Today’s article will talk about the latest Australian immigration updates in August 2022.

One of the most significant Immigration news is that everyone is looking forward to the allocation confirmation from the government.

Because that is when states and territories can open their skilled migration program. No one really knows when state sponsorship visa 491 or 190 is officially open? or Why was state nomination still not open officially?

JUST IN: 10/8/2022, ACT is the fist state to open their skilled migration program with its interim allocation. It is followed by Tasmania and Victoria to open their state nomination on 11/8/2022.

Read more here >>>

This video will not only talk about state nomination updates but also other important immigration news.

It is recommended to watch the video carefully or read our blog provided in the description.

Our Latest Australian Immigration Udates August 2022 will cover:

• Faster Visa Processing and the new government’s action on dealing with the Visa Backlog
• Global Talent Visa important announcement from Minister for Home Affairs
• State Nomination Update (Skilled Visa Regional 491 and Skill Nominated visa 190)
• Further Visa Support for Ukrainians
• Agriculture Visa and PALM Scheme - new Pacific Engagement Visa
• What can be expected to come?

Do you know Australia has more than just 1 employer sponsorship visa 482?

Have you heard of the skilled employer sponsored regional 494?

All those visas have permanent residency pathway options and a guaranteed market salary for you.

Today we are going to talk about the 2 most popular employer sponsored: visa subclass 482 (temporary skills shortage) and lesser known 494 Visa (Skilled employer sponsored regional).

An approved Standard Business Sponsor might be able to nominate skilled workers.

Normally there must be involvement from both employer and employee sides for the visa application.

In this blog, we only mention what applicants need to know about the difference between 482 visas and 494 visas.

482 visa – Temporary skills shortage (TSS)

The TSS visa, or 482 visa, is a temporary visa that permits the holder to

• Live in Australia with their immediate family members, children can go to school and secondary applicants over 18 years of age can work in Australia
• Working full-time for the sponsoring employer, in a nominated occupation that is listed on the Short Skilled List or Medium Long Term Skilled List.
• Transition to Permanent residency if their occupation is eligible – 186 Visa Transition stream

You are required to:

• Have a job offer
• At least two years’ experience in the position
• Genuine intention to work in the nominated position
• Qualifications that are relevant to the position
• Adequate arrangements for health insurance
• Meet health, character and English requirements

494  Visa – Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional)

The 494 Visa Australia allows skilled workers to be sponsored by an Australian employer in a regional area for up to five years

494 Visa holders can:
• live and work in Australia for up to five years
• include immediate family on 494 visa
• transition to permanent residency (if eligible) via the 191 Regional Skilled Visa

494 Visa Requirements
To be eligible to apply for visa 494, applicants must

• be under 45 years
• have at least 3 years work experience
• have a valid skill assessment
• demonstrate competent English
• meet the health and character requirements

This table below will show you the comparison between the 2 visa eligibility criteria

NOMINATION REQUIREMENTS FOR 482 VISA AND 494 VISA 

Similarities

Start with some similarities between the 2 visa subclass

It is obvious that both the 482 and 494 require applicants to be nominated by their employer.

Also, they need to be nominated with an occupation that is in each of the visa occupation list.

There are some more similarities between the 482 visa and visa 494 in terms of:

• Labour Market Testing (This is to show there is no suitable Australian citizen/permanent resident who can fill the nominated position)

• The requirement to demonstrate the nominated salary is at least $53,900 (excluding superannuation)
• Meets the Australian Market Salary Rate (AMSR) i.e.,

This ensures that the worker receives the salary that would be paid to an equivalent Australian worker in the same position at the same location.

In general, those are all the basic requirements to protect international workers.

Let’s move on to the most interesting part

Advantages and disadvantages between Visa 482 and Visa 494

There are 3 significant differences between the 2 visa streams

The dependence and Independence on Employer for Australian PR application

The most significant difference between the 494 visas and the 482 visas is the PR requirement.

With the 494 visas, you don’t need an employer to nominate you for PR.

