What is an Expression of Interest invitation round?
If you are applying through the skilled migration stream then this process will be applicable to you. After obtaining a positive skills assessment and English test you will need to lodge an Expression of Interest, commonly referred to an EOI. EOI’s are lodged online via SkillSelect.
If you are lodging an EOI for a Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) or Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491), you will be subject to invitation rounds. Invitation rounds currently take place once a month, usually on the 11th.
What do invitation rounds tell us?
Each month the invitation round results are published on SkillSelect. This is a good indication to determine if you have enough points to secure a Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) visa, and how long it may take you to secure an invite. Invitations are not guaranteed and your EOI will expire after 2 years.
What were the latest invitation round results?
The latest invitation round – 11 February 2020 – saw 1,500 invitation issued.
Visa subclass
Number of invitations issued
Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
1,000
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) – Family Sponsored
500
The minimum points score for a Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) was 90. The latest date of effect was 16/11/2019. This means applicants needed 90+ points to secure an invitation, and those who had the minimum 90 points waited 4 months to secure an invitation.
The minimum points score for a Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) – Family Sponsored was 85. The latest date of effect was 08/01/2020. This means applicants needed 85+ points to secure an invitation, and those who had the minimum 85 points waited nearly 3 months to secure an invitation.
The above minimum points scores do not apply to pro-rata occupations. Due to high levels of demand, certain occupations are subject to pro-rata arrangements to ensure invitations are available throughout the year. This includes various occupations in finance, engineering and ICT. You can check if this applies to you by visiting SkillSelect. The minimum points score and date of effect for pro-rata occupations are also listed on SkillSelect.
How many points do I need for a skilled visa?
You can lodge an EOI on 65 points, however what many people don’t realize is meeting the minimum threshold of 65 points has not been enough to secure a 189 invitation for years! The last 6 months of invitation rounds saw no 189 invitation issued on under 80 points. Realistically, you require at least 80 points to have a chance of securing a 189 visa and we do not anticipate this lessening any time soon.
How can I increase my points?
There are two primary ways to increase your points score; The English Test and State Sponsorship (visa subclasses 190 and 491).
You can use Visa Go Australia’s free points calculator to determine your skilled points score. Alternatively, you can seek advice from our licensed Migration Agent Darren Chatt MARN:0211214 by booking a consultation.
Visa Go have been really supportive and knowledgeable in terms of the process. Sue Tempany is really knowledgable and responsive to any questions. I would fully recommend visa go. Swift service!
Our process started with an initial conversation with Darren, before we were assigned our emigration agent Sue. The visa process itself is quite complicated, and I don’t know how we’d have even attempted to do this on our own!
Sue was amazing throughout, keeping us updated each step of the way, and providing detailed guidance at the start of each stage, which enabled us to start preparing and collating everything needed for the next part when the time came. Sue’s replies to the many emails that I've sent her way over the course of this process, were always prompt and patient, and nothing ever seemed to much trouble. Sue’s experience and understanding of the processes, timelines and the strict format in which things had to be done, meant that she was able to advise us and provide guidelines, which meant that when we submitted each stage, we were not having to worry about delays due to incomplete applications.
18 months on from that initial meeting - we have now been living and working in Australia for 8 months, and have recently changed onto a permanent visa.
We are extremely glad that we chose to work with Visa Go, and want to say a massive thank you to Sue, Darren and the team for all of their support and assistance throughout.
This was one of the most difficult challenges of my life to obtain a regional skilled migration visa for Australia. There were so many obstacles and hurdles to jump due to Covid lockdown and a race against ageism rules of turning 45. I certainly could not have done this without the help of visa go! Managed to secure an Invitation to apply from the Australian Government and with the assistance of my wonderful agent managed to fast track my ITA four days before my birthday! Never give up on your dreams. I now have my visa that can lead to PR thanks to Visa Go! You guys were awesome and really appreciate your help. ☺️
I can’t thank Kimberley and Darren enough for all the time, effort and support they gave us whilst going through our visa process. They answered any and all questions and made such a daunting undertaking much less stressful with all their advice and guidance. Would highly recommend!
We would just like to say a huge thank you to the Visa Go Australia team, especially Sue our caseworker who has been fantastic since the start, everything went smooth through the whole process, we was kept updated and informed along the way. We would definitely recommend and we can’t wait to head down under now our Visa has been granted. Couldn’t of done it without you. Thank you again!
After 4 1/2 years since our first contact with Visa Go Australia, and just over 3 years since starting our process with them, our visa has finally been granted and I cannot thank Sue and Darren enough! We had a very complex skill assessment stage but without Sue helping us with what we had to do, it wouldn’t of been possible without her. I highly recommend using Visa Go if you’re ready to start your journey to Australia or anywhere else, they have made our dreams come true! Thank you Sue, Darren and Kimberley 😁
I would highly recommend visa go. Darren always took the time to answer any questions and help me through the process. Within weeks he had my partner visa submitted and now I have my permanent residency! I couldn’t thank Darren and the team enough 👍
Visa Go Australia are experts in their field. My case officer, Sue, has been very professional and knowledgeable throughout the process providing great customer service, from providing the documents required to promptly replying to all queries. So, to Darren, Kimberley and Sue, thank you all for your support to achieve my Visa.
