Act Fast! Engineers and IT Professionals Have less occupation Quota

Act Fast! Engineers and IT Professionals

Statistics released by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) indicate that quotas (Occupation Ceiling) for Engineers and IT Professionals are being filled up despite Australia’s new fiscal year having just began on 1st July.

DIAC has therefore announced that remaining places will be allocated on a ‘pro-rata basis” for the rest of the program year meaning that only a few places will be allocated each month in the highest demand occupations to make them last for the rest of the year.
Below are six occupations presently affected:

• ICT Business and Systems Analysts (67% filled)
• Chemical and Materials Engineers (50% filled)
• Electronics Engineers (39% filled)
• Telecommunications Engineering Professionals (38% filled)
• Other Engineering Professionals (36% filled)
• Software and Applications Programmers (28% filled)

What is an Occupation Ceiling?

The Occupational Ceiling is a quota set by the Australian government each program year (which runs from 1 July to 30 June) for General Skilled Migration program. Once an occupation reached its celling, no further invitation to apply will be issued in that occupation until the beginning of the next program year. An invitation to apply (ITA) is a requirement obtained from the SkillSelect system to qualify for skilled migration.

Engineers

After just 3 invitation rounds started 1st July 2013, 11% of engineering places are filled:

ANZSCO	Title	Ceiling	% Filled
2331	Chemical and Materials Engineers	360	50%
2332	Civil Engineering Professionals	2280	7%
2333	Electrical Engineers	1500	3%
2334	Electronics Engineers	420	39%
2335	Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers	2040	8%
2336	Mining Engineers	780	3%
2339	Other Engineering Professionals	300	36%
	Engineering Overall	7680	11%

IT Professionals

On the other hand, 23% of IT professional places have been filled (As of 15 August 2013):

ANZSCO	Title	Ceiling	% Filled
2611	ICT Business and Systems Analysts	1380	67%
2612	Multimedia Specialists and Web Developers	720	0%
2613	Software and Applications Programmers	4800	28%
2621	Database and Systems Administrators, and ICT Security Specialists	1920	4%
2631	Computer Network Professionals	1800	6%
2632	ICT Support and Test Engineers	300	0%
2633	Telecommunications Engineering Professionals	300	38%
	IT Overall	11220	23%

Affected Visas

All visas under the General Skilled Migration program are subject to occupational ceilings, including:

• Skilled – Independent (subclass 189):a permanent visa which does not require sponsorship by a State/Territory Government or Relative
• Skilled – Sponsored (subclass 190): a permanent visa which requires sponsorship by a State/Territory Government
• Skilled – Regional Provisional (subclass 489): a four year provisional visa which requires sponsorship by either a State/Territory Government or Relative living in a Designated Area

If the occupational ceiling has been reached for your nominated occupation, you may apply for employer sponsored visas such as:

• Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS): a permanent visa sponsored by an employer
• Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS): a permanent visa requiring a job offer in a regional area
• Temporary Work (Skilled) (subclass 457): a four year temporary visa sponsored by an employer

Immigration Advice

If you are concerned that your nominated occupation is affected, you may contact us to discuss your concerns. Superior Consulting (Pvt.) Ltd. has substantial experience in handling permanent residence and work visa applications for Engineers and IT professionals.