The Australian government has just published the results of the March 2020 Invitation rounds. These results are useful as it provides insight into the number of points you would require if applying for an Australian visa independently. If you are not sure how many points you might qualify for, check out our handy Australian points calculator here.
Onto the results for March and despite the global COVID-19 crisis, the number of invitations issued is quite encouraging with a total of 2050 invitations issued across the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) and Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) – Family-Sponsored Visas. The split for MArch was 1750 invitations for applicants applying for a 189 visa and 300 invitations for applicants applying under the Family-sponsored scheme.
Now onto the distribution of Visa invitations by points scored.
Skillselect Invites By Point Scored March 2020
The graph below details the numbers of invitations issued to EOI applicants by the points scored by the applicants.
As in previous months, the number of points required to receive an invitation is still quite high although there is a slight downward trend towards 90 points with more 90 point candidates receiving invitations to apply in March compared to the February Skillselect Invitation Rounds.
Unlike February, the trend for the Skilled Work Provisional (491) Visas is shifting in the opposite direction. During February 189 Applicants received invitations with only 85 points. The shift to the right might suggest that the number of applicants with higher points scored was more elevated in March.
Point scores and the dates of effect cut off for the pro-rata occupations in the 13 March 2020 invitation round.
Due to high levels of demand, and in keeping with previous years, the below occupation groups are subject to pro-rata arrangements to ensure availability of invitations across the program year.
SkillSelect first allocates available places to Skilled – Independent visas (subclass 189) and then the remaining to Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) – Family-Sponsored. If all places are taken up by subclass 189 visas, then there will be no invitations issued for subclass 491 visas in these occupations.
| Subclass | Occupation ID | Description | Minimum points score | Latest date of effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 189 | 2211 | Accountants | 95 | 19/06/2019 11:45 pm |
| 189 | 2212 | Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers | 95 | 31/01/2020 07:12 pm |
| 189 | 2334 | Electronics Engineer | 90 | 29/01/2020 04:49 pm |
| 491 | 2334 | Electronics Engineer | 85 | 15/01/2020 1:58 pm |
| 189 | 2335 | Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers | 90 | 18/11/2019 1:36 pm |
| 189 | 2339 | Other Engineering Professionals | 90 | 08/12/2019 3:13 am |
| 189 | 2611 | ICT Business and System Analysts | 90 | 07/01/2020 3:08pm |
| 189 | 2613 | Software and Applications Programmers | 90 | 29/01/2020 6:37 pm |
| 491 | 2613 | Software and Applications Programmers | 85 | 04/02/2020 1:28 pm |
| 189 | 2631 | Computer Network Professionals | 90 | 29/01/2020 1:19 pm |
| 491 | 2631 | Computer Network Professionals | 90 | 12/03/2020 10:39 am |
Invitations issued during 2019-20 program year
The below table details the number of invitations issued so far during the 2019 – 2020 program year. Scroll to the right if viewing on a mobile device.
| Visa subclass | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) | 1,000 | 100 | 100 | 1,500 | 250 | 250 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,750 | 6,950 | |||
| Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) – Family-Sponsored | 200 | 300 | 500 | 300 | 1,300 | ||||||||
| Skilled Regional (provisional) visa (subclass 489) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 300 | |||||||||
| Total | 1,100 | 200 | 200 | 1,500 | 250 | 450 | 1,300 | 1,500 | 2,050 | 8,550 |
The above figures do not include invitations issued for State, and Territory Governments nominated visa subclasses. State and Territory Governments nominate throughout the month for specific points tested skilled migration and business innovation and investment visas.
Did you receive an invitation or are you still waiting?
Were the March 2020 Skillselect Invitation rounds kind to you or are you still patiently waiting? Let us know in our comments below.
