What are PR Points?

In Australia, the points system is used to select the skilled migrants it needs to contribute to its ongoing economic growth and development. The points system is a way to rank and prioritise skilled migrants wanting to apply for a visa in the General Skilled Migration ("GSM") program. Applicants are awarded points to a number of characteristics including their age, English language ability, the level of education completed, their work experience and the skills of their partner. Depending on Australia's needs at the time, the occupation nominated by the applicant may also influence how their profile is assessed. The points are automatically calculated when the applicant submits an Expression of Interest ("EOI") through the government's online SkillSelect system.

Our online tool can help you calculate your points score and work out ways to increase them.

How Does the GSM Program Work?

To qualify for a GSM visa, the applicant needs to be under the age of 45 years (at the time of invitation), be suited to an occupation on the relevant occupation list, have a positive skills assessment in that occupation and score at least 65 points in their EOI application.

If the EOI is successful, the applicant will receive an invitation from the government to apply for their GSM visa. However, the demand for capped places within this program is often so high that applicants generally need to score a lot higher in order to have a decent chance of getting invited.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and closure of Australia's international borders, along with the previous reduction in places allocated to the GSM program, the processing of EOI applications slowed down considerably in comparison to previous years.

However, the recent increase in GSM places for the Migration Program Year 2022 - 2023, the recent, unexpected invitation rounds (not yet publicly available at the time of writing) and Australia's need for overseas skilled migrants to boost its economy does suggest that many EOI applications waiting in the SkilledSelect system might finally start to move. A driving factor to this will also be the occupations nominated by applicants with priority having recently been directed toward the health and education sectors. This 'need' is subject to change.

If the EOI is successful, the GSM visa application must be lodged within 60 days of receiving the invitation. In light of the surprise invitation rounds, many applicants have been caught out with expired English language test results and skills assessments meaning they are unable to accept the invitations issued because the time it takes to renew these documents can be significant.

Our recommendation for all EOI applicants is to monitor the progress of their undecided applications against the time they have left on their Australian visa (if inside Australia) as well as the validity remaining on English language test and skills assessment results.

Conclusion

With Australia’s growing need to fill skill shortages the GSM program may be a great way to start your migration journey - start with our helpful online points calculator to get your point score today.

If you would like to know more about migration to Australia contact us on 03 9193 9360 or email us info@astraaustralia.com.