EOI Explained
An EOI is an expression of interest, to the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA) to initially express interest in making an application and your eligibility for specific skilled migration visas (see below). It should summarise your skills and credentials including an assessment of English language ability which if you don’t already have this can be done via https://ielts.com.au. As well as a completed a skills assessment. EOIs with a nomination by a state/territory and EOIs with higher points (passing score 65) rank higher in the pool of applicants. Your EOI is valid for 24 months, invitations are dependent on individual state/territory needs for workers which may mean your wait time to receive an invitation to lodge an application is anywhere within that period.
Why should I make an EOI?
Applicants must first submit an expression of interest; the applicant can only start to make and lodge an application once they receive an invitation to apply (ITA).
When looking to applying for:
- Visa subclasses that applicants can only lodge via EOI on SkillSelect:
- Skilled independent workers (subclass 189) visa
- Skilled work regional (provisional) visa (subclass 491) – family sponsored
- Skilled nominated (subclass 190) visa
- Business Talent (subclass 132) visa
- Business innovation and investment (subclass 188) visa
Invitations are sent out each round however, there is no set number of invitations to apply. It is entirely dependent on workforce demand.
Ie. ITA round statistics 26th July 2021
| EOI | NUMBER OF ITA |
| Skilled independent work visa (subclass 189) | 250 |
| Skilled work regional (provisional) visa (subclass 491) | 500 |
A step by step guide to making an EOI on SkillSelect
1. Firstly, to create an EOI account on SkillSelect you will need to include
- Given first name, family name and other given names i.e.. Middle name
- Date of birth
- Country of birth. Along with passport and citizenship details
- Gender
- Place of residency
- Relationship details
2. You will need to confirm and declare your details are correct and enter an email and password. You will be given an EOI identification which will become your login for skillselect.
3. Next you will need to select which visa is relevant to you that you are looking to apply to.
4. Then if needed, you will put your IELTS score in. This reflects your English proficiency and abilities.
Then here is where you get to showcase your abilities.
5. You will be asked to put in any education or qualifications
i.e. Qualification name
- Course name
- Institution name
- Country of the institution
- Start and end date of the qualification
6. Then you will put in your employment history (from the last 10 years)
I.e., Position title
- Employer name
- Country of employment
- Start and end date of employment
You will be asked after each employment you list
Is this position relevant to your chosen occupation? (You will need to nominate an occupation)
are you claiming points for this employment?
for details on points related to occupation you can view these via.
7. Review and declare the information you provided is correct if something you submitted is not correct you can go back by pressing “previous”
8. Submit, once you submit you cannot edit this so make sure your details are correct before you press submit.
9. From here, download your EOI as a PDF by pressing the link on the top right corner that says “view your EOI” you also have the option to download your points breakdown.
To begin creating your EOI Go to here.
What happens next?
If you are successful in receiving an invitation to apply you then have 60 days to make your application. If for some reason that is not possible you lose your invitation and are not necessarily guaranteed a second one. It is better to be prepared so that if at any point in the 24 months your EOI is in the pool you do receive an ITA, you don’t lose the opportunity to apply. For more information or to begin preparing book a free initial consultation with us here.
An EOI isn’t a bridging visa or visa application. Following lodgement of your visa, you can then apply for a bridging visa to enter Australia. If you are already in Australia and the visa you currently hold is expiring before you have received an ITA to be able to apply for a skilled worker visa, you must apply for another visa to remain in Australia. If you do not qualify for another visa, you must depart Australia before your visa expires and wait offshore to hear from SkillSelect.
If you did not receive an invitation to apply, it’s okay not everyone does. However, after each invitation round the Department releases what the lowest EOI scoring points test points were and this can work as an indicator for you as to what you need for the future.
