not announce them now.....
Feb 7th 2010, 8:04 pm
#12
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 14,284
Re: Changes to General Skilled Migration 8 Februrary 2010
From reading the document, it would seem that the immigration department will put a cap on the number of visas that they will grant from these earlier applications and when the cap is reached the rest will be refused and refund given.
I doubt anyone can tell you whether you will get your visa before the cap is reached. It is even more waiting for you by the looks of it.
Feb 7th 2010, 8:05 pm
#13
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 14,284
Re: Changes to General Skilled Migration 8 Februrary 2010
As you have already lodged your application, I don't see how the announcement has changed anything for you?
Feb 7th 2010, 8:08 pm
#14
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: Uk...But hopefully not for too much longer!
Posts: 48
Re: Changes to General Skilled Migration 8 Februrary 2010
Feb 7th 2010, 8:17 pm
#15
Just Joined
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: india
Posts: 6
Re: Changes to General Skilled Migration 8 Februrary 2010
Yes applicants from before September 2007 are effected, so you are in that group.
From reading the document, it would seem that the immigration department will put a cap on the number of visas that they will grant from these earlier applications and when the cap is reached the rest will be refused and refund given.
I doubt anyone can tell you whether you will get your visa before the cap is reached. It is even more waiting for you by the looks of it.
From reading the document, it would seem that the immigration department will put a cap on the number of visas that they will grant from these earlier applications and when the cap is reached the rest will be refused and refund given.
I doubt anyone can tell you whether you will get your visa before the cap is reached. It is even more waiting for you by the looks of it.