How to interpret the SkillSelect Dashboard data?

SkillSelect dashboard data is reported at the end of each month. It shows the status of Expression of Interest (EOIs) submitted in the SkillSelect system.

Each EOI can have one of the 5 states:

• SUBMITTED EOI has been submitted, waiting for Invitation
• INVITED EOI has received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) visa, but visa has not been lodged
• LODGED EOI has received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) visa, and the visa has been lodged
• CLOSED EOI has been granted or rejected visa, or the EOI has expired (after 2 years)
• HOLD EOI has been put on HOLD by applicant (paused), to be resumed sometime in future (unpaused)

It is important to note a few things:

• The dashboard count refers to the number of EOIs.
• The dashboard data is only reported as at end of the month.
• The numbers are not cumulative - at the end of each month, SkillSelect reports the final state of the system. This state is standalone and the most recent month is the final state.
• You can still compare the state of system as at end of this month to the end of previous month, to see what has likely changed.
• An EOI starts with the status SUBMITTED, which turns into INVITED when an Invitation to Apply (ITA) is received for that EOI. Then it turns to status LODGED when the visa is lodged, and finally it turns to status CLOSED when the visa is granted or rejected.
• Its can take many months/years for an EOI to traverse the journey from SUBMITTED to CLOSED
• If an EOI doesn't receive an INVITE, it will auto-expire after 2 years from date of submission and will be CLOSED.

Lets look at an example:

Lets say you are a Civil Engineer who is aiming for a 189 visa.

• You submit an EOI in SkillSelect on 25 Nov 2022.
• Your EOI will show as SUBMITTED as at end of Nov (30 Nov 2022). So SkillSelect will count your EOI in the SUBMITTED EOI statistics.
• You receive a Subclass 189 ITA on 08 Dec 2022. You are extremely happy, and now have 60 days to lodge your 189 visa.
• You decide to prepare all docs, it will take some time, so you decide you will lodge your visa in around 40 to 45 days from date of invitation.
• You don't lodge your visa in Dec 2022.
• On 31 Dec 2022, SkillSelect will report your EOI as INVITED (but not LODGED since you haven't lodged your visa as at 31 Dec 2022)
• You lodge your visa on 15 Jan 2023.
• On 31 Jan 2023, SkillSelect will report your EOI as LODGED. Your EOI will remain in this status until your visa is finalised.
• Finally, after waiting many months, you receive a 189 visa grant on 05 Sep 2023.
• On 30 Sep 2023, SkillSelect will report your EOI as CLOSED (if your visa was rejected, EOI will still report as CLOSED).

Every EOI has a similar lifecycle, and any analysis and interpretation of SkillSelect data should be done taking this lifecycle into account.

We can Filter Data

SkillSelect doesn't report statistics on individual EOIs, instead it aggregates by subclass, occupation, points etc. The dashboard allows us to filter data by subclass, occupation, nominating state, points etc., but only 2 filters can be used at a time.

For example, you can get the latest month's data filtered by occupation and points here. This shows the status of EOIs for all occupations at each points level. You can answer the question: "How many Civil Engineer EOIs for Subclass 189 are in LODGED status at 85 points, as at 31 Aug 2023 ?".

Why doesnt SkillSelect data exactly match Freedom of Information (FOI) request data ?

This is due to a number of factors and is explained in detail here.