Work Visa Lawyers › News › All News › Crisis for Accountants looking to migrate to Australia under Skilled Migration!
In previous years planning numbers allocated to accountants were approximately 5000 per programme year. However this was reduced by approximately 54% in the 2015-16 migration programme to 2525 places.
As a result places for accountants were quickly filled and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) announced that invitations to accountants will be issued in a pro rata arrangement.
The Points Required for Accountants are Going UP!
Occupations in ANZSCO group 2212 – Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers will no longer receive ITAs in this programme year as the occupational ceiling has been met. This means that applicants within this group of nominated occupations will have to wait until at least next year to receive an ITA. A reminder to all that the Expression of Interest (EOI) will only be stored on the DIBP Skill Select system for 2 years. Will accountants get the same treatment?
What Can You Do if You are Migrating as an Accountant?
If you have work experience in Australia you stand to gain 5 more points as compared to any overseas work experience that you are claiming, i.e. 3 years of work experience from overseas will give you 5 points, whereas 3 years of work experience in Australia will give you 10 points. This will be helpful if you are thinking about working in Australia under a temporary work visa and then consider General Skilled Migration at a later stage.
You can claim an additional 5 points (on top of the 5 points awarded for Australian studies) if your campus was located in a regional postcode. A list of regional Australia postcodes is available on the DIBP website (link). A note is that you must meet the Australian Study requirements to claim these points.
The applicant was a graduate from the state/territory that is sponsoring, etc.
It is important to note that if you applied for a 489 Regional State Sponsorship you will receive 10 points in comparison to 5 points for a 190 State Sponsorship. It may be worth considering going Regional to obtain an ITA.
In summary accountants are looking at a longer timeframe before receiving an ITA to proceed with a visa application. If you are a student currently enrolled in an accounting course the pathway to a permanent visa after graduation looks to be increasingly difficult.
The points score required for accountants increased from 65 points in the earlier invitation round to 70 points in the last round. This means that accountants who have submitted an EOI are getting higher point scores either by scoring higher English test scores, or obtaining regional state sponsorship. This may be a good strategy for now but that will eventually increase the points score required to receive an ITA.
What If I am planning to study in Australia now?
For students thinking about permanent residency after the completion of studies it may be better to study in a field other than accounting. Other industries to consider include Engineering or Nursing.