A Starter's Guide to Skilled Migration

For many ambitious professionals in Bangladesh, skilled migration represents a pathway to a new life, offering enhanced career opportunities, a higher quality of life, and a secure future for their families. Countries like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have designed sophisticated, points-based systems to attract talented individuals who can contribute to their economies. However, these systems are complex, competitive, and constantly evolving.

Understanding the fundamental principles of these programs is the first step toward a successful migration journey. This guide provides a high-level overview of the skilled migration pathways to these three popular destinations.

The Core Concept: Points-Based Immigration

At its heart, skilled migration is not a lottery; it's a competitive process where countries "score" potential immigrants based on attributes they deem valuable. The goal is to select candidates who are most likely to integrate successfully and contribute economically.

Common factors that earn you points include:

Age: Younger applicants generally receive more points.
Education: Higher levels of education (Master's, PhD) award more points.
Work Experience: More years of skilled, professional work experience result in a higher score.
Language Proficiency: A high score on an English language test (like IELTS) is one of the most critical factors.
Connections to the Country: Having a sibling, previous study/work experience, or a valid job offer in the destination country can provide a significant points boost.

Your total score determines your rank in a pool of applicants. The government then holds regular "draws," inviting the highest-scoring candidates to formally apply for permanent residence (PR).

1. Canada: The Express Entry System

Canada's Express Entry is the primary system for managing skilled worker applications. It's a fast and efficient online system that oversees three main federal programs:

Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP): For skilled workers with foreign work experience.
Canadian Experience Class (CEC): For individuals who already have at least one year of skilled work experience in Canada.
Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP): For skilled workers in specific trade occupations.

How Express Entry Works:

Eligibility Check & ECA: First, you must meet the minimum criteria for one of the programs above. A key step is getting an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA), where an organization like WES verifies that your Bangladeshi degree is equivalent to a Canadian one.
Create Your Profile: You submit an online profile detailing your age, education, work experience, and IELTS/CELPIP language scores. If eligible, you enter the Express Entry pool.
Get Your CRS Score: Your profile is assigned a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. This score is your ranking in the pool.
Invitation to Apply (ITA): Every few weeks, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducts a draw, setting a minimum CRS cut-off score. If your score is above the cut-off, you receive an ITA.
Application for PR: Once you receive an ITA, you have 60 days to submit a full application with all supporting documents, including proof of funds, work experience letters, and medical and police clearances.

The PNP Boost: A crucial element of the Canadian system is the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Each province can "nominate" candidates from the Express Entry pool whose skills are in demand in that province. A provincial nomination adds 600 points to your CRS score, virtually guaranteeing you will receive an ITA.

2. Australia: SkillSelect and Points-Tested Visas

Australia's General Skilled Migration (GSM) program operates on a similar points-tested model via the SkillSelect system. The process emphasizes having an occupation that is in demand in Australia.

How SkillSelect Works:

Occupation on the List: Your journey begins by ensuring your profession is on the relevant skilled occupation list. Different visas target different lists.
Skills Assessment: You must have your skills and qualifications positively assessed by a designated Australian assessing authority for your specific occupation (e.g., Engineers Australia for engineers, ACS for IT professionals). This is a mandatory, non-negotiable step.
Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI): After getting a positive skills assessment and taking an English test (IELTS or PTE Academic), you submit an EOI in SkillSelect, claiming points for your profile.
Invitation to Apply: The Department of Home Affairs holds periodic invitation rounds, inviting candidates with the highest points scores for specific occupations to apply for a visa.
Lodge Visa Application: If invited, you have 60 days to lodge a formal visa application with all your supporting evidence.

Key Australian Skilled Visas:

Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189): This is the "gold standard" of skilled migration. It is purely points-based and does not require sponsorship from a state or family member. It grants you permanent residence with the freedom to live and work anywhere in Australia. It is extremely competitive.
Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190): This visa requires you to be nominated by an Australian state or territory government. In return for the nomination (which adds 5 points to your score), you typically commit to living and working in that state for at least two years.
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 491): This is a 5-year provisional visa that requires nomination by a state or sponsorship by a relative living in a designated regional area. It provides more points and has lower cut-offs, but it requires you to live and work in a regional area for at least three years before you can apply for permanent residence.

3. New Zealand: The Skilled Migrant Category (SMC)

New Zealand recently revamped its Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Resident Visa to be a more straightforward, 6-point system. The central requirement is having a skilled job or a job offer in New Zealand.

How the 6-Point System Works:

You need to claim 6 points to be eligible. The points come from one of the following three categories:

NZ Occupational Registration: (6 points) If your profession requires mandatory registration in New-Zealand (e.g., doctor, electrician, teacher) and you have it.
Qualification: (3 to 6 points) A Bachelor's degree earns 3 points, a Master's earns 5, and a PhD earns 6 points.
Income: (3 to 6 points) If your skilled job in New Zealand pays 1.5x the median wage, you get 3 points. If it pays 2x, you get 4 points, and if it pays 3x, you get 6 points.

In addition to the points above, you can claim 1 point for each year of skilled work experience in New Zealand, up to a maximum of 3 points.

The Crucial Element: A Skilled Job Offer Unlike the independent pathways in Canada and Australia, the New Zealand SMC system is heavily reliant on you first securing a skilled job offer from an accredited employer in New Zealand. Without a job offer, it is very difficult to meet the 6-point threshold.

The Green List: New Zealand also has a Green List of highly skilled, hard-to-fill roles. If your occupation is on this list and you have a job offer that meets the specific requirements, you may be eligible for a fast-tracked "Straight to Residence" or "Work to Residence" visa, bypassing the SMC points system entirely.

Conclusion

Skilled migration is a life-changing endeavor that requires significant research, preparation, and patience. Each country's system is designed to select the best and brightest, making the process inherently competitive. While this guide provides a starting point, the rules and occupation lists change frequently.

Navigating the complexities of skills assessments, points calculations, and visa documentation is where professional guidance becomes invaluable. A specialized migration consultant can help you identify the most viable pathway, optimize your profile, and ensure your application is flawless.

Ready to explore your migration options? Book a consultation with a VisaGuidanceBD advisor to assess your profile.