Simon Mander Consulting P/L

15/10/2026

Important changes to State Nomination for Victoria and NSW.

15/10/2026

Victoria's new skilled migration points test: Younger applicants win. Experienced workers lose out?

Victoria has announced a new points test for its 2026–27 skilled migration program, covering subclass 190 and 491 nominations.

Some of the weightings are quite extraordinary.

Age: Applicants aged 20–29 receive 300 points. At 40, that drops to 136. At 44, just 16.

English: Superior English attracts 200 points, Proficient 100 and Competent zero.

Qualifications: PhD 100 points, Master's 75, Bachelor's 50 and Diploma 25.

Salary: Applicants already working in Victoria can receive up to another 150 points based on their earnings.

Victoria will also prioritise healthcare, education, social assistance and construction occupations.

My concern is that a highly experienced tradesperson in their 40s could be substantially disadvantaged against a younger university graduate, even where their skills are desperately needed.

There's also a new fee just to enter the competition.

Applicants will pay $60 plus GST to submit a Registration of Interest (ROI), with another $180 plus GST if invited to apply for nomination.

There is no minimum VPT score guaranteeing an invitation, and Victoria cannot tell applicants how competitive they are.

I'm not opposed to reasonable administrative fees, but charging people to join a selection pool without any indication of their prospects is questionable.

Are we really selecting the workers Australia needs, or simply those who score best on paper?

The 2026–27 program has not yet opened.

Official details:
https://liveinmelbourne.vic.gov.au/migrate/skilled-migration-visas/vpt

23/09/2026

I genuinely love my work and getting results for people, whether the matter is perhaps run of the mill - or decidedly complex. It's really good to receive positive feedback as I did from Ryza today - if you need Australian visa advice don't hesitate to reach out - or look around my website - https://www.simonmander.com

22/09/2026

Australia changed its skilled visa processing priorities on 19 September 2026.

The biggest change is that applicants in defined priority sectors can now receive the highest processing priority whether they are onshore or offshore. These sectors include healthcare, teaching, construction, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources, as well as some law enforcement and defence-related roles.

But priority processing is not the same as visa eligibility, and it does not guarantee an invitation or state nomination.

If you are considering skilled migration to Australia and want to know whether your occupation falls within one of the new priority categories, comment below.

Simon Mander
Registered Migration Agent
MARN 0318058

General information only.

21/09/2026

It's great to have happy clients locally who have nominated the business for the Local Business Awards - thanks to those who voted!

21/09/2026

Australia has changed the processing priority for skilled visas.

From 19 September 2026, Ministerial Directions 121 and 122 replaced Direction 119.

The biggest change is that applicants in defined priority occupations can now receive the highest processing priority whether they lodged onshore or offshore.

Priority sectors include construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture/aquaculture/fishing, resources, and certain law enforcement and defence-related occupations.

For subclass 482, Specialist Skills applications then sit in the next priority tier.

But there are some important limits.

Processing priority does not create visa eligibility, does not guarantee a state nomination or invitation, and does not mean every occupation within a broad industry automatically qualifies as priority.

In some sectors, the exact ANZSCO occupation and the duties of the nominated position matter.

For non-priority occupations, onshore applicants still generally sit ahead of offshore applicants.

So the real question is not simply, “Do I work in construction or resources?”

It is: Does my exact nominated occupation and position fall within the Direction’s priority definition?

General information only, not personal migration advice.

Simon Mander
Registered Migration Agent
MARN 0318058

01/09/2026

01/09/2026

If you are waiting on an Australian skilled visa or thinking about applying for one you need to understand MD119.

A new processing direction, Ministerial Direction 119, changed the order in which many skilled and employer-sponsored visa applications are dealt with.

One of the biggest changes is that whether you are onshore or offshore can now affect your position in the processing queue.

Your occupation can matter as well.

That does NOT mean Australia has closed skilled migration to people overseas.

It does mean that two people applying for similar visas can now face very different processing circumstances.

I explain the change in this 90-second video.

If you want individual advice about your own Australian migration options, you can book a consultation with me at simonmander.com/book.

02/06/2026

One of the hardest parts of this profession is telling people the truth when the answer isn’t what they hoped for.

Not every occupation is in strong demand.
Not every pathway is realistic from offshore.

Sometimes the most valuable advice a migration agent can give is helping someone avoid spending years and thousands of dollars pursuing a pathway with very limited prospects.

I would rather give honest guidance than false hope.

12/05/2026

Big Changes for Australia’s Migration System! 🇦🇺✈️

The Federal Budget is out, and the migration landscape is shifting. Labor is forecasting Australia’s population to grow by another one million people by 2030, but there’s a major push to change who is coming.

The Key Takeaways:

Tradies are the Priority: $85M is being injected to fast-track skills assessments for trades like electricians and plumbers. 🛠️

Backpacker Crackdown: Expect a "ballot system" for Working Holiday Visas as the government looks to manage numbers more strictly.

The Points Test Overhaul: The test is being redesigned to favor younger, higher-skilled migrants to boost productivity.

Net Migration: Forecasted at 295,000 this year, aiming to drop to 225,000 by 2027.

What do you think? Will focusing on "Tradies over Backpackers" help fix the housing shortage? Let’s chat in the comments! 👇