Labour shortage has affected numerous advanced economies when the world recuperates from the devastation that the pandemic has caused and continues to push. In an attempt to deal with this issue, Australia has released a Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL). According to the government of Australia, the PMSOL is a list of skilled occupations that will be required to fill critical skills needed to support the recovery of the economy.
Visa applications from applicants with an occupation on the PMSOL list will receive priority processing under the following visa subclasses:
- Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa
- Skilled Employer-Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa
- Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa
- Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) visa
Therefore, whoever qualifies will be granted an exemption to travel to Australia. One can apply for this exemption themself or their employer can do it for them too.
However, even if one qualifies, they will have to go through a 14-day quarantine period mandatorily.
The PMSOL was first announced in 2020. The list is subject to change as the government of Australia assesses how the Australian labour market is being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent changing skill demand.
The inclusion of three occupations to the PMSOL was announced by the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs Alex Hawke on June 27 this year – Hospital Pharmacist, Industrial Pharmacist and Retail Pharmacist.
At present, there are as many as 44 occupations on the PMSOL.
The Department of Home Affairs website stated: “ The Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL) identifies 44 occupations that fill critical skills needs to support Australia’s economic recovery from COVID-19. The list is based on expert advice from the National Skills Commission and consultation with Commonwealth departments.”
“Employer-sponsored nomination and visa applications with an occupation on the PMSOL will be given priority processing. All other skilled occupation lists will remain active, but the PMSOL occupations will take priority,” it said.
“The list is temporary and priority occupations may change as Australia recovers from the pandemic. The Government and the National Skills Commission will continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on the Australian labour market and assess Australia’s skills needs as they evolve and new sources of data emerge,” it further added.
