189 visas and EOIs: accountants, programmers and engineers dominate
/Accountants, programmers and engineering occupations take up the majority of submitted Expression of Interest (EOI) applications for Subclass 189 – Skilled - Independent visas according to a recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
Along with changes to the General Skilled Migration (GSM) program that occurred on 16 November 2019, many FOI requests were made to the Department of Home Affairs for statistics on the visas affected. This included a number asking for historical information on EOIs, particular States and Territory invitations, and even for the number of EOIs for accountants whose relationship status were listed as “never married”. It is possible many were made by anxious applicants looking for insights whether they would be affected by the changes to the GSM points test.
One of the more interesting FOI applications was a request for the number of EOIs submitted by occupation as of 17 October 2019 for a Subclass 189 – Skilled - Independent visa. This is effectively a snapshot of the “demand” for invitations by occupation which at the time had not received an invitation to apply for a visa.
What Australian visas come under the SkillSelect/EOI system?
The SkillSelect system and EOI process are for three General Skilled Migration (GSM) visas and two business skills visas.
The GSM visas that are required to go through SkillSelect are:
Subclass 189 - Skilled – Independent visas,
Subclass 190 - Skilled - Nominated visas, and
Subclass 491 – Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visas.
The two business skills visas required to use the SkillSelect visa program are:
Subclass 132 - Business Talent visas, and
Subclass 188 - Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visas.
How does the SkillSelect EOI system work?
The SkillSelect system utilises a three-stage process.
Meeting threshold eligibility criteria and submitting an EOI
This involves the need to meet the minimum criteria for a primary applicant to be granted a GSM visa, including being under 45 years old, having a suitable and valid skill assessment in an occupation on the relevant occupation list (for 189 visas, this can only be for occupations on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List – the MLTSSL), and having competent English, among other things.
Provided they meet these requirements, and score at least 65 points in the GSM points test, their EOI can be considered. EOI applications last for 2 years from the date submitted, after which they are deleted from SkillSelect if an invitation to apply for a visa has not been given. Of course, EOI applications are not visa applications.
Receiving an invitation to apply for a visa
After an EOI has been submitted, a prospective applicant may be invited to apply for a visa. All GSM visas require at least 65 points, however, in the cutthroat world of 189 visas and 491 visas sponsored by an eligible relative, an invitation is ranked by the number of points they claim in the GSM points test. Under the ranking system, only the highest point claimants receive an invitation.
Popular occupations are also subject to pro-rata arrangements, where even more points are necessary to receive an invitation. Pro-rata arrangements are implemented to regulate invitations otherwise other less popular occupations would miss out by the most dominant.
Pro-rata arrangements drive up the points required for the particular occupation, however, the number of invitations on offer per invitation round will have an effect on all EOIs, easily understood by supply and demand economic theory.
The supply of invitations can vary considerably as recent examples of 189 invitations show, There were 1500 invitations issued in the 11 October 2019 round but only 250 invitations issued in the 11 December 2019 round.
Simply put, the fewer invitations, the higher the points necessary. Importantly, 190 visas and 491 visas nominated by a State or Territory are not subject to the ranking system, but States and Territories have their own requirements that need to be met, which can vary considerably.
Lodging a visa application and having it assessed
Once an invitation has been issued, applicants will have 60 calendar days to lodge their visa application and must substantiate the minimum points claimed in their EOI at the time they received their invitation. This requirement dissuades anyone from exaggerating the points they claim because they cannot backfill points after being invited.
What are the most popular occupations for a 189 visa under the SkillSelect/EOI system?
The statistics provided in the FOI show just how overwhelmingly popular certain occupations are over others. It also shows how competitive popular occupations are for that elusive invitation.
As of 17 October 2019, out of a total of 78,356 total EOI applications submitted for a 189 visa, the following were the top 5 occupation categories by ANZSCO Unit Group:
2211 Accountants – 21.04% - 16,485 applications
2613 Software and Applications Programmers – 18.54% - 14,524 applications
2611 ICT Business and Systems Analysts – 6.82% - 5346 applications
2212 Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers – 6.68% - 5,234 applications
2544 Registered Nurses – 6.58% - 5158 applications
While no engineering occupation Unit Group is represented in the above list, this is due to the way the ANZSCO Unit Groups are structured. When the data is rearranged by Minor Group (the step higher in hierarchical categories), engineering occupations come to the fore.
As of 17 October 2019, the top 5 occupation categories by ANZSCO Minor Group by number of EOI applications submitted for a 189 visa are:
221 Accountants, Auditors and Company Secretaries – 27.72% - 21,719 applications
261 Business and Systems Analysts, and Programmers – 25.44% - 19,936 applications
233 Engineering Professionals – 20.19% - 15,821 applications
254 Midwifery and Nursing Professionals – 6.65% - 5,207 applications
263 ICT Network and Support Professionals – 6.30% - 4,938 applications
It is not hard to calculate from the above that EOIs from accounting, programming and engineering occupations account for a whopping 73.35 per cent of all EOIs submitted at that time.
A few things should be noted about this information. The first is that accounting and auditing occupations easily lend themselves to applicants submitting more than one EOI. It is quite possible an EOI applicant could be represented in both the 2211 Accountants Unit Group and the 2212 Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers Unit Group. This is because the three authorised assessing authorities for accounting occupations require the applicant to have completed certain subjects in their commerce or accounting degree to be awarded a skill assessment in the occupation. An applicant could easily have completed the necessary subjects for more than one occupation.
The second is that the same EOI application can be submitted and considered for all GSM visas: 189, 190 and 491 visa. This means that some applications for 189 visas represented in the statistics, could have been awaiting assessment by a State or Territory for a 190 or 491 visa, and were subsequently issued an invitation.
But perhaps the most common thread to all popular occupations is the work experience requirement for the skill assessment in the occupation, or lack thereof. Only ICT occupations require work experience, which can be gained after a professional year, usually undertaken while holding a Subclass 485 – Temporary (Graduate) visa. A professional year is a structured, post-qualification formal work experience program that will also give graduates 5 additional points in the GSM points test. In some instances, though, the Australian Computer Society (the authorised assessing authority) requires 8 years of relevant ICT work experience to meet the requirements for a skill assessment.
While the minimal need for work experience may be seen as an advantage over other occupations, particularly trade occupations which barely get a look in for an invitation due to the way the points test is structured, the competitiveness to receive an invitation to apply for a 189 visa due to pro-rata arrangements, along with the incredible number of EOI applications submitted means those “long-term planners” may want to reconsider their career pathway.