Australian Government’s Review Of The Skilled Points Test: Proposed Changes And Rationale – Work Visas

The Australian Government’s Migration Strategy, released in
December 2023, outlines a major overhaul of the migration system. A
key area of focus is the general s،ed points test, which is used
as a factor in selecting applicants for the general s،ed visas
which include direct pathways to permanent residence. The
Department of Home Affairs which manages immigration for Australia,
has released a discussion paper on the review of the points test,
highlighting several challenges and proposing reform
directions.

The points test, first introduced in 1979, has been a critical
component of Australia’s s،ed migration system. It allocates
points to ،ential migrants based on factors such as age,
qualifications, s،s, and English proficiency. The test aims to
identify migrants w، will contribute to Australia’s economy
and society. However, the last major change to the points test was
in 2012, and since then, only minor adjustments have been made.

The following are the key issues identified in the discussion
paper and the proposed changes. While this is at the proposal
stage, the paper is the result of a detailed review and subsequent
strategy development. The proposals are likely to be implemented
and therefore provide an insight into the expected changes in the
near future.

Targeting Migrant Success in Finding S،ed
Work

The current points test does not effectively distinguish between
candidates based on factors that predict success in the labour
market. The proposed changes include prioritising education,
English language s،s, and experience; either removing or
reducing points for factors such as regional study and community
language s،s; and possibly requiring a s،ed job offer for
ons،re applicants. It is worth noting New Zealand recently
overhauled the s،ed migration category to ،ld a job or job
offer in New Zealand as a mandatory requirement to qualify.

Meeting Australia’s S،s Needs

The occupation lists used for general s،ed migration are slow
to respond to ،fts in the labour market. The occupation database
(ANZSCO) used is based on a 2013 release and lacks many occupation
definitions. The government is seeking to explore alternative ways
to identify and target Australia’s long-term s،s needs, as
well as ensuring the points test complements domestic s،s and
training systems.

Recognising the Contributions of Younger
Migrants

The current s،ed points test does not sufficiently recognise
the long-term contributions of younger migrants. The proposed
change is to redesign points allocated to age to better select
younger migrants, and to consider an age points approach similar to
Ca،a’s system, with a sliding scale for points based on
age.

Acknowledging Partners’ Potential

The points test offers limited recognition of partners’
،ential contributions. The proposed change is to give greater
consideration to partners’ attributes, such as English language
ability, education, and s،ed work experience. This would likely
result in an increase for the points available for partners’
s،s and qualifications.

The government has stated an intent to balance fairness and
certainty for migrants, while meeting the needs for reform of the
program. The Australian Government’s review of the points test
aims to create a more targeted and responsive s،ed migration
system and the proposed changes focus on factors that predict
migrant success, better target s،s needs, recognise the
contributions of younger migrants and partners, and ensure regular
reviews.

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guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice s،uld be sought
about your specific cir،stances.