Australia’s State and Territory Governments have continued to process and nominate visas for migrants, though ongoing developments with COVID-19 have meant changes to their priorities. For those considering applying for a Subclass 190 or 491 state nominated visa, please ensure you check the relevant State or Territory Government website for up-to-date changes and closures.
A brief overview for each State/Territory is below.
Australian Capital Territory
The ACT generally requires applicants to have lived and worked continuously in the ACT for 13 weeks prior to applying for a State nomination. Due to the impacts of COVID-19, applicants may request a waiver of the ‘continuous employment’ criteria where:
The applicant’s return to Canberra has been delayed due to the travel ban;
The applicants is required to self-isolate for 14 days;
The applicant’s work hours are reduced, they are required to take unpaid leave, or have lost their job due to COVID-19.
Northern Territory
Due to the closure of Australia’s borders, Migration NT is currently not accepting offshore applications for Northern Territory nominations. This will remain in place for the foreseeable future.
Existing applications and onshore applications will still be processed.
Queensland
Business and Skilled Migration Queensland (BSMQ)’s subclass 190 visa program is currently closed.
BSMQ is still nominating subclass 491 applicants, however, the program is closed to offshore applicants.
BSMQ has reached its quota and will not be issuing any further invitations for these occupations:
225113 Marketing Specialist
132211 Finance Manager
South Australia
South Australia is prioritising the processing and nomination of health and medical professionals. This affects South Australian graduates and applicants who are currently working as a medical or health professional in South Australia.
190 Nominations
Immigration SA has closed its subclass 190 program for applicants who have not been working in South Australia for the past 12 months, or the past 6 months if in a country area.
Further, South Australia will no longer nominate the following occupations for a 190 visa:
132211 Finance Manager
149914 Financial Institution Branch Manager
221111 Accountant (General)
221112 Management Accountant
221113 Taxation Accountant
221211 Company Secretary
221213 External Auditor
221214 Internal Auditor
222112 Finance Broker
222311 Financial Investment Adviser
222312 Financial Investment Manager
224711 Management Consultant
The following occupations are now only available for applicants currently living and working in South Australia:
141111 Cafe or Restaurant Manager
351311 Chef
351411 Cook
Medical and health professionals in specified occupations who are currently working in South Australia for the past 12 months – or the past 6 months if in a country area – will receive priority processing of their 190 nomination applications.
491 Nominations
Applicants not currently working in South Australia will be considered for a Subclass 491 visa only.
Immigration SA is waiving their work experience requirement for specified medical and health professionals who are currently living and working in South Australia. Just the minimum 65 points (including state sponsorship points) is required. This applies to the 491 visa only.
Tasmania
Migration Tasmania has temporarily restricted eligibility for subclass 491 nominations. Offshore applicants will only be able to apply if they are applying for an occupation listed in the ‘High Demand’ section of the Tasmanian Skilled Occupation List. High Demand occupations include healthcare occupations such as Registered Nurses.
Applicants will High Demand occupations will be given priority, meaning that processing times for other applications may be extended.
Victoria
Victoria is continuing to process applications for state nominations. Those who meet the eligibility requirements for Victoria’s nomination program can continue to apply for state nomination.
Western Australia
The April invitation round for WA state nomination has been delayed to 23 April due to the Easter holidays, but otherwise applications are still processing.
The occupation of ‘Chef’ on the Graduate Occupation List is currently under review, which means that invitations will be limited.
New South Wales
The NSW government advises that they intend to continue to process nominations as usual, however, they are reviewing their requirements and processes. Changes may be made to the program to address any critical needs as a result of COVID-19.
There is an ongoing delay in opening the Subclass 491 visa program, with no estimate on implementation date.
Source: https://www.acacia-au.com/state-migration-update-april2020.php