Provided that you have met other 191 PR requirements such as:

• Living and working in a designated regional area for 3 years
• Have earned 53,900 per annum for those 3 years

*Please note this income threshold can be adjusted periodically in line with the inflation rate or consumer price index

For 482 Visa medium-term holders, they must be sponsored for a transition stream of PR 186 Visa.

More details can be watched the video below about how to get PR with 482 Visa:

However, there is no minimum income requirement to apply PR for 482 Visa holders.

The flexibility of location of work for 482 visa holders

Another difference between these two visas is flexibility in the location of the work.

The 482 does not require the visa applicant to work in a particular area, meaning they can work anywhere in Australia.

However, it depends on the occupation that applicants are holding to determine if they are eligible for PR or not.

That is why the 482 visa is very popular for skilled migrants who are currently working in Melbourne, Sydney, or Brisbane because it is hard for them to get PR with Skilled nominated Visa 190.

As a result, international workers from metro areas are moving regional just for permanent residence options.

Read this article about the best state for Skilled Visa 491,190, 189 or Employer Sponsored Visa 482,494, 186

Because It is hard for them to get PR with Skilled nominated Visa 190 or even 189 independent visa during the last 2 years.

As the name would suggest, the 494 visa holders need to work in a regional area.

Any area except for Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney, is considered a regional area.

More occupations available for the 494 Occupation List than 482 Visa Occupation list

494 Visa occupation list includes many more occupations than the 482 visa

Moreover, 482 visa occupation list provides a PR path to only medium-term occupations

While that 494 list provides a PR path to all occupation included.

That means in terms of PR pathway only, 494 applicants will have a better chance.

There are always work needed from both sides for any employer sponsored visa in Australia.

- Employer Sponsored Visa nomination for employer

- Visa application for employee (main applicant)

As an employer trying to fill a skills shortage in your organisation, the requirements for sponsoring an overseas worker can feel overwhelming sometime. If you do not have a good team who is able to handle it, Work Visa Lawyers is here to help.

As skills shortages continue to get worse rather than better, I hope to set out some of the key steps in any employer sponsorship process to make the system easier to understand. Of course, this short blog could not include every possible requirement and is a starting point only.

We can summarise the “skeleton” of an employer sponsorship program as:

• Standard Business Sponsorship (if required)
• DAR endorsement (if required)
• Labour Agreement negotiation (exclusively for Labour Agreement Stream including DAMA)
• Nomination application (may require Labour Market Testing)
• Visa application stage

Before Diving In

The very first step before jumping in is determining which of the employer sponsorship streams is most appropriate for you and your business.

The most common visa options for employer sponsored visas include:

• Temporary Skills Shortage Visa 482 ( TSS 482 Visa) - This includes Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMA)
• 186 Employer Nominated Scheme ( Permanent) Visa
• 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa

The main factors for business to decide are:

• The nature of the role you are trying to fill
• How long you need to fill it

If you have already conducted recruitment efforts at this point and located the worker you are looking to sponsor, their age, English language ability, qualifications or years of work experience can influence which programs you are limited to.

The DAMA program is specifically designed to allow sponsorship of workers in areas of key need where the worker may be older or have a lower level of English language ability than is permitted under the other programs.

Labour Market Testing (job ads)

Labour Market Testing is an important part of the Government's systems for “putting Australian workers first”. The requirements have grown more rigid of the last 4 years and have moved further away from modern business practices.

Often the Standard Business Sponsorship is described as the first step of “sponsoring a foreign worker”. However, as Labour Market Testing takes a minimum of 4 weeks to run properly, this is often the first thing you want to do to get your new staff member onboard as soon as possible.

Generally, 3 online ads are the best way to go, one of which being on JobActive. There are requirements to include the salary if the worker will be paid under a certain threshold.

Most DAMA programs currently allow for 2 job ads that have been run in the last 12 months before submitting the linked nomination application.

Labour Market Testing is not required where International Trade Obligations override the Government’s interest in putting Australian workers first.

It is important to note that the 186 visa program does not formally require Labour Market Testing, however, conducting job ads can be a good way to demonstrate that the position being nominated is genuine in the Direct Entry stream.

