Opening its migration program for 2023-24 last week, the Victorian government invited skilled workers under the Department of Home Affairs to register their interest for the Subclass 190 skilled nominated visa stream and the Subclass 491 skilled work regional (provisional) visa.
Muskan Dhingra, a 23-year-old individual, has been closely following the updates regarding the Victorian migration program throughout this year.
Back in 2019, she arrived in Australia as an international student with the aim of pursuing a bachelor’s degree in human resource management in Brisbane. Currently, she is employed in her chosen field in the state of Victoria, but she hasn’t found an employer willing to support her visa sponsorship.
Despite this, she maintains her status as a temporary resident and plans to submit her Expression of Interest for the Subclass 190 visa to secure permanent residency.
“I am quite hopeful about my chances of obtaining a state nomination this year because my profession is in a critical sector,” she expressed.
The Department of Home Affairs originally allocated over 14,000 seats for Victoria in the 2022-23 fiscal year, encompassing both Subclass 190 and Subclass 491 visas, but the current year’s allocation has been substantially reduced to 3,300.
However, this reduced visa quota doesn’t worry Ms. Dhingra, as she deliberately moved from Brisbane to Victoria to explore better job prospects.
“As a consequence of this change, if you had previously submitted a Subclass 491 ROI in the 2022-23 period and were not selected, you will be required to submit a new Registration Of Interest (ROI) provided you still meet the eligibility criteria,” the state government explained.
For the 2023-24 program, the federal government has granted Victoria 3,300 skilled visa nomination slots. Out of these, 2,700 have been allocated for the Skilled Nominated visa (Subclass 190), while the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (Subclass 491) has only 600 spots available this year.
Notably, there is no allocation for the Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) Subclass 188 in the 2023-24 program.