This article is updated regularly. Last updated: August 15, 2022

This article will outline all the updates in skilled migration program in each state and terriotory in the new financial year 2022-2023.

Currently, all states and territories are not open for the skilled visa 491 or Visa 190 program because they are awaiting confirmation from the Australian Government on nomination allocation for the 2022-23 program year.

Once the allocation is received, the program might be open soon after the announcement.

On the 10/8/2022, the wait is over !

ACT has announced their skilled migration program to be open, followed by Tasmania and Victoria with its interim allocation. Many positive news have been published and please click on the state nomination requirement that you are interested in in the table content below.

There are only 4 states announcing their state nomination requirement with a lot of new streams for both Visa 491 and Visa 190: Western Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and ACT

When will the State Sponsorship visa 491 and visa 190 officially open?

We will be making an educated guess based on events that are taking place this year.

The Federal Government has a Jobs and Skills Summit to be held at Parliament House in Canberra on 1–2 September.

The Summit will bring together Australians, including unions, employers, civil society and governments to address our shared economic challenges.

It will address several topics including the most important one for skilled migrants:

- Improving migration settings to support higher productivity and wages

The jobs and skills summit will likely be followed by a paper that will include some recommendations.

The Federal Government will also base many of its decisions on the outcome of the jobs summit.

It takes time to finish the recommendation paper

Our best guess would be that the State allocations will be given in October or November 2022.

However, as many people are turning 45 or their visa is expiring soon, there is some chance that the government will look at opening it earlier.

That said, I encourage the government to give an interim allocation now so that state sponsorship can open as soon as possible.

Do you have a comment or a question for us?

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2021-22 Program Year processing

Migration Tasmania continues to process applications lodged in 2021-22 and will record nominations in Skillselect for successful applicants after the 2022-23 program year quota is received.

All applications lodged in the 2021-22 year will be processed against the 2021-22 year nomination criteria.

Tasmania Skilled Occupation List

Overseas Skilled Occupation list 

Tasmania Onshore Skilled Occupation List

Gold List - Critical Roles List

 Migration agents and lawyers comments on Tasmania State Nomination 2022-23

The candidates who may be most benefitted by these changes might be the Tasmanian graduates and Tasmanian PhD holders.

Candidates who have not been working in any of the skilled occupations or candidates doing part-time job or people working as subcontractors might be eligible for state nomination.

Also, options might be available for candidates who have been residing in Tasmania from last 2 to 3 years. This is similar to Migration SA’s long term resident option from last program year but

Migration SA had work experience requirements too whereas Tasmania has not mentioned anything about the work experience requirements for long term residents yet. It will be interesting to see if they might have any work experience requirements too

More options might be available for overseas candidates who either have a job offer to work inTasmania or have skills needed by Tasmanian businesses.

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Skilled Migration Program (Visa 491,190) WA - WA State Nomination 2022-2023

 Western Australia's skilled migration program is the earliest program to notify skilled migrants about its state nomination requirement for the program year 2022-23.

To start with positive news, overseas applicants are now eligible for WA State Nomination visa 491 and visa 190. However, the invitation to apply for WA state nomination will be assessed by the ranking system. 

The first priority will be given to applicants who are currently residing in WA, then to those residing in Australia and last one is for those residing overseas.

The 2022-23 program year for Western Australia state nomination will also have a new expanded skilled occupation list called Graudate occupation list which is available for over 300 occupations.

* The state is currently waiting confirmation of allocation from the Department of Home Affair to commences the skilled migration program 2022-23. Once there is any update, please check this page for the latest news.*

WA State Nomination Migration Program Process and Requirements

There are 2 main streams for Western Australia state sponsorship program :

• General Stream with Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 (WASMOL)
• Graduate Stream

Schedule 1 - WA Visa 491 and 190 Nomination Requirement

The most significant requirement for Schedule 1 state nomination in WA is that the applicant must be able to claim and give evidence of work experience in the nominated (or closely related) occupation over the last 10 years ( at least 1 year in Australia OR 3 years outside Australia)

Another Work experience requirement WA Schedule 1 State Nomination is to have a contract of employment (FULL-TIME ROLE) for at least 12 months in the nominated occupation in Western Australia.