Standard Business Sponsorship

If you are using the medium-term stream or short-term stream of the 482 visa program, or the employer-sponsored stream of the 494 visa program, your first application to the Department of Home Affairs will be a Standard Business Sponsorship.

This is centred entirely on your business and requires demonstrating that you are lawfully operating a business (two requirements: lawful and operating). The Department will also consider any adverse information and determine whether your business’ track record is suitable for the employer sponsorship program (this can include records of breaches of laws, especially employment laws, insolvency, or untruthfulness).

Designated Area Representative (DAR) endorsement

For the DAMA program, you need the endorsement of the Designated Area Representative (who would have negotiated the DAMA for the area) before you can “negotiate” a Labour Agreement with the federal government.

Requirements for DAR endorsement are thoroughly unique to the local area and the occupation(s) being nominated.

Generally they will require you to demonstrate that you have a business in the local area, a need to use the program, and will also want to check almost all requirements for the business and visa applicant before endorsing.

Labour Agreement negotiation (DAMA and other labour agreements)

Once endorsed by the DAR if required, the business then applies to the federal government to enter into the desired labour agreement.

If successful, the Department of Home Affairs will send you a labour agreement to sign, which might include a range of different terms depending on the particular labour agreement program being used.

Nomination application

For the sponsoring business, the nomination application is the one constant through all programs. Whether you are using the 482, DAMA, 186, 494 or any other employer-sponsored program: no-one escapes the nomination.

While the Standard Business Sponsorship is not related to any particular roles in the business, and the DAR endorsement and labour agreements can set out multiple roles the business is seeking to fill with overseas labour, the nomination identifies one single position and one single person who will be filling that role.

If you have 5 nurses to fill workforce shortages, that means you will be doing 5 nomination applications – one for each of them.

Visa application

Once all above steps have been successful or at least sent to the Department, the worker can submit their visa application.

This is the main stage where the worker’s qualifications, work experience and English language ability, as well as heath and character, are assessed by the Department. If partner and/or children are included in the application, the Department will be checking that they also meet their own requirements.

Applicant skills and English requirements are set, among other reasons, to ensure that foreign workers are able to enter Australia and fill the required skills shortage quickly and effectively.

Once it’s all over (or is it?)

Once you have the visa, the endpoint of all this, it is time for the worker to travel to Australia to join your business.

Once on-staff, it is important that you comply with all the sponsorship obligations. You can read more about sponsorship obligations here. Obligations will vary to some extent between 482, 186, DAMA and 494, but are largely overlapping for the 482 and 494, as well as the DAMA route of accessing those.

Put simply, it’s important to follow through on the range of commitments made to the Government throughout the sponsorship processes discussed above, most obviously paying the worker at least the guaranteed amounts you had set out. The Department can undertake monitoring activities to ensure this is being done.

Sources/further reading:

• https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/employing-and-sponsoring-someone/sponsoring-workers/learn-about-sponsoring/how-to-sponsor-a-worker
• https://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/services/employer-sponsored-visas/tss-482-visa/tss-482-sponsorship-obligations.html
• https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/employing-and-sponsoring-someone/sponsoring-workers/nominating-a-position/labour-market-testing
• https://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/services/employer-sponsored-visas/tss-482-visa/tss-482-nomination-labour-market-testing-lmt.html

This article is updated regularly. Last updated: September 08, 2022

This article will outline all 491 visa and 190 visa nomination requirements in each state and terriotory in the new financial year 2022-2023.

Their Skilled Occupation List will also be covered in this article with a goal of giving all skilled migrants a comprehensive guide for Skilled Visa program in Australia 2022-23.

Currently, all states and territories are opening their skilled Visa 491 or Visa 190 program because they have received state nomination allocation from the Australian Government on for the 2022-23 program year.

More details of the allocation are illustrated below.

Overview of Australian Skilled Migration and the Employer Sponsored 482 Visa Australia

Australia’s migration program is divided into four streams:

• Family
• Special eligibility
• Child
• Skilled migration program – for migrants with skills to boost productivity and fill gaps in Australia’s labour market

In 2020-21, a total of 160,052 visas were granted and the Skill stream comprised 50.7% of those grants. There are different visa types in the Skill stream such as Skilled regional Visa 491 or Skilled Nominated by State Visa 190, but Employer Sponsored Visa program makes up the largest majority (nearly a third) with 23,503 employer sponsored visas granted.

