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State nomination Update 2022-2023 >>
Are you planning to study or work in Australia for its Permanent Residency?
Are you curently in Australia and seeking Australian PR pathway with your skill?
Today’s topic is talking about the best state for skilled visa and employer sponsorship program.
Our opinion about the best state for each stream will be illustrated in the conclusion.
We have recently discussed the comparison of each state regarding its study life in Australia by the “where should I study” series.
Today we are going to look at the comparison of each state sponsorship program (Visa 491, Visa 190), and the employer-sponsored visa options (Visa 482, Visa 186...) for those who are working in Australia.
Skilled Migration Program and Employer Sponsorship Visa in New South Wales (NSW)
NSW is the most popular state in skilled migration programs and employer sponsorship, making it highly competitive.
Speaking of skilled visas 491 and 190, you do not need to be working in your nominated occupation to be eligible for the 190 visas or 491 visas.
You only need to reside there for 3 months and seek a nomination for the skilled nominated visa 190.
However, NSW does not offer a full range of skilled occupations list similar to SOL of the Department of Home Affair and please be aware that the list can be changed from time to time.
While requirements are relatively straightforward , NSW is still very competitive and only chooses applicants with the highest points test score due to a significant number of applications per year.
This is appropriate because the number of international students and workers in NSW are much higher than its allocations number each program year.
The excellent candidates will be selected. If you think you might be eligible for NSW State Nomination Visa 190, 491, please book an appointment with our experts.
If you choose to study in NSW for a skilled visa, you should consider going to regional areas of NSW like Newcastle or Wollongong for a chance to obtain a visa 491.
It may be very difficult for fresh graduates in NSW to compete with other applicants to achieve high points.
Nevertheless, Sydney has many global organizations to offer opportunities for employer sponsorship in management related and also high-level ICT Related occupation.
Accoutants, the most popular occupation which has been on its downside recently seems to be more interested in getting PR through Visa 482.
Accoutant is listed on Medium and Long Term Skilled Occupation list, which gives the applicants more Permanent Residency pathways.
Read our Top 5 ways to get permanent residency in Australia>
This employer sponsorship program can give international students and workers opportunities for permanent residency pathways for certain occupations and streams
Especially for applicants who have been in Australia during the pandemic (more than 12 months from February 2020 to December 2021 in Australia), you might be eligible for a 482 Short Term to Permanent Residency.
State Nomination Visa 491/190 and Employer Sponsored Visa 482,186 in Victoria
Victoria offers a VERY LIMITED skilled occupation list and benefits to its students who study there and seek state nomination from Victoria.
You may be disappointed if you did not choose the right major for your study in Victoria.
However, there is no clear guideline in the Victoria state sponsorship program.
Except for the requirement that you work in its target sectors, your occupation must use STEMM skills.
There are around 227,000 international students in Victoria, with only 4000 places in state nomination each financial year. (Statistics from November 2020)
It means you only have around a 2% chance to get a skilled visa 491 or 190 in Victoria.
It is worth mentioning that Victoria is famous for its employer sponsorship program.
There are a lot of big companies in Melbourne that may offer employer sponsorship opportunities similar to Sydney.
CONTACT OUR IMMIGRAITON LAWYERS TEAM TO DESIGN THE BEST STUDY PATHWAY TO PR FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
To study in Victoria, you should select a major in their target sectors or an occupation which is listed in Medium and Long term skilled occupation list for higher chances of getting Permanent Residency in Australia
Otherwise, you will end up going regional area to seek the nomination.
Skilled Visa 491/190 and Employer Sponsored Visa 482,186 in Queensland
Queensland is focusing on nominating those working in the state.
To be eligible for a skilled nomination in QLD, you must be working full-time in your nominated occupation for at least three months after completing a minimum of 2 years of study.
If you study Ph.D. in QLD, you may be nominated for permanent residency 190 visas from Queensland.
You may be disappointed if you are a skilled migrant here because of its water-dropping invitations during the year with just over 2,000 allocations.
However, QLD is the first state to introduce its Small Business Owner stream, and this program has a lot of benefits to international students who have completed their studies.
And QLD has a lot of job opportunities you can look for regarding employer sponsorship programs visa 482 to have a pathway to Permanent residency subclass 186.
Moreover, Queensland has just opened DAMA Stream in Townsville region
You need to consider these streams if you choose to study in Queensland.
Skilled Visa 491/190 and Employer Sponsored Visa 482,186 Western Australia
Western Australia’s nomination requirements are simple, but their skilled occupation list is limited.
To be eligible for WA Nomination, you need a job offer in the Schedule 2 list
Or have 12 months of Australian work experience in the nominated occupation in the Schedule 1 list.
They have a graduate pathway for those who study for at least 2 years in WA.
However, their migration program can be challenging, with its occupation list changing from time to time without notice.
The employer sponsorship program is suitable for those who are working in the mining industry.
Choosing WA as a destination for study and permanent residency is not a good choice unless you are talented
Skilled Visa 491/190 and Employer Sponsored Visa 482,186 ACT
The Australian capital Territory gives you access to nomination via Canberra Matrix only.
