After a very long period without much happening, the Department of Home Affairs has been recently starting to issue Immi Grant Notifications to workers located overseas in relation to 482 Temporary Skilled Shortage (but also for visas 494 e 186). A major factor behind this was the recent amendment to the Priority Migration Skills Occupation List (PMSOL). This list in fact allows positive outcomes of sponsorship applied from outside Australia and, above all, it makes possible a positive outcome not just for the visa request, but also for the successive request for ‘exemption’. The positive exemption will allow a visa holder to be granted access to Australia. Without it, a Visa Grant alone will not allow the holder to enter Australia. At the end of June 2021, the Department of Home Affairs has added to the PMSOL 44 new occupations.

The PMSOL had already been introduced in September 2020, however, it was then made up of only 17 professions. On November 27th it followed the addition of a single occupation, namely the social Worker, and again on May 2021 the figure of veterinarian had made its appearance. Chefs, on the other hand, appeared on June 22 along with 21 other professions including the Multimedia Specialist and the Software Engineer. The latest change took place this July, and the three new entries are all related to the figure of the pharmacist (retail, industrial, and hospital).

What to do if your occupation appears on the PMSOL and you would like to return to Australia? We have three tips for you:

1. Look for a business willing to nominate you
   The visas compatible with the PMSOL are Subclasses 186, 482, and 494. This means that the necessary condition to be granted the possibility to return is the nomination of a business. Clearly, receiving a nomination could prove complicated if the business had no chance to meet you before, especially in the hospitality context. Indeed, try to consider, if you’ve already been to Australia, the possibility that one of your past employers will want you back on the team.
2. Check or have the requirements checked
   Each of the visas mentioned above requires the fulfillment of specific requirements. Begin to deal with the level of English and become familiar with the IELTS and PTE tests. But also: is there the necessary qualification? What about post qualification experience? Or, is there enough working experience to replace the required qualification? For this, you can book a consultation and receive an overview of your situation updated to the most recent rules and changes
3. Consider processing times that are not necessarily short
   Although the list is called ‘priority’, the process can take several months from start to end. If you start preparing everything now, it is possible that the various steps (Labor Market Test, preparation of documents, IELTS test, skills assessment if necessary, nomination, application, exemption) will be finalized in full in 4-5 months, if not later.

Atlas Migration is a free info-point based in Sydney but operating all across Australia. If you wish to receive an answer in relation to a question concerning your Visa, migration matter, educational pathways, and general information, feel free to contact our dedicated Facebook chat (click here) and one of our consultants will be at your disposal for free. We also deal with migration matters (Migration Agent consultation, Australian visas application, Citizenship request, skills assessment) and educational pathways for international students (English courses, vocational courses, University and higher education pathways). 

We’d like to remind you that at this moment to people in certain parts of Australia it is requested to respect social distancing, which means keeping a 1,5 meters distance from other individuals. On the official website of your Australian state, you will be able to find additional information. To retrieve information valid on a national scale, you can visit the Department of Health official website. If you recognize in yourself symptoms similar to fever or flu, our advice is to stay home and get tested immediately. You can do so by contacting your General Practitioner or by calling the free toll number 1800 020 080.