English requirement is different to each major occupation group such as Proficient English required for group 1 (managers) and group 2 (professionals) and Competent English required for all other eligible occupations.

English exemption applies to candidates who hold a passport from the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, Canada and New Zealand.

Schedule 2 - WA Visa 491 and 190 Nomination Requirement

You must have a contract of employment for full time employment for at least 12 months in the nominated or closely related occupation in Western Australia.

English requirement and exemption are similar to Schedule 1.

English Proficient Table for Major Occupation Group 1 Managers or Group 2 Professionals - Must meet the English in a single test

English Language Competent Table for Major occupation groups 3-8 -Must meet the English in a single test

Western Australia state nomination requirements - Graduate Stream

 To be received an invitation to apply for visa 491 or visa 190 in Western Australia, the candidate must:

• have gained a Certificate III or higher qualification in Western Australia, including a requirement to have completed at least two years of full time study in Western Australia at a Western Australian university, higher education provider, TAFE, registered training provider or English language provider;
• demonstrate: o at least six months of paid Australian work experience in the nominated (or closely related) occupation over the past five years.
• Applicants must enter work experience evidence in their SkillSelect Expression of Interest; or a contract of employment for full time employment in Western Australia for at least six months in the nominated (or closely related) occupation.
• English requirement and exemption: same as above

Western Australia Skilled Occupation List - Schedule 1, Schedule 2 and Graduate

Skilled Migration Program (Visa 491,190) SA - SA State Nomination 2022-2023

South Australia has not yet published their expected migration policy for the skilled visas 491 and 190. Please stay tuned and we will update it shortly here in this article.

Skilled Migration Program (Visa 491,190) QLD - QLD State Nomination 2022-2023

Queensland has not yet published their expected migration policy for the skilled visas 491 and 190. Please stay tuned and we will update it shortly here in this article.

Skilled Migration Program (Visa 491,190) NT - NT State Nomination 2022-2023

The Northern Territory (NT) has now received an interim allocation of nominations under the general skilled migration program.

MigrationNT continues to receive and assess onshore nomination applications under the existing eligibility criteria.

You should lodge your application ASAP after meeting the eligibility criteria. You may not be assessed prior to visa expiry dates.

Offshore applications remain closed. A date for the reopening of this program and eligibility criteria will be announced in the near future.

Commitment to the NT

It is important to read this carefully before accepting a nomination from Australia's NT government. As accepting the nomination or apply for a skilled visa, that means you are agreeing to the following conditions:

• live and work in the NT in your skilled occupation or a closely related skilled occupation for at least three years from visa grant
• let the NT Government know the status of your visa application - you need to do this when your visa is granted and when you arrive
• regularly provide your current contact details to the NT Government
• participate in surveys conducted by the NT Government.

A declaration form will be required to complete to show your obligation to the NT Government. 

MigrationNT considers a number of factors in assessing commitment to the NT, including:

• length of residency in the NT
• previous travel to the NT
• connections to the NT (for example, close family members being long-term residents of the NT).

NT state nomination requirement

Eligible NT Graduates

International student graduates who have studied in the NT will be eligible for a subclass 190 nomination if you have met the following criteria before applying for nomination:

• successfully completed one or more qualifications after studying in the NT, at an NT-based institution for two years in a single tertiary course or a set of nested tertiary courses, and
• lived in the NT for a period of at least six continuous months immediately after the date of completion* of your last qualification, while holding a visa that has no work limitations (graduates will be required to apply for a subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa to enable this); the time spent on a bridging visa associated with a subclass 485 visa application can be counted in the six month period, and
• demonstrated genuine and sustained efforts to obtain employment** from an NT employer in your nominated occupation or a closely related skilled occupation.

If you do not meet one of the requirement above, you may only be eligible for 491 visa.

