In October 2017, Victoria announced major changes to its skilled visa applications.
Victoria updated its Visa Nomination Occupation List, temporarily closed skilled applications for two occupations and increased the work experience requirement from two to five years for engineering and building occupations.
On January 10th 2018, the Victorian government extended the temporary closure of applications for engineering and building occupations.
Initially the state visa nomination for these two occupations was temporarily closed till January 12th 2018. However, this has been extended till February 4th, 2018.
Applications will reopen on February 5th, 2018.
The state government has said this is due to a large volume of visa nomination applications received for these occupations.
The occupations affected by the temporary closure are:
- 312112 Building Associate
- 233211 Civil Engineer
- 312211 Civil Engineering Draftsperson
- 233311 Electrical Engineer
- 312311 Electrical Engineering Draftsperson
- 233512 Mechanical Engineer
- 233914 Engineering Technologist
This temporary closure will allow processing of all outstanding applications and reduce the risk of delay for future applicants.
All applications received prior to 16 October 2017 will be assessed against the guidelines that applied at time of application and an outcome will be provided in due course.
Applications for all other occupations eligible for Victorian Government visa nomination remain open.
WHO IS STILL ELIGIBLE?
However, it is not closed to everyone. Applicants who hold an offer of employment in Victoria in their nominated occupation or meet the streamlined PhD or 457 pathways are not affected by this closure and may apply for these engineering and building occupations during this time.
WANT TO MIGRATE TO AUSTRALIA?
NEW CRITERIA FOR ENGINEERING OCCUPATIONS
Victoria has also announced new criteria for engineering occupations.
From 16 October 2017, the following new minimum work experience and specialisation requirements will apply to engineering occupations on the Visa Nomination Occupation List for Victoria:
| ANZSCO CODE | OCCUPATION | MINIMUM IELTS (OR EQUIVALENT) REQUIREMENT | MINIMUM WORK EXPERIENCE | SPECIALISATIONS AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS |
| 233211 | Civil Engineer | 7.0 in each band | Five years | |
| 312211 | Civil Engineering Draftsperson | 7.0 in each band | Five years | |
| 233311 | Electrical Engineer | 7.0 in each band | Five years | |
| 312311 | Electrical Engineering Draftsperson | 7.0 in each band | Five years | |
| 233512 | Mechanical Engineer | 7.0 in each band | Five years | |
| 233914 | Engineering Technologist | 7.0 in each band | Five years in civil or mechanical engineering | Only work experience in the civil or mechanical engineering disciplines is eligible |
No changes have been made to the Visa Nomination Occupation List for Graduates.