There are a few major streams for Employer Sponsorship program in Australia: 494 Regional Skilled Employer sponsored, Global Talent Visa which might ask a nominator is a company or an Australian organization, or DAMA, just to name a few

However, within the scope of this article, we will be talking about the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) 482 visa program 

The Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) 482 Visa program was designed to address identified skills shortages, allowing businesses to enhance their workforce by sponsoring workers from overseas to live and work in Australia on a temporary 482 visa. 

The 482 Visa Australia is getting more popular and being focused by Australian Government in this financial year ending June 2023 to solve the skills crisis in Australia post-pandemic Covid-19.

According to the migration planning levels announced in April, there are 30,000 places added to Skilled Migration program which has 8,000 more allocations for Employer Sponsored Visas in 2022-2023 Financial year.

The government has also announced the new stream for TSS 482 Short Term Visa holders to be eligible to apply for Australian Permanent Residency 186 Visa.

Even though there are just over 200 occupations each on the Short-Term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) and Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) for the TSS 482 Visa program, certain occupations are clearly in greater demand than others.

Get access to 482 Visa Occupation lists here >>

Which Occupations are in high demand for Employer Sponsored Visa Australia?  

According to data collected in 2021, the most popular occupations in the Employer Sponsored Category can be grouped into 4 key sectors:

• Health (Registered Nurse or General Practitioner)
• Finance and Accounting (Accountants )
• IT (Software Engineer) or ICT Business and Systems Analysts
• Trades (Chef and Automotive like Motor Mechanic)

Most of these occupations are classified in the ANZSCO classification guide as Skill Level 1 (the highest level).

Only 2 of the top 10 occupations are Skill Level 2 (Chefs) or Skill Level 3 (Cooks and Motor Mechanics).

Nominations in the Employer Sponsored space appear to be skewed in favour of a level of skills commensurate with a Bachelor degree or higher qualification (or otherwise 5 years+ of relevant experience).

The majority of these occupations most in demand (except for Cooks) all come under the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) meaning visa holders can be sponsored for up to 4 years with a pathway to permanent residency from the 482 Visa.

It is necessary to make sure your occupation for 482 Visa is listed in MLTSSL so that you may be eligible for Australian PR

Australia’s growing needs in the Information Technology field is reflected in the published statistics. By far the most common occupation group in the Employer Sponsored category is Software and Applications Programmers.

This is followed by Registered Nurses and Accountants, with ICT Business and Systems Analysts and University Lecturers coming close behind.

Employers across Australia have been calling out about their desperate struggles with skills shortages in critical, high-demand sectors. The demand for skilled workers in these key industries is clearly strong, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Half of these occupations can also be found on the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL), including:

• Accountant (General) (221111)
• Management Accountant (221112)
• Taxation Accountant (221113)
• Civil Engineer (233211)
• Geotechnical Engineer (233212)
• Structural Engineer (233214)
• Transport Engineer (233215)
• General Practitioner (253111)
• Resident Medical Officer (253112)
• Medical Practitioners nec (253999)
• Registered Nurse (Aged Care) (254412)
• Registered Nurse (Critical Care and Emergency) (254415)
• Registered Nurse (Medical) (254418)
• Registered Nurse (Mental Health) (254422)
• Registered Nurse (Perioperative) (254423)
• Registered Nurses nec (254499)
• Analyst Programmer (261311)
• Developer Programmer (261312)
• Software Engineer (261313)
• Software and Applications Programmers nec (261399)
• ICT Security Specialist (262112)
• Chef (351311)

One of the added advantages is the Department of Home Affairs gives priority processing to employer sponsored nomination and visa applications for an occupation on the PMSOL.

These occupations were calculated in the migration report of financial ending 2021 and these are not all the occupations that you can get permanent residency from a TSS 482 Visa.

