South Australia's Nomination Criteria 190 and 491 2023-2024 Part 1

Suman Dua MARN 1800859Oct 28, 20234 min read

Updated: Oct 28, 2023

South Australia’s nomination criteria for both their visa subclasses are 190 and 491 for the 2023-2024 financial year.

South Australia has moved to a Registration of Interest (ROI) process to manage strong demand from potential applicants living and working in the state against a limited allocation of nomination places. This means potential applicants must submit an ROI and be invited to apply for state nomination by South Australia. Potential applicants cannot apply for state nomination directly.

Under this invitation process, South Australia will prioritise the retention of South Australia’s international graduates and temporary visa holders.

Experienced overseas workers with skills in high demand in South Australia, such as Trades and Construction, Defence, Health, Education, Natural and Physical Science, and Social and Welfare Professionals will be targeted through invitations to apply for South Australian nomination.

South Australia is also seeking highly skilled overseas workers who can make a strong contribution to the state’s fast-growing industries and projects of national priority. This includes people with:

• experience working in the defence industry, and/or

• highly specialised skills in the digital and critical technologies sectors.

International graduates and other temporary visa holders continue to be considered across a broad list of occupations consistent with previous years, while there are over 290 occupations open to offshore skilled workers.

South Australia has received 1100 places for 190 and 1200 places for 491 visa nomination

There are four nomination streams for skilled migrants seeking to live and work in South Australia.

1. South Australian Graduates

2. Working in South Australia

3. Highly skilled and Talented

4. Offshore

To be eligible for South Australia’s nomination, you must meet the Australian Department of Home Affairs and South Australia’s criteria for your chosen visa category.

the Home Affairs criteria requires you to:

• have a points-test result of 65 or higher, inclusive of state nomination points;

• have a positive skills assessment in your nominated occupation;

• be under 45 years of age;

• meet the minimum English language requirement of Competent, unless your assessing authority requires a higher level.

1. South Australian Graduates

If you are an international graduate, who has studied in South Australia, you may be eligible for state nomination as a skilled migrant faster than other candidates.

To be eligible under the South Australian Graduates stream, you must:

1. Check if your nominated occupation is eligible under the South Australian Graduates stream on South Australia’s Skilled Occupation List

2. Currently live and work in South Australia

3. Have completed your qualification at a South Australian education provider and meet the following study requirements:

• Your course in South Australia must be Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) registered, with a minimum of 46 CRICOS weeks

• Your study meets the minimum qualification level listed for your nominated occupation on the Skilled Occupation List

• A minimum of 50% of your qualification must have been completed in South Australia

• You must have resided in South Australia for at least one year during your studies

4. Have been residing in South Australia for at least the last 12 months

5. Have been working for the last 6 months, and am currently employed, in a full-time (at least 30 hours per week) job. Your job must be related to, and at the same skill level as, your nominated occupation. For South Australian nomination, this is generally defined as being in the same Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) Sub Major Group (represented by the first two digits of the ANZSCO code).

6. Have undertaken your skilled work experience post-course completion

2. Working in South Australia

If you are a skilled migrant, currently living in South Australia and working in your nominated occupation, you may be eligible for state nomination through this pathway.

Candidates may include temporary visa holders, international graduates, self-employed applicants, and sub-contractors.

To be eligible under the Working in South Australia stream, you must:

1. Check if your nominated occupation is eligible under the Working in South Australia stream on South Australia’s Skilled Occupation List

2. Currently live and work in South Australia

3. Have been residing in South Australia for at least the last 12 months.

4. Have been working for the last 6 months, and employed, in a full-time (at least 30 hours per week) job. Your job must be related to, and at the same skill level as, your nominated occupation. For South Australian nomination, this is generally defined as being in the same Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) Sub Major Group (represented by the first two digits of the ANZSCO code).

5. Have undertaken your skilled work experience post-course completion.

Invitations to apply for South Australian nomination will be sent on an ongoing basis throughout 2023-24.

Meeting the eligibility guidelines published above does not guarantee that your Registration of Interest (ROI) will be invited to apply for nomination. The Australian Government provides South Australia with a quota of nomination places each year, limiting the number of applicants that can be nominated. South Australia will consider a range of factors when determining who is invited to apply for nomination to ensure candidates are suitably prioritised. These factors include (but are not limited to):

1. Holding a temporary visa which will expire before 31 August 2024. If you hold a Temporary Graduate visa (Subclass 485), you may be eligible to extend your visa through various streams available under this visa. Please refer to the Department of Home Affairs website to explore the option to extend your Temporary Graduate visa before you submit an ROI application.

2. Turning 45 years of age before 31 August 2024

3. Period of skilled employment experience in South Australia

4. Types of skilled employment in South Australia. We will prioritise applicants working in South Australia in a priority sector, such as Health and Medical Sciences, Trades and Construction, Early Childhood and Teaching, Digital Technology, Food and Agribusiness, Creative Industries, Tourism, and Hospitality and Resources Energy.

Disclaimer:

The information shared by Nationwide Migration and Education on social media and blogs is for general informational purposes only. (The information is accurate at the time of publication but may be subject to change.) It is not legal or immigration advice and should not be relied upon as such.

If you need immigration advice specific to your circumstances, please book a consultation with our Registered Migration Agent.