General Skilled Migration (GSM)

General Skilled Migration permits skilled persons to migrate to Australia without an employer sponsor. Applicants are assessed against a points test covering age, English language ability, qualifications, skilled employment experience, Australian study, partner skills and nomination. An Expression of Interest is lodged through SkillSelect, and an invitation to apply is issued by the Department or by a state or territory government.

1 . Confirm that the nominated occupation appears on the relevant list. The Subclass 189 requires an occupation on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List. The Subclasses 190 and 491 draw on the broader lists together with each state’s own occupation list, which is republished for each program year.

2. Obtain a positive skills assessment from the assessing authority specified for the occupation. This is a separate process carrying its own cost and timeframe.

3. Undertake an English language test. The result obtained drives a substantial proportion of the points claimed.

4. Lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect. An EOI remains valid for two years and may be updated at any time.

5. Seek state or territory nomination where the Subclass 190 or 491 is the target. Most jurisdictions now operate a Registration of Interest process preceding nomination.

6. Receive an invitation and lodge the visa application within 60 days

The minimum score required to lodge an Expression of Interest is 65 points. That figure is a threshold for lodgement, not a competitive score. Under current conditions, invitations for the Subclass 189 have commonly issued to applicants scoring between 85 and 95 points, with high-volume occupations sitting at the upper end of that range. State-nominated pathways generally invite at lower scores, but only where the jurisdiction has genuine demand for the occupation.

An applicant scoring between 65 and 75 points is best served by a candid discussion about how points might be increased, or whether an employer-sponsored or regional pathway represents a faster route. That discussion is worth having before expenditure is committed to a skills assessment.

# Points assessment and the formulation of a realistic strategy, including the steps required to become competitive.

# Selection of occupation and assessing authority. An error at this stage costs months.

# State and territory nomination applications across all jurisdictions.

# Management of the Expression of Interest and preparation of the visa application within the 60-day invitation period.

# Planning the transition from the Subclass 491 to the Subclass 191, including compliance with visa conditions and the income requirement.