Moreover, Covid-19 has made a lot of impacts on how the employer sponsored streams go. 

Please be minded that the more popular an occupation is for any migration program, the higher competitiveness you may face against until you meet the eligibility criteria.

Australia: the land of opportunity

A recent look at one of Australia’s popular job recruitment websites revealed more than 10,000 Civil Engineer positions advertised for Civil Engineers, 5000 for Software Engineers, more than 6000 for General Practitioners and an astounding 20,000 advertisements posted for Registered Nurses.

If you have sought-after skills, qualifications and employment background in the IT and health industries, there’s a good chance an Australian employer wants to hire you!

However, choosing the right occupation and work in a great location could be difficult to decide. There are actually many factors to come up with a decision of where to stay and work and what to do.

That is why Work Visa Lawyers are here to help.

If you are skilled workers, Please book an appointment to talk to one of our professional Immigration Lawyers or Registered Migration Agents about the Employer Sponsorship program in Australia.

Global Talent Visa Applicants affected by the Fair Work High Income Threshold Change Starting 1 July 2023

Candidates for the Global Talent Visa should be able to demonstrate that they are currently earning an income equivalent to or higher than Australia’s Fair Work High Income Threshold or that they have received a job offer that will be paying an income equivalent to or higher than the High Income Threshold or that they have the ability to attract a salary at or above the Fair Work high income threshold.

The Fair Work High Income Threshold for the 2021-2022 financial year was AUD $158,500 per annum. This is indexed annually. 

What it is that, in Australia, this is “high income threshold” the amount or threshold which limits an employee’s access to the unfair dismissal jurisdiction. Meaning if the employee earns this amount or higher, they cannot file an unfair dismissal claim against their employer unless they are covered by an award or enterprise agreement.

However, this amount is also used as a helpful and convenient guide or tool to assess an applicant for the Global Talent Visa’s caliber in their sector.

For this financial year, Australia’s Fair Work Commission raised the High Income Threshold to AUD$162,000 per annum starting 1 July 2022.  This information can be found in the Fair Work Commission’s website - https://www.fwc.gov.au/high-income-threshold

What does this mean for those who already submitted their Global Talent Visa EOIs?

If you did not meet the high-income threshold requirement when you submitted your EOI, that is, you were not earning an amount equivalent to or higher than $158,500 per annum, this might mean that it will be harder for you to get an invitation.

We suspect that this is also the case for those who just reached the 2021-2022 high income threshold and who no longer meets the new amount.

What can you do?

If you have had an increase in your salary since submitting your EOI, we suggest that you update Global Talent of this if you haven’t already. You can do this by sending them an email to their general email address.

If you are one those who did not meet or were earning slightly above $158,500 but less than $162,000, then you might want to talk to your employer and request for a raise in your annual salary.

If you want more information about the Global Talent Visa, you can go to our website - https://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/news/global-talent-visa.html

You can also use our free Global Talent Assessment Tool - https://www.workvisalawyers.com.au/services/global-talent-distinguished-talent-visas/gtv-assessment-form.html

How can Work Visa Lawyers help?

Work Visa Lawyers can help you with all steps in the Global Talent visa application process, including with applications for nomination from the ACS.

Our team of experienced Immigration Lawyers and Migration Agents look forward to assisting you with your Australian visa or appeal.

Contact us on (+61) 08 8351 9956 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Book an appointment with one of our experienced Immigration Lawyers and Registered Migration Agents here.

Today’s blog will talk about the latest news about Australian immigration updates on the 1^st of July.

New Financial year 2022-2023 has started with many positive changes. Some Visa streams and concessions will be available for applicants to apply after 1st of July 2022.

This includes some key changes for certain visa subclasses in response to the covid-19.

Changes have been made is to address the skills shortage in some fields and supporting the economic recovery post pandemic.

