From the 1st of July 2016 the new Occupational Ceilings were announced, encouraging people to apply for their skilled Visas earlier this year as only so many visas for certain skilled jobs will be granted.
An occupation ceiling is a limit on the number of invitations that can be issued through SkillSelect each year.
An occupation ceiling is applied to:

• Skilled independent visas
• Skilled regional sponsored visas
• Skilled or business state or territory sponsored visas.

You will not be invited to apply for one of these visas if your occupation has reached its ceiling. The government only issues the amount of visas up to its cap per year. Not all occupations have been affected and the ceilings are fantastic news for accountants and auditors. The news is not so great for other career paths such as IT professionals.

The careers most affected were:

• Panelbeaters: 12% decrease
• Architects & Landscape Architects: 16% decrease
• Health & Welfare Services Managers: 17% decrease
• Metal Fitters & Machinists: 17% decrease
• Social Workers: 18% decrease

We’re frequently asked “when is the best time to start applying for my visa to emigrate to Australia?” the answer is always NOW!  If you’ve received a positive free visa assessment then your points are currently valid but these can change over a period of time along with a number of other contributing factors and worse still occupations can be removed from the skilled occupation lists.
If living and working in Australia is your future, you need to Act on It! There are many hurdles to cross to ensure that your pathway to Australia is a possibility so taking expert migration advice before you start any part of the process is key including taking an English Language test or skills assessment.
For advice on applying for your visa and avoiding missing your chance with the occupation ceilings contact one of our migration agents today by emailing [email protected] more information please visit www.isa.com.au

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