Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) State Nomination 188/132 Re-Opened for South Australia

Immigration SA has re-opened the application system for Business Innovation and Investment State nomination 188/132 on Monday 9^th July 2018. With the re-opening of the Business and Investment State nomination 188/132 applications it is very important to remember that there is a quota that determines the availability of applications. This means that there are limited places available and that the system will close again. As a result, it is important to apply as soon as possible.

There has been a significant drop in Australia’s migrant intake this financial year so far, and the total numbers are expected to fall short of planned figures. The declining trend is continuing on from the last financial year, where overall visa approvals were down from the planned 190,000 to 183,000.

The migration program has been at a constant level (at 190,000) since 2012-13. Taking into account the actual permanent visas granted to 30 April 2018 of 138,086, it is estimated that the number of visas granted in total this 2017-18 financial year will likely be closer to 165,000. This is a significant drop from previous years and is the lowest in seven years.

The decrease is represented in most of the visa categories, however the drop is greatest in skilled independent and employer sponsored work visas. 

Key terms: Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated visa – Subclass 489 Skilled Regional Sponsored visa – Immigration SA – State Nomination – End of Financial Year 2018

Immigration SA (South Australia) has announced that the online application system for the subclass 190 State Nominated Visa and subclass 489 Skilled Regional Sponsored Visa (State) nominations for South Australia will close at 9 a.m. Monday, 25 June 2018 (South Australian time).

If you do not submit and pay for the SA State Nomination application before the system closure, the incomplete application will be deleted.

You are advised to submit your SA state nomination application before the system closure, so that you are protected from any possible new changes on 1 July 2018.

However do note that you should only submit complete and well supported applications, to allow smooth processing of your application and a positive outcome.

If you need an assessment of your SA State nomination application, please contact Work Visa Lawyers as soon as possible to have an assessment.

Both the Victorian and Queensland Governments have announced that they are no longer accepting new Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190) or Skilled Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 489) nomination applications due to a high volume of applications in the system causing a backlog.

Also, in South Australia (SA) there will be changes to General Skilled Migration (GSM) requirements and Regional Certifying Body (RCB) advice applications for the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) Subclass 187 visa - Direct Entry stream.

Key terms: Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated visa – Subclass 489 Skilled Regional Sponsored visa – State Sponsorship – State Nomination – Occupation Lists

State sponsorship is a critical component of the Australian visa application for many. Having a state nominated visa application provides:

• an immediate Invitation to Apply (ITA) for the subclass 190 Skilled Nominated and subclass 489 Skilled Regional Sponsored visas, i.e. not subject to invitation round points requirements
• access to additional occupations on the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) - each Australian State and Territory creates their own list from the STSOL)

Typically there are limited places for each occupation being sponsored by the different States and Territories. The best time to apply is in early July (NOW) as the planning numbers are reset for the new financial year.