Those changes we will cover in this Australian Immigration news are:

- TSS 482 Visa Short Term to PR 186 Visa

-  Predictions on Employer Sponsored Visa Programs in new Financial year 2022-23

- Temporary Graduate Visa 485 Changes with Concession in Skill Assessment and New 485 Visa Replacement Stream 

- Visa 462 with additional countries and a 30% increase in cap for some countries

- Visa Application Charge to be increased 3% 

- Global Talent Visa High Income threshold changes 

-  State Nomination Visa 491, Visa 190 Updates

These are changes made available after 1st July 2022 and any news in Australian immigration in the last 2 weeks before the financial year 22-23 starts.

We will be making more updates blogs and Australian Immigration news videos once new policy announces.

Let’s get into the changes made in July 2022.

Latest Australian Immigration Updates after 1st July 2022 with 482 Visa, 485 Visa concession, Global Talent Visa, Working Holiday 462 Visa and 491 Visa>>

Work Visa Lawyers is proud to be a multi-lingual company with Lawyers and Agents who can speak Mandarin, Vietnamese, Punjabi, Portuguese, and Tagalog.

Overview of Australian Immigration in 2022 - Post-Pandemic Covid-19

2021 has been a tough year with many ups and downs due to the impact of Covid-19.

2022 begins with many new positive policies that welcome international students and skilled migrants.

• Skilled visas 491, 190 and 189 will be prioritized in the next financial year.
• TSS 482 Short-term applicants can now apply for a PR 186 visa.

Recently, the most significant event is the election result held on 21 May 2022. This article will share the latest updates on Australian Immigration during May and June 2022. Moreover, we will demonstrate what we see in the new labour government to the Migration Policy of Australia in the next few years.

Can I be eligible for state nomination (491/190) from Migration SA if I am not working in my nominated occupation?

South Australia Visa 491/190 program is one of the most generous program in Australia. There are plenty of allocations for Skilled visa 491 and 190 in South Australia comparing to the small number of international students and workers here.

Therefore, South Australia has many streams for skilled migrants (the highest number of migration streams available among all states and territories).

Know the complicating of South Australia Skilled Visa 491 and 190 nomination streams, we are writing this blog for someone who is seeking permanent residency pathway when you are not working in your nominated occupation or if you are from Melbourne or Sydney and not confident to get your nominated job in South Australia.

A common question that we have been asked many times is:

"How can I get 491 or 190 state nominations from SA if I am working as an Aged Care Worker or a Disability Care Worker, whereas my nominated occupation is totally different such as Accountant or ICT related? "

Work Experience Exemption streams in South Australia State Nomination 491 visa and 190 Visa Available

Usually, to get state nomination for a General Skilled Migration visa, there is a requirement of work experience in the nominated occupation or in any closely related field.

SA is even providing a more generous definition of closely related occupation.

They do not use the first 4 digits of ANZSCO code to determine closely related. They expand the list by accepting first 2 digits or even all occupations in the same skill assessing authority will be counted as closely related occupation.

However, it varies between each occupation. We highly recommend you look up your own occupation on the website to check your closely related options.

For skilled migrants who are not able to find a job or who are working in Aged Care or Disability sector that is not related to their major, these streams are perfectly fit for your Australian Permanent Residency purpose.

Migration SA provides exemptions  for people who are living and working in outer regional South Australia or for people who are long term residents of SA.

Here are some of the exemptions you might be interested in:

• Exemptions for applicants living and working in OUTER REGIONAL SOUTH AUSTRALIA in any occupation

There are certain concessions to work experience requirements if you are living and working in outer regional of South Australia.

Check South Australia Eligible Outer Regional postcodes here >

According to this stream, Applicants living and working in outer regional South Australia for the last 12 months in any occupation (does not have to be a skilled occupation nor related to your nominated occupation) may be eligible to be nominated for a 491-visa nomination. 

Applicants living and working for the last 24 months in outer regional South Australia in any occupation, may be eligible to be nominated for 190 visa nomination. 

To be considered eligible for this stream, you must be currently living and working in SA Regional areas. 

What to be considered before apply for living and working in outer regional of South Australia Visa 491 and 190?

Missing one of those requirement will not be eligible for visa 491 or 190 in South Australia State Nomination.

If you are working remotely and currently living in outer regional of South Australia, it may not be counted as being eligible for the stream.

