A significant change to the management of the Skilled visa program has been announced by the Department of Home Affairs.
Candidates with an Expression of Interest (EOI) on SkillSelect must have a valid skills assessment at the time of invitation to apply for a Skilled visa.
Occasionally, the skills assessment may expire before the applicant manages to lodge the visa application. This has caused significant issues to some people whose applications were refused, even if they provided a new skills assessment. Others decided to not proceed with their visa application due to the risk of refusal.
Following a court challenge, the Department has announced that it will now accept suitable skills assessments which have been obtained within the 60 day invitation period.
Skills assessment validity periods are calculated as follows:
- If no validity period is shown on a skills assessment, the assessment is valid for 3 years from date of issue.
- If the validity period shown on a skills assessment is less than 3 years, the assessment is valid for the period stated on the assessment
- If the validity period shown on a skills assessment is more than 3 years, the assessment is valid for three years from date of assessment
Candidates are encouraged to arrange their skills assessment well before submitting their EOIs.
For more information please Contact Us or email elan@ryshermigration.com.au
Elan Rysher is a Registered Migration Agent and Qualified Student Counsellor. He is the main Writer for ImmiUpdates and the founder of Rysher Migration. Elan has many years of experience working in immigration, finance and health. Being a former migrant himself, Elan is passionate about helping others fulfil their Australian dream.
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