The New South Wales (NSW) Government has published its list of skilled occupations for the 2015/16 program year, and anticipates sponsoring 4,000 skilled applicants for the subclass 190 visa.

The subclass 190 visa provides for permanent residency in Australia, and individuals who have been sponsored by a State or Territory Government in Australia progress from an Expression of Interest to an invitation to apply for a visa straightaway, whether they have 60 points or more.

The list of occupations is available by clicking here: NSW Sponsored Skilled Occupations List 2015_16

Contact your local Go Matilda Visas office or complete the enquiry form on this page to discuss whether you can apply for sponsorship of your skilled visa application by the NSW Government. We’ll be delighted to have a free initial conversation with you.

The Department of Immigration has published details of the number of skilled visas it will grant for each occupation under subclass 189 for the year to the 30th of June, 2016.

By way of background, an occupation ceiling is applied to invitations to apply to migrate to Australia under the points based skilled visas of the general skilled migration programme. There is a limit on how many invitations are issued in these subclasses for a particular occupation to ensure that the migration programme is not dominated by a small number of occupations.

Occupational ceilings do not apply to State or Territory Nominated skilled visas (subclasses 190 or 489), Employer Sponsored visas (subclass 186 and 187), or Business Innovation and Investment visas (subclasses 188 and 888).

The number of visas that are available for the 2015/16 program year for each occupation are shown at the Occupation Ceilings tab at this web page.

The start of a program year is a good time to progress a skilled visa application, as the number of visas already granted is re-set to zero.

Complete the enquiry form on this webpage if you would like to discuss your Australian visa options.

The South Australian Government has published an updated wanted skilled occupations list, taking effect from today, and effective for the year to the 30th of June, 2016.

Individuals who have one of the occupations on the SA list can apply for sponsorship, with a view to progressing an application for a subclass 190 or 489 visa – an application under one of these subclasses is often preferred over a subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa as securing 55 points is all that is needed for a 190 visa (50 for a 489). The 5 points that are granted for State or Territory Government sponsorship of a 190 visa, or the 10 points for sponsorship of a 489 visa then achieves the points threshold of 60.

The new SA list is available here.

For those who do not have an occupation on the South Australia wanted skills list but who have:

> An immediate family member living in Australia (grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, brother or sister), and

> An occupation on South Australia’s Supplementary Skilled List

sponsorship by the SA Government may still be available under what the SA Government calls Chain Migration.

We invite those who are interested in the above to complete the Enquiry Form on this webpage for a free discussion with us about your Australian visa options.

The Australian Government has released the new Skilled Occupations List and Consolidated Sponsored Occupations List, which will be used for the purpose of general skilled visa applications that are assessed for the 12 months from the 1st of July 2015.

Panelbeaters and cabinet makers have been added to the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) for independent skilled migration applicants, making the subclass 189 visa available to individuals with one of these nominated occupations.

Urban and regional planners, dentists and dental specialists have been removed from the SOL, but remain on the CSOL – so a visa skilled visa strategy remains available if sponsorship from a State or Territory Government can be secured.

We await the updated State and Territory Government wanted skills lists, and will publish details when they are known.

The new SOL and CSOL are available here.

From the 1st of July 2015 the number of compulsory elements successfully studied by an individual to secure a positive migration skills assessment from one of the professional accounting bodies in Australia is changing.

To recap, individuals with an accounting qualification and/or professional membership of a suitable accounting body outside Australia can seek a migration skills assessment in one of the following occupations:

> Accountant General, ANZSCO Code 221111

> Management Accountant, 221112

> Taxation Accountant, 221113

> External Auditor, 221213

> Corporate Treasurer, 221212

> Finance Manager, 132211

Note: The choice of which occupation to nominate is typically determined by visa strategy. If a skilled visa pathway is being contemplated the question is often whether there a preferred State or Territory Government is sponsoring a particular occupation.

From the 1st of July, 2015 candidates for a migration skills assessment must meet at least seven core knowledge areas, with the exception of External Auditors and Taxation Accountants, who must meet at least eight.

Details of the core knowledge areas are available at the websites of each of the three accounting bodies that are given the authority to assess the above occupations:

> Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand

> CPA Australia

> Institute of Public Accountants Australia

Most applicants seeking a migration skills assessment from one of these accounting bodies must meet the following requirements:

> Qualification: a qualification comparable to an Australian bachelor degree.

> Core Accounting Knowledge: applicants must have covered certain compulsory subjects in their accounting qualification. The changes taking effect on the 1st of July, 2015 are in this area.

> English Language: applicants must undertake an English test, and pass this at the required level.

If you have accounting qualifications at degree level or are a member of a professional accounting body, and want to investigate living and working in Australia please complete the enquiry form on this webpage for a free initial discussion about your Australian visa options, and how we might help.

We look forward to hearing from you.