If you are studying in Greater Adelaide Area and living in outer regional of South Australia, you may not be eligible for the 491 or 190 nomination in SA.

Lower skilled occupations like cleaners, waitors and waitresses ARE ELIGIBLE as long as you are earning taxable income from a company in Regional of South Australia.

• Exemptions for international graduates of SA or their partners who are living and working in SA (including Greater Adelaide) as a long-term resident/s:

This may be a good option for applicants who have finished their studies from SA and are living and working in SA (including greater Adelaide) being long term residents of SA.

Under these exemptions, you may be eligible for subclass 491 nomination, if you have been living in SA for the last 3 years and you are working in SA for the last 12 months in a skilled occupation that is not your nominated occupation, including all Skill Level 1, 2, 3 occupations and Skill Level 4 Carers and Aides occupations.

For many graduates, they must have been in Adelaide for at least 2 years plus their temporary graduate visa 485  or Post study Work 485 Visa (These are 2 different streams under Subclass 485 Visa). Attaining 3 years of living and working in South Australia is so straightforward.

Those who are studying or complete their study in Accounting, ICT Major, Social Work, Community Work or Engineering in Australia will take the most advantage from long term resident SA 491 stream. 

With those students, they may at least be eligible for 491 if they work as aged care workers or disability support worker in South Australia for State Nomination Visa 491.

Please be mindful that lower skilled occupations such as cleaners, waitors or waitresses, kitchenhands are NOT eligible for the stream.

Please talk to our immigration lawyer to see if your current employment is eligible for the program.

Book an Appointment

• Work Exemptions for temporary visa holders residing in SA for 5 years:

You may be eligible for 491 nomination if you are residing in SA (including greater Adelaide) from last 5 years are currently working for the last 12 months in SA in a skilled occupation that is not your nominated occupation, including all Skill Level 1, 2, 3 occupations and Skill Level 4 Carers and Aides occupations.

Lower skilled occupations are not eligible

Not all the occupations have these exemptions available. We recommend that you check the requirements for your nominated occupation on SA Migration website before applying.

Who gets the benefit of SA nomination streams for Visa 491 and Visa 190?

Some of the occupations including Accountants and ICT related occupations, Social work, Community work or Engineering professionals are taking the most advantage of those streams above.

Those are courses that can get skill assessment immediately post-qualification without requirement of work experience canhave a lot of benefit of these streams in South Australia.

Especially, for international students interstate such as Melbourne or Sydney, you only need at least 12 months to apply for 491 visa or 24 months for 190 visa in South Australia Outer regional Area.

You may have a lot of work experience in Aged Care or Disability support, good time, South Australia is facing a severe shortage in health care sector in which having plenty of vacancies.

No matter who you are, where you studied or completed your study, South Australia always have an option for you to secure your Permanent Residency Pathway.

If you need help with deciding what your best option for South Australia state nomination visa 491 and 190, our team at Work Visa Lawyers is happy to help!

Source: https://www.migration.sa.gov.au/

Author:

Sumandeep Grewal , Registered Migration Agent at Work Visa Lawyers (MARN 2117667)

ACS NOMINATION FOR GLOBAL TALENT VISA OVERVIEW

The one stumbling block for a lot of potential Global Talent Visa applicants is getting a nominator. While they may have internationally recognised achievements and are prominent in their fields, they cannot find anybody who can or will nominate them.

The nominator for a Global Talent Visa must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident or an Australian organization and MUST have a ‘national reputation’ in the same sector as the applicant.

One of the organizations that have been recognized by the Department of Home Affairs to have a national reputation and that can provide nominations to eligible applicants for the Global Talent Visa is the Australian Computer Society (ACS).

ACS is the skill assessing authority for most IT skilled workers who want to get skill assessments for the Skilled Migration Program (Visa 491, 190 and 189) or Employer-Sponsored Program (TSS 482 Visa, Visa 186…)

ACS is listed in the top 10 nominators of 2021 for Global Talent Visa program since this is one of the first choices for technological talents to sign up for their nominator.

We have previously discussed the process of applying for an ACS nomination back in June 2020. However, the ACS nomination process had changed since then.