Other NT residents

An NT resident applicant includes those on temporary visas with work rights, currently residing in the NT.

NT resident applicants will be eligible for a subclass 190 nomination if you:

• demonstrate that you have been residing in the NT for at least two consecutive years immediately prior to application
• demonstrate that none of your migrating dependants are residing in another part of Australia, and
• demonstrate full-time employment in the NT in an eligible occupation continuously for at least two years immediately prior to applying for NT nomination and demonstrate the employment is available for at least a further 12 months.

NT resident applicants will be considered for a subclass 491 nomination if you meet the following requirements:

• applicants who started living in the NT prior to 1 July 2020, must:
  • demonstrate that you have been residing in the NT for at least six consecutive months immediately prior to application
  • demonstrate that none of your migrating dependants are residing in another part of Australia, and
  • demonstrate full-time employment in the NT in an eligible occupation for at least six consecutive months immediately prior to applying for NT nomination and demonstrate the employment is available for at least a further 12 months.
• applicants who start living in the NT on or after 1 July 2020, must:
  • demonstrate that you have been residing in the NT for at least 12 consecutive months
  • demonstrate that none of your migrating dependants are residing in another part of Australia, and
  • demonstrate full-time employment in the NT in an eligible occupation for at least six consecutive months immediately prior to applying for NT nomination and demonstrate that the employment is available for at least a further 12 months.

Skilled Migration Program (Visa 491,190) NSW - NSW State Nomination 2022-2023

New South Wales has not yet published their expected migration policy for the skilled visas 491 and 190. Please stay tuned and we will update it shortly here in this article.

Skilled Migration Program (Visa 491,190) - Victoria State Nomination 2022-2023

The skilled migration program of Victoria is still close for new applications. State Nomination Victoria has announced that they have to wait for the allocation to be confirmed before updating their nomination requirement.

It is expected that this program year 2022-23 will see an expanded eligibility criteria across both skilled migration visa 190 and visa 491 and also open for offshore applicants.

Victoria is known to be the strictest state during covid-19 with only 500 allocations for 491 visa and 3500 for 190 visa. However, the eligible occupations for Victoria State Nomination was limited to STEMM skills.

We hope that they will publish the new policy soon and Work Visa Lawyers will update the requirements here.

Skilled Migration Program 2022-23 in Victoria is finally open on 11/8/2022

Open to applicants living in Victoria and overseas, the program provides skilled migrants with a pathway to permanent residency in Victoria. The skills that successful applicants bring to Victoria benefits employers and the broader Victorian economy.

The program provides two visa pathways.

The Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) is a permanent visa for skilled migrants to live and work anywhere in Victoria. The Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) is for skilled migrants to live and work in regional Victoria and provides a pathway to permanent residency through thePermanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191).

As with previous years, applicants will first need to submit a Registration of Interest (ROI) and then be selected on competitive merit to apply for visa nomination.

Before submitting a ROI, applicants should ensure that they meet all eligibility requirements:

• Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)
• Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)

ROIs will be assessed until May 2023.

Victoria State nomination - What happens to existing ROIs Submission in 2021-2022?

The 2021-22 program was highly competitive with over 15,000 Registrations of Interest submitted.

Applicants who were not selected to apply are encouraged to submit a new Victoria Registration of Interest for the 2022-23 program.

VICTORIA SKILLED VISA NOMINATION REQUIREMENT + CHANGES

Victoria is open for nominations from candidates living and working in Victoria and for offshore candidates.

Applicants will first need to submit a Registration of Interest (ROI) and then be selected on competitive merit to apply for visa nomination. ROIs will be selected from August 2022 to May 2023.

All occupations on the DoHA’s Skilled Occupation List are now eligible, and applicants are no longer required to be using STEMM skills and working in a target sector to apply.

The ROIs will be selected based on following factors:

• age,
• English language level,
• years of experience in your nominated occupation,
• education and occupation skill level,
• partner’s skill (if applicable),
• salary – onshore candidates only.

