State Sponsorship

State Migration Plans

State Migration Plans have been introduced for each state and territory since 2010. Each state and territory display the information of the eligible occupations on its official website.

While state and territory governments have had the right to nominate applicants for the purposes of the GSM program for years, the introduction of Plans is intended to provide state and territory governments with flexibility within the Migration Program to address specific skill shortages and local labour market needs as each agreement will be tailored to the individual requirements of each jurisdiction.

Plans are proposed to be agreements, in the form of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), between individual states and territories and the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, which will allow jurisdictions to sponsor applicants under a broad range of occupations to fill skills shortages within their local labour markets. Plans are currently being developed for all states and territories and are subject to the Minister’s approval prior to implementation. Under Plans, state and territories are able to nominate only those applicants whose nominated occupation is included in their respective Plan. States and territories will, however, have some limited capacity to nominate applicants where their occupation is not listed on their Plan. These provisions allow states further flexibility in providing nominations which may be valuable in meeting shortages in very specialised occupations. The availability of this facility is entirely at the discretion of the state and territory government, and states and territories are not obliged to offer any nominations outside the occupations specified in their Plan.

For more details of the Plans please visit the state and territory governments’ websites:

  • Australian Capital Territory
  • New South Wales
  • Northern Territory
  • Queensland
  • South Australia
  • Tasmania
  • Victoria
  • Western Australia

Subclass 190

The Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) is a permanent residence visa for point-test skilled workers who want to work and live in Australia after being nominated by an Australian state or territory government agency.

To be able to apply for this visa you need to submit an expression of interest and then be invited through SkillSelect to apply.

You can be in or outside Australia when you apply and when the visa is granted.

Requirements

You might be eligible to apply for this visa if you were invited. When we sent you your letter of invitation, you must also have:

  • nominated an occupation that is on the relevant skilled occupation list
  • obtained a suitable skills assessment for that occupation
  • not yet turned 50 years of age
  • achieved the score specified in your letter of invitation based on the factors in the points test
  • at least competent English
  • been nominated by an Australian state or territory government agency.

Subclass 489 Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa

The Skilled-Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489) is for skilled workers and their families to live, work and study in specified regional areas in Australia for four years.

There are two pathways for this visa:

  • the Invited Pathway
  • the Extended Stay Pathway – you must hold a provisional visa in subclass 475, 487, 495 or 496.

For family members who are included in your visa application (in either visa pathways), they must be a family member of the person who already holds this visa (subclass 489) or a provisional visa in subclass 475, 487, 495 or 496.

Requirements

Invited Pathway

You might be eligible to apply for this visa if invited. When we sent your letter of invitation, you must also have:

  • been nominated by an Australian State or Territory government agency or sponsored by an eligible relative living in a designated area
  • nominated an occupation that is on the relevant skilled occupations list
  • a suitable skills assessment for that occupation
  • not yet turned 50 years of age
  • achieved the score specified in your letter of invitation based on the factors in the points test
  • at least competent English

Extended Stay Pathway

You can also apply for this visa if you hold a provisional visa in subclass 496, 495, 487 or 475.