With the start of a new Financial Year, the Australian Government has released the number of nominations allocated to the Skilled Migration Program 2021-2022. Every state and territory has received an allocation of maximum nominations to be approved for the Permanent State Nominated Visa (Subclass 190) and the Provisional Regional Visa (Subclass 491).
Along with the numbers, states and territories have published updates and new criteria/requirements for the coming year. So, to make it easier for you, we put together a list with all you need to know, state by state.
Skilled Migration Program 2021-2022 – State by state
NSW
NSW has recently released information and changes on their 190 and 491 Visa Nomination programs for the current financial year.
There are updates to the Occupation lists (with several new occupations added!) and changes to the requirements for each visa subclass. We put together 2 other blog posts with all you need to know about it:
NSW Occupation Lists and requirements for the 491 visa – 2021 and 2022
NSW 190 visa changes on the occupation lists and requirements for 2021 and 2022
Number of places allocated for this financial year:
– 4000 places for the Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa
– 3,640 places for the Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa
QLD
At the time of writing the Queensland State Migration Program remains closed. The state has already mentioned there will be updates on business and skilled nomination criteria, but there are no further details so far other than that they may re-open in September 2021.
However, there is some good news in regards to DAMA: there were several occupations added to the DAMA for Far North QLD, including:
• Cafe or restaurant supervisor
• Diving Instructor
• Bar attendant Supervisor
• Housekeeping Supervisor
• Waiter Supervisor
• Fruit or Nut Farm Worker
• Retail Supervisor
• Tour Guide
• And others.
Please note that there are different requirements for each occupation, but some have concessions for English language, qualifications and experience, and minimum salary required.
There have been concessions included for the age limit too!
Number of places for the Queensland Skilled Migration Program 2021-2022:
– 1,000 places for the Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa
– 1,250 places for the Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa
SA
South Australia reopened for Skilled Migration applications on 20th July.
They have updated their occupation list for both visas 190 and 491 and added some new requirements according to each occupation.
They also have highlighted that the focus will be on:
• The Talent and Innovators Program
• People currently working in South Australia
• International Graduates of South Australia
• Offshore applications from occupations on the critical skills list. We don’t know how this will operate while Australia’s borders are still closed, but keep tuned!
Number of places for South Australia Skilled Migration Program 2021-2022:
– 2,600 places for Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa
– 2,600 places for the Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa
TAS
Tasmania’s Skilled Migration Program has just re-opened from being closed since 11 June 2021. There haven’t been many changes from last year.
Tasmania’s nomination quota for the 2021–22 program year is:
– Subclass 491 – 2200 places
– Subclass 190 – 1100 places
Around 500 of these places are expected to be used for applications carried over from the 2020-21 program year.
Only minimal changes have been made to nomination requirements
VIC
Victoria’s Skilled Migration Program reopened on 7 July with some updates. The major ones are:
• The removal of the minimum experience and hours worked requirement.
• An increase in the number of target sectors.
• Applicants must have STEMM skills and have a Skill Level 1 or 2 occupations.
• Applicants for subclass 491 nomination may also have a Skill Level 3 occupation using their STEMM skills.
The number of places for Victoria Skilled Migration Program 2021-2022 is:
– 3,500 places for the Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa
– 500 places for the Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa – 500 places
WA
Applications are open and only available to people currently living in WA. There were 74 occupations added to the WASMOL (WA Skilled Migration Occupation List), from Café Manager to Engineers, and 2 Schedules with different requirements:
– Schedule 1: requires a full-time job offer in WA for at least 12 months among others + claim at least 5 points in the Work Experience component of the points test – List covers mainly health occupations.
– Schedule 2: requires a full-time job offer in WA for at least 12 months among others – list covers several occupations
The lists provide the status for the occupation (available, under review and closed) and those that are available for WA regional locations only.
Under the Graduate stream (GOL – Graduate Occupation List) candidates must have studied for at least 2 years in WA university/higher education – VET (Certificate III level or above) or English language programs + have six months of Australian work experience in a nominated occupation, or have a six month job offer in WA.
Number of places for 2021-2022 Skilled Migration Program:
– Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa – 1,100 places
– Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa – 340 places
ACT
The ACT re-opened on 1st July and has already had 3 invitation rounds throughout July, for those living in the ACT only.
There are separated invitation rounds for the 491 and 190 nomination streams. The highest ranked candidates in each stream will be invited to apply for ACT nomination, via their own “points test system”, called Matrix.
To be able to apply, your occupation must be in the ACT Critical Skills List, which includes several IT occupations, Marketing, Advertising, Design, Café Manager, Business Consultants, Engineers, and many others. There are few places available per month per occupation.
The total number of places available for 2021-2022 has been also published:
– Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa – 600 places
– Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa – 1400 places
NT
The Northern Territory Skilled Migration Program remains open for new onshore applications, even though they haven’t received new allocations for the program year 2021-22 yet. All applications will continue to be assessed, and applicants who meet eligibility criteria will be issued nominations once it’s been released.
There are approximately 218 occupations on their list and applications are only opened for those currently living in the NT.
Some of the main requirements are:
491 Nomination – International Students who graduate from 2- year courses
190 Nomination – International Students who graduate from 2- year courses AND live in the NT for at least 6 months after graduation with a visa that carries full work rights: Graduate/Sponsorship visa.
Applicants must also show evidence of employment prospects:
• a statement describing how their skills and experience meet NT employer needs
• evidence that the occupation has been advertised in the NT multiple times and explanation of how your qualifications and experience match the job vacancy
• feedback from potential NT employers
• an offer of employment letter from an NT employer
• evidence of strong, well-established family connections in the NT.
Number of places for 2021-2022 Skilled Migration Program:
– Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa – 500 places
– Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa – 500 places
If you wish to apply for a skilled visa, be it the 190 or 491, in any state or territory, please contact us to find out if you qualify for State Nomination. Many people wrongly believe that just because their occupations are in the STSOL or in the MLTSSL, they qualify for a 190 or 491 visa, when there are in fact many regional requirements to be met before you can get an approval for your State or Territory nomination.
We have worked on over 5,000 visa applications, so we have the experience you are looking for. We make immigration and visa applications easy and cost-effective.
We look forward to being part of your Australian visa journey!