The following occupation groups will also be prioritised:

• Healthcare and social services
• Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
• Advanced manufacturing, digital and innovation economy
• Chef, cook, accommodation and hospitality managers – for the 491 visa
• Early childhood, secondary and special education teachers.

Salary – for onshore candidates only:

You can only include earnings from skilled employment in Victoria, or regional Victoria for subclass 491 visa applicants. Skilled employment includes any role that is at skill levels 1,2 or 3 in the relevant ANZSCO classification.

Skilled employment does not have to be in your nominated occupation, but your earnings must be from skilled employment.

Candidates who may benefit with these changes include:

• Candidates living and working in Victoria in one of the priority occupations
• Candidates working in occupation/s at skill level 1,2,or 3 with high earnings.

Visa 190 Victoria State Nomination Requirement

There is no specific requirement for visa 190 except from the basic eligibility criteria.

However, in the process of claiming annual earnings, you must support all your claims of earnings with documents in your applications

All annual earnings that you claimed must be from a skilled employment that includes any role that is at skill level 1,2, or 3.

Visa 491 Victoria State Nomination Requirement

Provided that you have met basic eligibility criteria for 491 visa, you may need to meet other requirements such as:

Work Experience

Applicants must be living and working in regional Victoria by the time they receive the visa nomination

Another interesting part of working in Regional Victoria and the definition of the skilled employment for 491 visa Victoria.

Skilled employment includes any role that is at skill levels 1,2,or 3 in the relevant ANZSCO Classsification. It does not need to be closely related or at the same skill level of your nominated occupation.

For example: if your nominated occupation is Civil Engineering, and you are working as a Mechanical engineer technician, your employment is considered as skilled employment. However, if you are working as a Waitor or Waitress, you are not considered as working in skilled employment and do not meet the requirement.

This has been supported heavily from the state. Their Visa 491 requirement is getting so simple to meet, which is made similar to South Australia Working in regional stream.

As a consequence, with the:

• Existing ROIs at 15,000 applicants 
• All occupations are eligible which attracts existing Victoria residents who are working there to lodge ROIs
• Requirements for 491 are made simple

This will lead to a highly competitive skilled migration program in Victoria even though they receive more quotas than last program years.

Onshore and offshore applicants can now apply

In addition to applicants living in Victoria, we will also be selecting applicants living outside Australia for the subclass 190 visa in all eligible occupations.

For the subclass 491 visa in addition to applicants living in Victoria, applicants living offshore can apply, noting we are currently prioritising health occupations for subclass 491 visa nomination.

More eligible occupations

Victoria no longer requires applicants to be using STEMM skills and working in a target sector to apply.

That means now all occupations on the relevant Department of Home Affairs Occupation List are now eligible to apply for Victoria State Nomination.

Plus the 15,000 existing ROIs from target sectors and STEMM applicants, this will make Victoria extremely competitive.

We are awaiting for the official allocation for Victoria skilled migration program 22-23.

ACT State Nomination Update 2022-2023 - Skilled Visa 491 and 190 ACT

Why was state nomination skilled visa 190 and 491 in 2022-23 shut for a month?

So, let’s look at recent history for some references.

This is not without precedent.

In June 2020, we made a video about the state nominations being closed ‘indefinitely’.  This was because no allocations were given by the Federal Government. 

At the time the video causes a lot of controversies, but it turned out to be accurate. At the time, this was when the Covid 19 pandemic was really taking off.  So, there was a good reason for the Federal government holding back allocations.   They wanted to slow the spread of Covid, and the borders were closed anyway.

In 2020, the states received an interim allocation from 3 September 2020.

Why did we need allocation?

Many people have their visas expiring in Australia Or skills assessment or English tests.  Even worse, some people need to apply for a visa before they turn 45 and are no longer eligible.

Covid has been tough to them and I am sure this late opening date for skilled visa 491 and 190 would cause them a lot of disspointment.

But 2022 is very different.

We will make another video soon where we will provide our view of "When will the State Sponsorships 2022-2023 open?"