190 visa is points based and allows skilled workers who are nominated by an Australian state or territory government to live and work in Australia as a permanent resident. In order to apply for the visa subclass 190, applicants must first successfully obtain a nomination from a state/ territory government. It is worth noting that besides the minimum requirements from the Department of Home Affairs, each state/ territory government has their own set of requirements that all applicants who want to be nominated must meet. Navigating the state/ territory requirements is often complicated.

Understanding these difficulties, we have compiled the basic requirements of all states/ territories in this article so you can have a better idea of what need to be met to increase your chance of getting invitations.

To be eligible for the NSW state nomination, applicants must:

• be under 45 years of age.
• Have a positive skill assessment in an occupation in the NSW Skilled Occupation Lists for 190 visa.
• have at least a competent level of English. Citizen of the USA, UK, Canada, Republic of Ireland or New Zealand are not required to complete an English assessment.
• be currently residing in NSW. NSW will not invite EOIs submitted from people currently residing in another Australian state or territory, or offshore.

NSW nomination is competitive due to a huge amounts of applications throughout the years. Therefore, you must increase your points as much as possible to maximise the chance of being nominated.

Offshore candidates- NSW 190 visa

Offshore candidates skilled in occupations within some ANZSCO unit groups are now eligible for NSW nomination.

Note: to be eligible as an offshore applicant, you must have continuously resided offshore for the past three months.

Work experience requirement- NSW 190 visa

You now must have a minimum three years work experience in your nominated (or closely related) occupation for all occupations within some ANZSCO unit groups. These changes apply to all SkillSelect EOIs regardless of when they were submitted or amended and apply to both onshore and offshore EOIs.

Onshore and offshore applicants can apply
In addition to applicants living in Victoria, Victoria 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 Victoria are currently prioritising health occupations for subclass 491 visa nomination.

More eligible occupations
All occupations on the relevant Department of Home Affairs 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 Australian government has directed ACT to nominate those who can support the economic recovery post-COVID. As such, you must meet the following criteria before you apply for the nomination:

• Resided in Canberra for at least 6 months
• One of the following:
  • Nominated occupation is on the ACT Critical Skills List, OR
  • A primary holder of a subclass 457/482 visa sponsored by an ACT employer:
    • You have worked in Canberra for the sponsor for at least 6 months
    • The visa must have a minimum of 12 months validity at time of nomination application.
  • Must be working for an ACT employer in Canberra for at least 6 months (must be paid employment, and for a minimum of 35 hours per week).

The 2022-23 WA state nomination requirements have now been released. The WA migration program has expanded the graduate occupation list for the graduate stream with now over 300 occupations.

There are two streams under which WA state nominations are issues: General Stream and Graduate Stream. Depending on which lists your occupation falls into, you must apply under the suitable stream.

General Stream Eligibility

• Occupation must be in the General Stream occupational list.
• Must be residing in Australia;
• Meet language requirement. This requirement depends on of occupation group.
  • ANZSCO Group 1 and 2: Proficient – IELTS Level 7
  • All other eligible occupations: Competent – IELTS Level 6
• Must have at least one year of Australian work experience in the nominated (or closely related) occupation over the last 10 years or at least three years of overseas work experience in the nominated (or closely related) occupation over the last 10 years.
• Must have a genuine full-time job offer in Western Australia in your nominated occupation for at least 12 months.
• Have sufficient settlement funds if you are not residing in Western Australia.

Graduate Stream Eligibility

• Occupation must be in the Graduate Stream occupational list.
• Must be residing in Australia;
• Must have gained a Certificate III or higher qualification in Western Australia including the requirement to have at least two years study in Western Australia.
• Meet language requirement. This requirement depends on of occupation group.
  • ANZSCO Group 1 and 2: Proficient – IELTS Level 7
  • All other eligible occupations: Competent – IELTS Level 6
• Must have at least 6 months works experience in the nominated occupation or have a six month contract of employment in your nominated (or closely related) occupation in Western Australia.
• Have sufficient settlement funds if you are not residing in Western Australia.

Onshore applications for Northern Territory nomination under the General Skilled Migration program can now be lodged through the online application system. Offshore applications remain closed while the national border restrictions stay in place.

The Skilled Nominated (Permanent) visa (subclass 190) is currently CLOSED and will remain closed until further notice.

The new Queensland business and skilled nomination criteria is currently being finalised and will be available towards the end of July 2021.

QLD are unable to process applicants who are s48 barred.

South Australia will open its skilled migration program on 20 July 2021 for this financial year. With a total of 5,200 places allocated for both 190 and 491 nominations, South Australia has announce its changes to the migration program with the following key points:

• Applicants residing in Australia but not in South Australia now are eligible for the South Australia under Talent and Innovator Employment Stream
• Offshore applicants are eligible for South Australia state nomination, depending on their nominated occupations.
• There are 3 main streams: Talent and Innovators Program, Currently living and working in South Australia, and International Graduates stream.
• For some instances, applicants do not need to work in their nominated occupation to apply for the state nomination.

The South Australian program is focused on:

1. Talent and Innovators Program

This program is intended for skilled migrants who can contribute to South Australia’s priority sectors. It is divided into four streams:

• Employment stream
• Start-up and small business stream
• Independent talent stream

1. Currently working in South Australia

This program is accessible for applicants who are:

• Currently living and working in South Australia
• Living and working in regional South Australia
• Living and working in South Australia as a long-term resident

1. International Graduate of South Australia

Students who complete their studies in South Australia can access additional waivers and concessions. There are various requirements to meet before the applicant can apply for this stream. Some of the requirements include:

• The course must be CRICOS registered with a minimum of 46 weeks.
• A minimum of 50 % of the qualification must be completed in South Australia.
• The applicant must reside in South Australia for at least one year during his/her studies.
• The applicant must continue to reside in South Australia post-study.
• For subclass 190 or 491 nominations, the applicant must be working in South Australia in his/her nominated occupation.