The General Skilled Migration (GSM) visa program has been one of the most affected categories of visas this program year alongside the obvious frontrunner: visitor visas.

GSM visas are provisional and permanent independent skilled visas that utilise the SkillSelect system, which requires potential migrants to submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) before being invited to apply for either a:

• Subclass 189 – Skilled – Independent visa,

• Subclass 190 – Skilled – Nominated visa, and

• Subclass 491 – Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa, either sponsored by an eligible relative or nominated by a state or territory.

The provisional 491 visa, provided the visa holders live, work and study in a designated regional area and meet minimum income requirements among other things, will allow them to apply for the permanent Subclass 191 – Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa in the future.

States and territories set their own rules on who they will nominate for 190 visas and 491 visas but must do so within the bounds of the approved list of occupations and the relevant regulations for visa grants. Given their allocation of places were halved, nominations this program year are likely to be extremely competitive.

The Department of Home Affairs now publishes the visa numbers allocated by jurisdiction.

The major sticking point for many wanting to apply for a GSM visas is receiving an invitation, especially those in Australia with a visa expiring soon as EoIs are not visa applications and therefore no associated bridging visa can be granted.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic and ever since the SkillSelect system commenced, those with the highest points were invited to apply for a 189 visa or a 491 visa sponsored by an eligible relative.

Analysis of the most popular pre-COVID occupations with submitted EOIs for 189 visas showed accountants, engineers and IT occupations dominating. EoIs nominating these occupations had the tendency to score more than others and this is why these occupations were subject to pro-rata arrangements.

This program year, however, has seen the script flipped. For the rest of the program year, which ends 30 June 2021, it is highly unlikely any accountant or IT professional will receive an invitation for a 189 or 491 visa sponsored by an eligible relative.

A recent Freedom of Information disclosure shows that the Acting Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs endorsed a proposal that invitation rounds for these two visas be run quarterly and will target medical professionals and critical sectors.

Furthermore, the number of invitations issued from 1 July 2021 to 21 January 2021, the last published round shows zero invitations issued to, among others:

• 2211 Accountants

• 2212 Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers

• 2611 ICT Business and Systems Analysts

• 2612 Multimedia Specialists and Web Developers

• 2613 Software and Applications Programmers

• 2621 Database and Systems Administrators and ICT Security Specialists

• 2631 Computer Network Professionals

Unsurprisingly, the occupations that received the most invitations are:

• 2544 Registered Nurses – 541

• 2346 Medical Laboratory Scientists – 242

• 2539 Other Medical Practitioners – 150

• 2332 Civil Engineering Professionals – 141

• 2533 Internal Medicine Specialists – 108

Given the lack of invitations to the occupations that used to receive so many, there are likely to be many graduate accountants and IT professionals in Australia, waiting anxiously to see if the situation will change. They are likely to know when the Federal Budget is handed down this year on an as yet unconfirmed date.