Fact Sheet 28 - Skill Matching Database

Skill Matching Database

The Skill Matching Database is a free web-based tool used by employers and state/territory governments to address skill shortages.

The database is available through the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) website.
See: Skill Matching Database

Employers and state/territory governments can view the educational qualifications and the current occupation and duties of visa applicants. Employers seeking more details on a particular applicant (or applicants) may request a full resume, which includes the personal contact details of the applicants. This can be done in two ways:

• lodging an online request through the Skill Matching Database to the department
• contacting a member of the Skill Matching Network and quoting the applicant's Skill Matching Internet ID number.

Standard short-listing processes can be used to identify a suitable candidate from the database. Employers are not under any obligation to employ an applicant from the database until they decide that the applicant is suitable for their business. If employers do decide to sponsor an applicant, normal migration processes and Australian working conditions will apply.

The database enables a communication exchange between prospective skilled migrants and potential employers onshore. There are many instances in which this 'linking' process leads to good outcomes for employers and applicants. However, in a competitive market there is no guarantee that a particular person listed on the database can be 'locked in' as the result of such contact.

Most visa applicants remain on the database until they arrive in Australia. The details of pooled applicants will remain on the database for a period of two (2) years. Some employers contact a person on the database and find that the applicant has already been offered employment. In other cases the applicant may switch employers on the basis of what they regard as a better offer. The department does not know when or how employers contact applicants and does not know the outcomes of such contacts. In this sense, the database is much like an extension of the Australian labour market and the competitive dynamics are similar.

Applicants on the database are at various stages of the visa process and represent a number of different visa categories. Many applicants listed on the database do not require formal sponsorship by an employer for their visa to be granted. Employers can contact these applicants directly and negotiate an offer of employment without involving the department. Employers also have the option to offer sponsorship to all applicants on the database that have not had their visa granted or been nominated by a state or territory government.

Sponsorship or nomination by an employer or state and territory government expedites the processing of visa applications from the Skill Matching Database.

Skill Matching Database Help Desk

Users of the Skill Matching Database can contact the Help Desk for the following matters:

• guidance on navigating the database and requesting resumes
• reporting technical faults
• provide feedback on the Skill Matching Database.

The Skill Matching Database Help Desk can be contacted via email.
Email: SMD.HelpDesk@immi.gov.au

Skill Matching Network

The Skill Matching Network can provide employers with the resumes and contact details of people registered on the database and provide general advice on sponsorship and nominations.

The Skill Matching Network can provide employers with the resumes and contact details of people registered on the database and provide general advice on sponsorship and nominations.

The department's Centres of Excellence, state and territory governments, some regional certifying bodies and some area consultative committees are part of the Skill Matching Network.

Contact details of the department's Centres of Excellence can be found on the department's website.
See: Centres of Excellence

Alternatively, you may wish to contact a Regional Outreach officer or an Industry Outreach Officer via the following links.
See:
Regional Outreach Officer
Industry Outreach Officer

Regional Certifying Bodies operate Australia-wide and are a good contact point for regional employers wanting to sponsor migrants under the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme. Further information on regional certifying bodies can be found on the department's web site.
See: Regional Certifying Bodies

Area Consultative Committees are placed to identify opportunities, priorities and development strategies for their regions. Further information on area consultative committees can be found on their website.
See: www.acc.gov.au

Who can list their details on the database?

Applicants eligible to include their details on the database are those who have lodged a valid application for one of the following visa categories:

• Skilled - Independent (subclass 175 or 885)
• Skilled - Sponsored (subclass 176 or 886).

Applicants lodging a paper form are required to complete the section on the Skill Matching Database of the General Skilled Migration application form (Form 1276) for inclusion on the database.
See: Form 1276 Application for General Skilled Migration to Australia (922KB PDF file)

Applicants lodging an online visa application will have the option to include their details on the database. Applicants who choose not to include their details on the Skill Matching Database at time of application will not have the option to include their details at a later date.

Applicants of these visa categories must meet all the basic requirements of General Skilled Migration as follows:

• be under 45 years of age at the time of application
• have good English language ability
• have suitable skills assessment in a nominated occupation from the Skilled Occupation List (SOL)
• have met the Australian study requirement or have been employed in a skilled occupation for at least 12 months in the last 24 months.

See: Booklet 6 General Skilled Migration

Sponsorship/Nomination from the Skill Matching Database

Employers can nominate applicants listed on the Skill Matching Database in three ways:

1. The Employer Nomination Scheme enables Australian employers to nominate highly skilled overseas workers to fill positions that cannot be filled from within the Australian labour market or through the employer's own training programs.
   See: Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 121/856)

2. The Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme allows employers not located in the metropolitan areas of Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne and Perth to sponsor overseas workers to fill vacancies when they have not been able to utilise the local labour market. The position being offered to the migrant must be full-time and for a minimum of two (2) years.
   See: Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (Subclass 119/857)

3. A Labour Agreement is a formal arrangement negotiated between the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and an employer or industrial association. Labour agreements enable Australian employers to recruit a specified number of workers from overseas in response to an identified or emerging skill need in the Australian labour market.
   See: Labour Agreements

Note: On-hire firms, including those with a Labour Agreement, are excluded from accessing the Skill Matching Database, as they do not meet the direct employment requirement.

Employers (excluding on-hire firms) that have a Labour Agreement in place can access the Skill Matching Database if the Labour Agreement allows for the recruitment of overseas workers under permanent visa subclasses.

Skilled-Independent (subclass 175)

This visa is for skilled applicants outside Australia. New Zealand citizens in Australia on a Special Category (subclass 444) visa may also apply for this visa. Applicants for this visa do not require sponsorship.

Applications will be assessed against a points test.
See: Skilled – Independent (Subclass 175)

Skilled-Sponsored (subclass 176)

This visa is for skilled applicants outside Australia. New Zealand citizens in Australia on a Special Category (subclass 444) visa may also apply for this visa. Applicants for this visa must be sponsored by an eligible Australian relative, or nominated by a state or territory government.

Applications will be assessed against a points test.
See: Skilled – Sponsored (Subclass 176)

Skilled-Independent (subclass 885)

This visa is for:

• overseas students who have met the Australian study requirement in the last six months
• Graduate (subclass 485) and Recognised Graduate (subclass 476) visa holders.

Applications will be assessed against a points test.
See: Skilled – Independent (Subclass 885)

Skilled-Sponsored (subclass 886)

This visa is for:

• overseas students who have met the Australian study requirement in the last six months
• Graduate (subclass 485) and Recognised Graduate (subclass 476) visa holders.

Applicants for this visa must be sponsored by an eligible Australian relative or nominated by a state or territory government

Applications will be assessed against a points test.
See: Skilled – Sponsored (Subclass 886)

 

Further information is available on the department's web site.
See: www.immi.gov.au

The department also operates a national telephone service inquiry line.
Telephone: 131 881
Hours of operation: Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4 pm (recorded information available outside these hours) for the cost of a local call anywhere in Australia.

Fact Sheet 28. Produced by the National Communications Branch, Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Canberra.
Revised 16 July 2009.

© Commonwealth of Australia 2009.