The State & Territory nomination program is temporarily closed until the Commonwealth Government’s allocation of state nomination places for 2020-21 takes place as part of the Federal budget process (6 October 2020).
However, some States and Territories have been provided with a limited number of interim allocation places for the following programs:
- General Skilled Migration – State and Territory nomination
- Business Migration
The nomination process will be dependent on each State and Territory Government, and applications will be prioritised based on skills and sectors critical to supporting the country’s response to the COVID19 pandemic.
Critical skills, services, and sectors include:
- Critical or specialist medical services, such as air ambulance, medical evacuations, and delivering critical medical supplies.
- Critical skills required to maintain the supply of essential goods and services, such as in medical technology, critical infrastructure, telecommunications, engineering and mining, supply chain logistics, agricultural technology, food production, and the maritime industry.
- Services in sectors critical to Australia’s economic recovery such as financial technology, large scale manufacturing, film and television production, and emerging technology.
According to the above, some States/Territories have now published relevant skills occupation lists and requirements for the interim period. See below a summary table representing the current status:
State/Territory | List / Requirements | Status | Effective date |
Australian Capital Territory | ACT Critical Skills List Canberra residents only. |
OPEN | 19/08/2020 |
New South Wales | Only for applicants currently in selected health, ICT and engineering occupations. Only visa subclass 190. Read more | MAY BE OPEN | The program may be open however the website is not updated. |
Northern Territory | CLOSED | ||
Queensland | Only critical skills and onshore applicants | SUSPENDED | May re-open again in December 2020 |
South Australia | All occupations on the MLTSSL, STSOL or ROL are eligible for nomination. However, you need to satisfy the SA requirements listed here. | OPEN | 27/08/2020 |
Tasmania | Applicants in critical roles may be nominated. Check the specified critical skills here. | OPEN | 25/08/2020 |
Victoria | Only for applicants working in health or medical research and are contributing to Victoria’s economic recovery and/or health response. Read more | OPEN | 08/09/2020 |
Western Australia | WA Migration Services will not issue invitations to apply for State nomination during the suspension period. Read more | SUSPENDED |
Critical skills & sectors specified by the Department of Home Affairs:
https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/critical-skills-and-sectors