These are the info from the Australian SkillSelect website which may give you an idea of how it works:
The benefits of SkillSelect
SkillSelect is a major change to how Australia manages its skilled migration program.
SkillSelect helps to ensure the skilled migration program is based on the economic needs of Australia. It will support the Australian Government in managing who can apply for skilled migration, when they can apply and in what numbers. As a result, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship expects to significantly reduce the time taken to process a visa application.
SkillSelect will also help address regional skill shortages. SkillSelect allows intending migrants to indicate if they are willing to live and work in regional Australia. This will be of particular benefit to employers experiencing regional skill shortages and state and territory governments attempting to settle migrants in regional Australia.
How SkillSelect works
SkillSelect is an online service that enables skilled workers and business people interested in migrating to Australia to record their details to be considered for a skilled visa through an Expression of Interest (EOI).
Intending migrants can then be found and nominated for skilled visas by Australian employers or state and territory governments, or they may be invited by the Australian Government to lodge a visa application.
From 1 July 2012, all intending migrants interested in the points based skilled migration or business investment and innovation visa programs will be required to submit an EOI and receive an invitation in order to lodge a visa application.
What is an EOI
An EOI is not a visa application, it is an indication that you would like to be considered for a skilled visa.
You will be asked to provide a range of information in your EOI depending on the visa(s) you want to be considered for, such as:
- basic personal information
nominated occupation
work experience
study and education
level of English skills
details of a Skills Assessment, related to your nominated occupation
business and investment experience.
For more details on what questions and information you will need to supply in your EOI, you should refer to the webpage for the visa(s) you are interested in.
Points Test
For the points based skilled migration and business innovation and investment visa programs , you will be ranked according to the appropriate points test. You will be able to submit an EOI even if you do not meet the pass mark; however, you will not be invited to apply for a visa. For information about how to calculate the points test, you should refer to the points test tab on the webpage for the visa you are interested in.
It is important to remember that meeting the points test pass mark does not guarantee you an invitation to apply for a visa.
If you select the subclass 190 or 489 visa(s) you will receive the appropriate points for nomination or sponsorship. For example if you select the 190 visa subclass you will receive 5 points which will be added to your points score. Your points score based on your claims in your EOI will then be displayed before you submit your EOI.
Nominated Occupation
If you are submitting an EOI for a visa that requires you to list a nominated occupation you should establish if your occupation is a skill that Australia needs. You can do this by checking the Skilled Occupation Lists. You must provide details of a Skills Assessment relating to your nominated occupation in your EOI.
Be aware: If you're invited to apply for a visa, the information you submit in the your EOI will be used as part of your application. If you provide misleading or false information on your EOI, your application may be refused. If your visa is refused on this basis you will be subject to a three year ban which may prevent grant of a further visa.
What you need to do before submitting your EOI
While you don’t need to submit documents supporting your claims when you submit your EOI, you must have a range of information prepared.
For example, for an independent skilled visa you must have:
- completed a skills assessment and/or a job ready program
taken an English-language test to prove you meet the English language requirement.
For details on what information you need to provide on your EOI, you should refer to the webpages for the visa(s) you are expressing interest in.
Be aware: You must have documents supporting the claims you make in your EOI ready. An invitation to make a visa application may be issued shortly after you submit your EOI and you will only have 60 days to lodge a complete visa application.
Submitting an EOI
If you have researched your visa options and prepared the information required, you are ready to submit an EOI. All EOIs must be completed online using SkillSelect. You start your EOI by selecting the “submit an EOI” button on this website.
There is no fee to submit an EOI in SkillSelect. When you complete your EOI the system will give you a points score and results based on your claims.
Your result and points score, along with your time and date of effect becomes your ranking for some visas. The time and date of effect of your EOI, is the date and time you submitted your EOI or the latest date and time you updated your EOI causing your eligibility or points score to change. Rankings are processed automatically by SkillSelect with no involvement of the department’s staff.
To submit a complete EOI you must meet all the threshold criteria for the relevant visa subclass yo uexpress interest in. If you do not meet the threshold criteria, you will have to deselect the visa before you can submit a complete EOI.
Once you have completed your EOI, it is stored in SkillSelect and is valid for two years.
If you have not completed your EOI it will be stored for two years, but you will not be eligible to receive an invitation.
After submitting an EOI
After you submit your completed EOI, you will receive notification from SkillSelect.
