Victoria temporarily closes Engineering and Building occupations for state nomination
Changes to skilled applications for engineering and building occupations
On 12 October 2017 the Victorian Government announced a temporary closure for applications for engineering and building occupations on the Visa Nominations and Occupation List Victoria as of 16 October 2017 to 12 January 2018.
The temporary closure is intended to allow for the processing of all outstanding applications and to minimise the delay for future applicants.
Current applicants who lodged their applications before 16 October 2016 should be aware that their applications will continue to be assessed and determined in due course.
Likewise, applicants who currently hold an offer of employment in Victoria in their nominated occupation or meet the streamlined PhD or 457 pathways also remain unaffected by this closure and may continue to apply for these engineering and building occupations during this time.
The following occupations affected by the temporary closure are:
- Building Associate (312112)
- Civil Engineer (233211)
- Civil Engineering Draftsperson (312211)
- Electrical Engineer (233311)
- Electrical Engineering Draftsperson (312311)
- Mechanical Engineer (233512)
- Engineering Technologist (233917)
These announced changes were accompanied by an additional announcement regarding the new criteria for engineering occupations on the Visa Nomination Occupation List for Victoria. For all civil, electrical and mechanical engineering occupations there is now a requirement that the minimum of five years of work experience is satisfied.
This announcement indicates the high rate of visa applications the Department have received for building and engineering occupations in Victoria and the limited capacity to process them in a reasonable time frame.
Hopefully, with this temporary occupation closure the Department will be able to review new applications after January 2018 with greater time efficiency.
The official announcement can be found by clicking here.