Good and efficient services, clear information on what documents to provide and quick answers to my questions. Got two visas approved with Kimberleys help 😊.
Visa Go Australia provided amazing service when applying for a partner visa. They provide great support and advice throughout the process to ensure your application is done perfectly. Kimberley was always very patient answering my questions, and following up on things I missed. I would highly recommend Visa Go to anyone applying for an Australian visa.
Visa Go were fantastic at helping me secure my partner visa . The whole process was very simple and well explained - and I got the permanent residency after only a few months which was amazing. Kimberley was very helpful and supportive throughout the process and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone!
Kimberley and Darren helped myself and my partner with our Australian residencies and we couldn’t be happier. Even through lockdown Kimberley was attentive and on the ball at all times, my visa process took no time at all! I’ve already recommended friends to visa go as they truly know what they are doing and are there to help and make the process as straight forward as possible. Highly recommend!!!
I used Visa Go to apply for my Partner Visa and I have been super impressed with the service and turnaround time. Kimberley was very thorough with her communication and kept us updated through out the whole process. I can’t recommend the service enough!
My agent with Visa go was Kimberley Chatt. She was fantastic the whole way through. Always had very professional and prompt responses whenever I had a query. I felt like she went above and beyond to help me understand each step of the process. I now have my permanent partner visa in Australia and couldn't be happier. She turned what can often be a long arduous ordeal into a streamlined easy process. I would highly recommend this agency to anyone looking to immigrate to Australia. Thanks again Kimberley!
My Husband and I used Visa Go Australia to support us through our Visa process. Our Visa advisor was Sue, Sue was great from start to finish, always so helpful and replied to our emails and calls so quickly. Our visa process took 11 months (as expected for the visa we applied for) and Sue kept us on track and up to date all the time, extremely organised and always happy to help and provide us with her support. I highly recommend Visa Go Australia, we couldn't imagine trying to go through this process without Sues help and guidance. Samantha Mills
Visa Go provided an excellent service. They were professional, helpful and efficient throughout the visa process and Sue, my designated migration agent, always had words of encouragement to help deal with the tedium of the paperwork. I am a professional and I thought using a migration agent was probably unnecessary. I thought I could manage the paperwork process myself. However, it quickly became clear to me that an agent's assistance was very necessary. Visa Go's knowledge was invaluable and I have no hesitation in recommending their services.
Using Visa Go Australia was the BEST decision we made when planning for our move to Australia. My husband is British and needed an offshore 309 spouse visa. Sue made our life so much easier supporting us every step of the way. I was impressed with her knowledge, every question I had was answered quickly and with confidence. There is a huge amount of time and effort your agent does in the background so that you don't have to. I always felt like a priority and that I was in the safe hands of an expert. Not to mention how kind and friendly the agents are. I would highly recommend this company to anyone - 5 star service!
Visa Go Australia were integral in getting our visas granted, without them the whole process would have been so difficult for us to get everything right, they were always so happy to help no matter how silly the question. They split the process up in to manageable chunks and made sure that we were always ready for the next step which really minimised the stress of it all. Can't thank Darren and Kimberley enough. Calam, Charlie and Rory
Me and my partner Cynthia have successfully been granted our partner visa for Australia and could definitely not have done it without all of the never ending help from Sue. Any visa process is always stressful, yet they helped so much with any problems we had along the way. I can't recommend this company enough! If you're worried about applying for a visa, you can rest assured that with their experience and knowledge, partnered with how lovely they always are even with the smallest of questions that you will be having your visa granted in no time with minimal stress! Thank so much for all your help! Jonas & Cynthia
We were recently granted a PR Visa and the work that Sue puts in in the background is commendable. Darren and Sue have been great to work with over the last 2 years and we were kept up to date the whole way. I would highly recommend anyone applying for a visa to do it through them. They made sure we had all the information at every step of they way and nothing was ever a problem if I called or emailed. Thank you so much to all of the team! Denny, Victoria and Caitlyn
I can not recommend these enough, was with us all the way, even when things got frustrating, no fault of the company, just how long the process takes. You do have to be patient and understand they have to wait on the migration department. It is worth using an agent. They completed a PMV300 for us and are now doing the next stage. It really does unburden a lot of stress during what is a stressful time. Even long after I was given advice and guidance when the job had already been completed. Honest, reliable and understanding. Thank you and keep well all. Marie & Jodie
https://visa-go.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Cairns-QLD-scaled.jpg7921200Kimberley Chatthttps://visa-go.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/logo-new.pngKimberley Chatt2023-02-28 03:00:092023-02-28 03:13:15Teaching in Australia after 45 – Is PR possible?
https://visa-go.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/time-scaled.jpg16952560Kimberley Chatthttps://visa-go.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/logo-new.pngKimberley Chatt2023-02-16 02:28:422023-02-16 02:28:42Increased Processing Times for Vetassess Trades
