Storm fighter

I have created EOI but it is not submitted yet as I'm still waiting to do IELTS, anyway, this was an email that I received via my SkillSelect account today.

It is official email and I have pasted here its content.

Hi everyone,

This is to whom it may concern :wink:

Changes to Skills Assessment Validity Period

This is to advise you that from 1 July 2014, if a skills assessment is required, it will only be valid for a period of 3

years from the date of issue, unless a shorter validity period is specified on the assessment.

A skills assessment must be valid at the time of lodgement for the following visas:

The Direct Entry stream of the Employer Nominated Scheme (subclass 186) visa;

The Direct Entry stream of the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187) visa; and

The Graduate Work stream of the Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa.

A skills assessment must be valid at the time of invitation to apply through SkillSelect for the following visas:

Skilled – Independent (subclass 189) visa;

Skilled –Nominated (subclass 190) visa; and

Skilled Regional (Provisional) (subclass 489) visa.

These changes do not affect the Temporary Work (Skilled) (subclass 457) visa.

These are the exact stages I have been through:

Applied online : 19.01.2014

Status "Lodged" : 20.01.2014

Invoice letter by post: 05.02.2014

Status changed to "In progress": 06.02.2014

Status changed to "Completed": 09.05.2014

Assessment Outcome online: 13.05.2014

اللهم لك الحمد و الشكر

Hope this would help

Hi,

I applied on 19th of January and it was completed on 9th of May. Got the result online on 13th of May.

The entire migration quota for 2013/2014 was 190,000 which included family visas, etc. The skilled independent quota was 44,990 so it's going down by 1,000 visa grants.

That is great, thanks for your clarification

So hopefully no big changes will happen this year.

Hi,

I hope they announce the full new SOL soon.

I have noticed this sentence in the SBS news:

"The federal government has limited the general skilled migration program at 43,990 skilled visas over the next financial year." Does this mean that they reduced the number of visas for the year 2014/2015. As far as I know it was 190,000 last year !!