The number of places available for any individual occupation in any year is subject to Quota's. Once the occupation is reached no further invitations for the visa subclasses 189 and 489 (family sponsored) will be issued for that occupation.
Whilst meeting the required selection criteria and obtaining a score of 60 points may enable you to submit an Expression of Interest this does not automatically result in an invitation to apply. The Expression of Interest is a competitive system with certain applications being provided priority processing. How long it takes before you are invited to apply depends upon a number of factors and depending upon your circumstances. Different strategies might be considered to increase your likelihood of selection for invite from the EOI pool of interested applicants. EOI submissions can potentially remain in the pool for a period of up to 2 years.
Due to high demand for some occupations invitations for the following occupation groups were issued on a pro rata basis across the year. In these occupations consideration should be given to application strategy.
- 2211 Accountants
- 2212 Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers
- 2333 Electronics Engineers
- 2335 Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers
- 2611 ICT Business and System Analysts
- 2613 Software and Applications Programmers
- 2613 Other Engineering Professionals
- 2613 Computer Network Professionals
The table below shows the Quota's or Occupation Ceilings on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL), and the maximum number of invitations that can be issued for each occupation for the 2016-17 programme year. For comparison the table also provides details of the increase or decrease in the number of places since the last year. Follow this link to see quota levels for the 2015-16 year.
Occupation ceilings for the 2016-17 programme year Latest update reflects details provided by the DIBP following the 21st June 2017 round of visa invitations.
Note some occupations have already reached their quota for the 2016-17 program year and the DIBP have announced no further invitations will be made for those occupations until the 2017-18 program year which starts in July 2017.