You can access your EOI and update your information at any time. You may wish to do this if you have gained new work experience, gained a higher qualification, improved your English language ability and/or changed your family composition. If you provide updated information which changes your points score or your ability to make a complete EOI, SkillSelect will update your ranking and ability to be considered for an invitation automatically.
It is your responsibility to access your EOI and update your details if your circumstances change. You will not be able to update your EOI after you have received an invitation. Your invitation to lodge a visa application is based only on the information presented in your EOI.
Your invitation to lodge a visa application is based on only on the information presented in your EOI. If you lodge a visa application and your points score is less than claimed in your EOI and invitation letter, your visa will be refused even if you are able to pass the points test or meet other threshold criteria. You will not receive a refund of any visa application charge if your visa application is refused.
If you receive an invitation and your points have decreased or your personal information is not accurate, you do not have to proceed to make an application. You should correct the information in your EOI and wait to receive another invitation.
Suspending, withdrawing or removing an EOI
Suspending an EOI
If you are unable to access your EOI for a length of time, then you can choose to suspend your EOI. While this will not extend the validity of your EOI it will stop you receiving invitations or contacts that you cannot act on, and will avoid your EOI being removed while you are, for example, on holiday and receive two invitations during that time.
If you receive an invitation, your EOI will be suspended automatically so your EOI cannot be considered for any subsequent invitation rounds or be available to employers to search for and contact you. Your EOI will remain suspended until such a time that you lodge a visa application and that application is finally determined or 60 days ceases and you do not lodge a valid visa application. During this time you can view your EOI and your correspondence, but cannot update your answers on your EOI or select different visa types.
Withdrawing an EOI
You can withdraw your EOI at any time by accessing your SkillSelect account and selecting the option “Withdraw EOI”. If you withdraw your EOI it will be permanently removed from SkillSelect.
Removing an EOI
If you receive two invitations and you do not lodge a visa application in response to either of these invitations, your EOI will be removed from SkillSelect.
Your EOI will be removed automatically if it expires. Submitted EOIs expire after two years. EOIs that are begun, but are never submitted as a complete EOI will also be removed automatically two years after they are commenced.
If you do not comply with the terms and conditions of SkillSelect, your EOI can be removed by the department at any time. You will be asked to read and agree to the terms and conditions when you register for a SkillSelect account.
If you have a decision on a substantive visa application
If you are granted, refused or withdraw a permanent visa or a 489 or 188 provisional visa application, your EOI will be removed from SkillSelect.
If you are granted, refused or withdraw a temporary visa application, your EOI will remain in SkillSelect for future selection unless it is withdrawn, expires, or is removed.
Bridging visas
An EOI is not a visa application and you will not be granted a Bridging visa. Your eligibility for a Bridging visa will only be considered when a valid visa application is lodged.
If you are in Australia and the visa you hold is about to expire before you are invited and able to apply for a skilled visa, you will need to apply for another visa to remain in Australia. If you do not meet the requirements for the grant of another visa, you will need to depart Australia before your visa expires.
Invitation and selection process
Depending on what type of visa(s) you want to be considered for, you may receive an invitation to lodge a visa application, or an Australian employer may contact you to discuss a job opportunity.
Occupation ceilings
An occupation ceiling may be applied to invitations issued under the points based skilled migration program. This means there will be a limit on how many EOIs are selected for skilled migration from an occupation group. This ensures that the skilled migration program is not dominated by a small number of occupations.
When this limit is reached, no further invitations for that particular occupation group will be issued for that program year. Invitations would then be issued to other EOIs who have nominated available occupations even if they are lower ranking. For the state and territory nominated visas, a state or territory will not be able to nominate you if your nominated occupation has reached its occupation ceiling.
You can view the occupation ceilings on the Reports page.
Independent and family sponsored visas
Invitations will be issued automatically to people with the highest ranking EOIs, subject to occupation ceilings and to those whose points score exceed the current pass mark.
The points test pass mark is the minimum number of points required to receive an invitation. Not all EOIs that meet the points test pass mark will receive an invitation.
The department’s staff will not choose who will receive an invitation. Invitations will be issued regularly, such as every month.
State and territory nominated visas
State or territory governments can select skilled workers who they want to nominate. State and territory governments may do their own assessment of people before they nominate them. If you are nominated by a state or territory and you have indicated that you meet the points test pass mark, you will then receive an invitation, subject to occupation ceilings.
