Thoughts about the 2012 Selection Model

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Now that I have had a chance to work through the details of the new points test, I have been thinking about how things are going to work a year from now.

It's called the Selection Model, or SkillSelect. I have previously mentioned its similarities with the notably unsuccessful Skills Matching Database of a few years back. There are also parallels with the New Zealand skilled migration system, which also requires an Expression of Interest, or EoI, followed by a possible invitation to apply for a visa.

A peculiarity of the 2012 proposal is that there is no way of knowing in advance what your chances are likely to be, with the result that potential applicants will need to try to maximise their chances when they lodge their EoI, potentially at great expense.

Each time the selection is run, DIAC will set a quota for each occupation and will choose the highest scoring candidates who nominated that occupation in their EoI.

In order to maximise their score, anyone preparing an EoI will need to pay for a skills assessment (fees from about $500 to over $1,000 depending on the occupation) and IELTS test ($330). If the applicant has a spouse with a skilled occupation, a further skills assessment and IELTS test would add an extra 5 points. Unrelated education qualifications cost $130 to be assessed by Vetassess. In some cases they might even try a NAATI test, at a cost of around $770.

Then the EOI itself will have a fee expected to be around $500 to $700.

All told, up-front expenses of $1,500 to $3,000 or more for an application that has no guarantee of success.

I wonder whether the result may not be that quality candidates, who may have several migration options (including staying put), might just not bother.