Perhaps an indication of Australia’s need to begin opening up their international borders, the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL) has expanded by 22 occupations to 41. Also, subclass 417 – Working Holiday visa holders will also be able to count hospitality work in Northern, remote and very remote areas of Australia towards the regional work requirement for a second and third working holiday maker visa.

PMSOL expands adding accountants, engineers, IT specialists and chefs

Fortress Australia and its unexpected economic rebound to pre-COVID levels has seen a shortage of workers across a range of sectors and skill levels. Reports of a shortage of auditors have had such an effect the corporate regulator has allowed companies to delay reporting their financial results.

With the unemployment rate at just over 5 per cent, businesses small and large are starting to feel the pinch. Aside from the New Zealand travel bubble, and few exemptions for critical skilled workers and sectors, workers outside these carveouts even if holding an Australian visa are not allowed to enter Australia.

One of the changes to skilled visa processing due to the pandemic was the creation of the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL). The PMSOL is a list of occupations deemed critical to Australia’s economic recovery. The advantages include:

Priority processing. Occupations on the PMSOL are processed faster than any other application, including applications nominated by accredited sponsors. This applies to:

• Subclass 482 - Temporary Skill Shortage visas,

• Subclass 494 - Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visas,

• Subclass 186 - Employer Nomination Scheme visas, and

• Subclass 187 - Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visas.

Travel exemption. Being successfully sponsored in an occupation on the PMSOL on any of the above visas will see that an individual travel exemption to enter Australia is highly likely to be granted barring any major public health risks, such as when all flights from India ceased earlier in the year to even Australian citizens. Mandatory quarantine will, however, be at the visa holder’s expense.

The Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Aff​airs announced today that 22 occupations have been added to the PMSOL. All occupations are on the Medium and Long‑term Strategic Skills List:

221111 Accountant (General)

221112 Management Accountant

221113 Taxation Accountant

221213 External Auditor

221214 Internal Auditor

233311 Electrical Engineer

233211 Civil Engineer

233214 Structural Engineer

233212 Geotechnical Engineer

233215 Transport Engineer

233611 Mining Engineer

233612 Petroleum Engineer

232212 Surveyor

232213 Cartographer

232214 Other Spatial Scientist

234611 Medical Laboratory Scientist

251912 Orthotist / Prosthetist

261211 Multimedia Specialist

261311 Analyst Programmer

261399 Software and Applications Programmers

262112 ICT Security Specialist

351311 Chef

This is the most substantial increase in occupations since the PMSOL was first created with an initial list of 17 occupations.

WHMs can count regional work in the hospitality and tourism sectors for 2nd and 3rd WHM visa

Also today, the Minister announced that subclass 417 – Working Holiday visa holders will be able to count any work in the hospitality and tourism sectors as specified Subclass 417 work for their second or third working holiday visa if this application is lodged from March 2022 and the work was undertaken either in:

• Northern Australia,

• remote areas of Australia, or

• very remote areas of Australia.

All WHM visa holders must complete 3 months of specified work on their first WHM visa to be granted a second working holiday visa, and 6 months of specified work on their second WHM visa to be granted a third working holiday visa.

As the instrument that defines specified Subclass 417 work has yet to be amended, we do not know exactly where these areas are. It is likely northern Australia will take the same postcodes as in specified Subclass 462 work, being all of the Northern Territory and most areas of Queensland and Western Australia that are above the Tropic of Capricorn.