When you submit an EOI for one of these visas, you will be asked to choose which state or territory you wish to live and work in. You can select one state or territory, or any state or territory. You will also be asked to indicate if you are prepared to live and work in a non-metropolitan area. If you choose only one state or territory then that state or territory government will be able to view your EOI. If you select any state or territory, then all state or territory governments will be able to view your EOI.
For more information about what the state or territory government's assessment criteria, refer to the state or territory government websites:
South Australia
Tasmania
Victoria
Western Australia
New South Wales
Queensland
Northern Territory
Australian Capital Territory
Business innovation and investment visas
State or territory governments will locate and select skilled business people that they want to nominate. State and territory governments may assess people before they nominate them. If you are nominated by a state or territory and you have indicated that you meet the points test, you will automatically receive an invitation.
On a limited basis, nominating state or territory governments may award additional points towards the innovation points test where they have determined that your proposed business is of exceptional economic benefit to that state or territory.
When you submit an EOI for one of these visas, you will be asked to select which state or territory you wish to live and work in. You can choose one state or territory, or any state or territory. If you select only one state or territory, then that state or territory will be able to view your EOI. If you select any state or territory, then all state or territory governments will be able to view your EOI.
For more information about what the state or territory governments will assess you on before nominating you, refer to the state or territory government websites:
South Australia
Tasmania
Victoria
Western Australia
New South Wales
Queensland
Northern Territory
Australian Capital Territory
Employer sponsored visas
Employers can search for and contact skilled workers that they want to discuss job opportunities with. If you are contacted by an employer in SkillSelect, you can choose to respond to them to discuss employment and visa opportunities. You will not receive an invitation to apply for an employer sponsored visa.
When you submit an EOI for one of these visas, you will be asked which state or territory you are interested in living and working. You will also be asked to indicate if you are prepared to live and work in a non-metropolitan area. You will be able to select one or more state or territories, or any state or territory. Employers will be able to view your EOI and will be able to narrow their searches to specifically focus on skilled workers in their area. SkillSelect protects your personal information such as your name, date of birth and other characteristics that could personally identify you. This information will not be made available to employers.
If you have already received sponsorship from an employer, you do not need to submit an EOI in SkillSelect.
If you receive an invitation
If you are invited to apply for a visa, you will receive an invitation from SkillSelect. You will then have 60 days to make a valid visa application online, before the invitation expires. Applications received outside this timeframe will be invalid.
The invitation will contain instructions on how you can lodge your visa application.
As the online visa application system uses information from your EOI, you do not need to re-enter information you already provided on your EOI.
You must provide evidence of your claims with your visa application. Health and character will be assessed and requested during the visa application stage.
Be aware: If you do not make a valid visa application after receiving two invitations, your EOI will be removed from SkillSelect.
If you are not invited or selected
More people want to migrate to Australia than there are places available. This means not everyone who submits an EOI will receive an invitation to apply for a visa.
Your EOI will stay in SkillSelect for two years from the date you submit it. At any time during the validity of your EOI, you may update your details to reflect any additional qualifications or experience you may have obtained. This may increase your likelihood of being invited or an employer contacting you.
You may receive notifications from SkillSelect notifying you of visa programs changes, that your EOI is expiring, or other information that you may find useful. You will not be notified of the progress of your EOI or be able to obtain updates on the likelihood of receiving an invitation.
After each invitation round for the points based skilled migration visas, the department will publish on the Reports page the lowest scoring points test mark that allowed an EOI to be invited for each relevant subclass. This will give you an indication of your potential for receiving an invitation in future rounds.
An EOI is not a visa application. You cannot access merits review by the Migration Review Tribunal (MRT) if you do not receive an invitation to apply. If you want to express concerns to the department about the invitation process, you can provide feedback online - Global Feedback Unit.
Points based skilled migration visa arrangements until 1 January 2013
Visa subclasses 885, 886 and 487 will remain open to new applications until 1 January 2013 (for people with access to transitional arrangements and other eligible applicants). If you are eligible to lodge an application for one of these visas you will be able to do so using the current application process.
Any visa application will be processed according to the priority processing direction in effect at the time it is processed.
You can also submit an EOI for one of the new visa subclasses under SkillSelect. You may benefit from submitting an EOI, as this would allow employers and state or territory governments to view your details to discuss sponsorship or nomination opportunities.
