General Skilled Migration under the new regulation - 1st September 2007

          The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has examined the current General Skilled Migration (GSM) Program and found that some skilled migrants do not have sufficient English skills required by most Australian employers. Some former overseas students lack relevant work experience leading to difficulty in getting a suitable job. Some are not able to find a job related to their skills and end up working in an unskilled job.

          From 1st September 2007, the regulations has been adjusted to focus more on English skills, work experience, and higher academic qualifications. It is believed that people with proficiency in English, relevant work experience or have higher academic qualifications are more likely to find a suitable employment, adapt to and blend in the Australian community with less difficulty. They are expected to work more efficiently and contribute more to the community.

Basic requirements:

• Age - Must be under 45 years of age at time of application
• English - Must have at least sufficient English competency (vocational English) - for working in Australia. A higher level of English may be required for certain occupations where English ability forms part of the skills assessment.
• Qualifications - Must have post-secondary (such as university or trade) qualifications. Skills must have been assessed by the relevant assessing authority as suitable for the nominated occupation.
• Nominated Occupation - When applying, applicant must nominate an occupation which fits his/her skills and qualifications. The nominated occupation must be on the Skilled Occupations List (SOL)
• Recent Work Experience - Applicant must have been in a paid employment in a skilled occupation for at least 12 out of the 24 months immediately before applying.

Recent work experience exemption
An applicant does not need to meet the work experience requirement if he/she meets the ‘2 years study in Australia’ requirement in less than 6 months before lodging his/her visa application.

Point test
General Skilled Migration is mainly based on a point test system.

          The current pass marks is 120 (current as at 1 September 2007) If unsure, you are welcomed to submit your enquiry by filling in the table below and click submit our qualified consultant will be happy to assist you in making correct assessment

What are the current PASS and POOL marks?

          The table below lists all the current PASS and POOL marks for the points-tested visas in the General Skilled Migration category as from 1st September 2007.

What occupations are currently MODL?

          The table below shows the current (as at 17th May 2008) occupations in demand for migration purposes.

* Important: If you nominate one of the above specialist computing occupations, you will only be awarded MODL points if your skills assessment from the relevant Australian assessing body – the Australian Computer Society (ACS) states you have met the criteria to be recognised in one of the above specialisations.

Skills assessments provided to successful applicants will state:

• the ASCO Code for Computer Professional not elsewhere classified (nec) with the specialisation stated in brackets - for example, 2231-79 (SAP)
  and
• the statement: 'Based on the provided certified documentation, it is my opinion that the applicant has 12 months experience in (name of specialisation, for example, SAP)'

Note: If you have a skills assessment which only states the ASCO Code for 'Computer Professional nec 2231-79', you are not eligible to be awarded MODL points. A new assessment with the above information will be required if you wish to claim MODL points.

(Source: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/skilled-occupations/occupations-in-demand.htm)