Please be aware that this matrix is different from the EOI points test from the Department of Home Affairs.
There is no specific graduate pathway in the ACT. However, you can get higher matrix points with more years to study there.
ACT also has its own critical occupation list with points score level of chance to be selected
Importantly, this critical list has been changing continuously during the last financial year
ACT just opened their small business owner stream last year, 2021; this stream will give applicants more matrix points and a chance to be selected for nomination.
ACT has most jobs in government which usually requires a permanent residence status. So, we don’t recommend ACT as a place for employer-sponsor
Choose to study in the ACT if you are familiar with the matrix process and enjoy the top study quality.
Skilled Visa 491/190 and Employer Sponsored Visa 482,186 NT
The Northern Territory is famous for its generous skilled migration program in supporting its own graduates
There are graduate and working streams in NT with its full range of occupations and simple requirement without work experience. All you need to do is to prove your long term commitment to NT for a PR nomination
The Graduate stream gives more benefits if
- applicants can prove long-term commitment to the state
- and have another 6-month stay after graduation with NT under a Temporary graduate visa.
In our experience, NT will be happy to send out invitations for those applicants.
NT has NT DAMA, which utilizes the labor agreement stream of TSS 482 visas.
With the willingness to nominate graduates – the NT is a good all-round option.
If you choose to study in NT for PR, choose some courses that instantly help you get skill assessment without working requirements and those courses must be be able to get you a Tmporary Graduate 485 Visa.
State Nomination Visa 491/190 and Employer Sponsored Visa 482,186 Tasmania
Tasmania is one of the friendliest states for skilled nominated visas with its clear guidelines and transitional arrangements if rules are changed
If you started studying in Tasmania now, you might have to be working in Tasmania to be eligible for nomination.
Current requirements are 3 months and 6 months for 491 and 190 respectively, with occupations in Tasmania’s list.
Tasmania currently announced a new stream of small business owners, which is the most straightforward requirement among all states.
Tasmania has a very high level of allocations compared to its low population of international students
It has 3300 allocations in visa 491 and visa 190 and only 12,500 international students in the states
However, you need to consider the population and market before studying or opening a business in tasmania for the small business owner stream visa 491 and visa 190.
if you are interested in Tasmania state nomination, call us now for the best advice.
However, with its low population and stable economic activity in the state, Tasmania seems to be not an attractive destination for whom seek employer sponsorship program
State Nomination Visa 491/190 and Employer Sponsored Visa 482,186 South Australia
South Australia has one of the most comprehensive state sponsorship visa program and moderate Employer Sponsorship opportunities where skilled migrants can consider towards.
They offer the full range of skilled occupations, but the requirements may vary in each occupation
Comparing the number of South Australia’s international students and its allocations, they have significantly more chances than others who study in metro areas like Brisbane (QLD), Melbourne (Victoria) or Sydney (NSW).
State Nomination South Australia Visa 491, visa 190
South Australia has a lot of different streams and separate regional postcodes in South Australia where more concessions of Permanent Residency pathway are allocated in the state.
Generally, you need to be working in your nominated occupation from 3 to 18 months for 190 and 491 visas
Or working in ANY OCCUPATION in regional postcodes of South Australia to get 491 visas
There is also a high GPA stream with a chance to be nominated 190 visas in SA
Under the talent and innovator program, SA has announced a startup and small business stream, which has actively invited applicants 190 visas.
Employer sponsorship program in South Australia
SA is a good place to come with its employer sponsorship, for some occupations like motor mechanic, chef or cook in outer regional so that applicants can prepare themselves a backup plan to skilled migration program.
South Australia, same as NT, is actively enhancing its DAMA streams. It means simple requirement with more occupations in the list for Australian PR.
Study in South Australia to enjoy its work-life balance while you are aiming for permanent residency
Work Visa Lawyers has been established in South Australia with a team of Immigration lawyers and Registered Migration Agents who are specialized in South Australia Immigration.
Which state is the best for skilled migration program visa 491,190 and which state is the best for Employer Sponsored visa 482, 186?
To conclude, the best states for migration for international graduates are South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. This is because these states strongly support international graduates and have comparatively high numbers of visas allocated to these states.
Part of this high allocation is that all the states are considered regional.
The best state for migration based on employer sponsorship depends on which state offers the most opportunities for your occupation.
For many management-related occupations or occupations that would be employed by large organisations including high-level ICT jobs, the best states may be New South Wales which has Sydney and Victoria which has Melbourne.
If your occupation is mining-related then attractive states would include Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia.
That is all for today. We hope that this writing can give you a better idea of which state you should choose to study in Australia to get permanent residency.
Author:
Sumandeep Grewal, Registered Migration Agent at Work Visa Lawyers
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Disclaimer
This information is correct at the time of publication but is subject to change without notice. All information provided on this page is provided for purely educational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. For advice on your situation, please speak with an Immigration Lawyer or a Registered Migration Agent.
