2021-22 Skilled Migration Program now open!

SKILLED MIGRATION PROGRAM

Tasmania’s nomination quota for the 2021–22 program year is:
Subclass 491 – 2200 places
Subclass 190 – 1100 places

Around 500 of these places are expected to be used for applications carried over from the 2020-21 program year.

Changes to nomination requirements:

Only minimal changes have been made to nomination requirements for the 2021-22 program year. Additional guidance and clarifications for candidates are available on the Migration Tasmania website. A summary of this information is below:

Tasmanian Graduates (Category 1)

• Employment not necessary for this category

Employment is not a minimum requirement for the Tasmanian Graduate nomination category however evidence of employment or business operation will be taken into consideration in our assessment where:

• the employer is well established and has been operating in Tasmania for at least 12 months
• the employment has been for more than 3 months in duration
• the business owned by the applicant has been operating for at least 6 months, or
• where candidates have been employed in the dairy, meat, accommodation, logistics or farming industry for at least the previous 6 months prior to lodging their application for nomination, they should have completed relevant industry training of at least Cert III (or equivalent training provided by industry peak bodies),
• International Student Graduates guidance page

This page has been updated with additional guidance for candidates to complete their career plan.

Working in Tasmania (category 2)

• 3 months minimum TSOL employment

Candidates who have a skills assessment for an occupation on the Tasmanian Skilled Occupation List will be eligible for subclass 491 nomination after working in a related position for a minimum of three months.

• Acknowledgement of sponsor employer for current subclass 482 holders

To help demonstrate a genuine intention to settle in Tasmania, applicants who currently hold a Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482) and who have worked less than 12 months with their Tasmanian-based sponsoring employer must provide a letter of support from their current sponsoring employer.

• Additional guidance regarding “a well-established business operating in Tasmania”

A well-established business actively operating in Tasmania would be normally be expected to have:

• permanent business signage
• an active/ongoing online presence, advertising and marketing
• a Tasmanian address as a registered business location
• a local landline contact number
• an ongoing office space (not a residential address) that is not ‘casual’ or ‘virtual’ (including corporate/co-shared offices), and
• permanent representation of employees at the stated business location.

• Semi-skilled employment – demonstrating development prospects through industry-based training

A period of industry-based training while working with their employer may demonstrate career development prospects for lower skilled employment or substitute for existing qualifications not available in larger population centres.

Bridging Visa holders seeking AAT/Federal Court Review

Migration Tasmania will accept applications from candidates seeking review of a visa refusal or cancellation decision at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal or Australian Federal Court however we will not confirm nomination until an applicant can demonstrate a reasonable ability to depart Australia, lodge their skilled visa application and return to Australia in the near future. This could include:

• evidence of the grant of a Bridging Visa B to allow departure from Australia
• evidence of a visa allowing entry to New Zealand (or any other ‘travel bubble’ country) when in operation
• if unable to travel to a ‘travel bubble country’, reasonable claims to meet the Australian Government’s travel exemption criteria plus:

• a letter from their current employer acknowledging that they will be departing Australia to lodge their visa application, that their absence during visa and travel exemption processing may be extended and indefinite, and that their employment remains available upon return, and
• evidence of travel arrangements.

Migration Tasmania will not renominate where a nominee has been unable to lodge their visa application. Nominees in these circumstances will need to lodge a new nomination application. There is no guarantee a further nomination will be approved.

2021-22 Program Purpose and Priorities

The Tasmanian State Nomination Skilled Migration Program supports Tasmanian businesses and increases the state’s working age population. It does this by attracting and retaining migrants with skills genuinely in need by employers, or with the capacity to settle in Tasmania through skilled employment in the long-term, and business activities that will increase employment opportunities for locals.

Migration Tasmania’s nomination priorities are:

1. Candidates with an employment and a skills assessment related to critical roles* (generally health, allied health, infrastructure engineering).
2. Candidates with an employment and skills assessment related to the Tasmanian Skilled Occupation List.
3. Candidates in other skilled employment (ANZSCO Skill Level 1-3) with a related skills assessment.
4. New business owners providing substantial employment opportunities for local Australian citizens, permanent residents or provisional visa holders.
5. All other eligible candidates with skills or training relevant to the needs of Tasmania and who are able to make a genuine contribution to Tasmania through skilled employment.

Applications are being considered according to these priorities, with those in critical roles nominated first.

Existing applicants who are not in critical roles are being considered only after priority applications for critical roles have been processed.

In practice, applicants in Priorities 1-3 will be approved and nominated on an ongoing basis.

Periodically, other eligible applicants will be nominated if sufficient quota places are available.

Given the limited number of nomination places available, priority 4 and 5 applicants may not receive an outcome for some weeks after their application is considered.

*What are critical roles?

These roles include people:

• engaged by the Tasmanian Government and directly assisting in Tasmania’s COVID-19 response
• providing critical medical services including all general nursing and medical positions with the Tasmanian Health Service
• highly skilled and specialised roles in:
  • infrastructure engineering and maintenance such as dams, large-/high-complexity bridges, irrigation schemes, transport logistics planning and maintenance
  • agriculture such as artificial insemination technicians, livestock pregnancy scanners, and
  • the supply of essential goods and services which would be in jeopardy without the applicant.

Lower skilled positions such as retail workers, harvest labour, delivery drivers, or warehouse staff are not included as critical roles.

Migration Tasmania Skilled Migration Q&A Webinar Series

The next Tasmanian Skilled Migration Program Q&A Webinar for potential nomination applicants and agentsis scheduled for 11:00am AEST on Thursday, 5 August 2021. A repeat session will be held at 3:30pm AEST on Monday, 9 August 2021.

This session will provide detail on the 2021-22 application round, nomination priorities and other important information, followed by a question and answer session.

Register here.

Settlement help and resources

Employment Information Hub

Migration Tasmania, in partnership with Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania, supports the Employment Information Hub.

The hub is an initiative of the Migrant Network Tasmania to deliver industry and employment insights to help state-sponsored skilled migrants and international students establish careers in Tasmania.

More information is available on the Migrant Network Tasmania website.

Community Services Information Webinars

To help new arrivals make their temporary or permanent home in Tasmania, Migration Tasmania works with community service providers to provide information webinars on key issues, including health, transport, employment conditions, housing, education and business operation, with opportunities to ask the presenter questions.

Migration Tasmania is currently organising the next season of events and will publish details on the Migration Tasmania website as soon as they are available.

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BUSINESS MIGRATION PROGRAM

IMPORTANT UPDATE Our 132 Business Talent and 188 Premium Investor streams have now closed.   As part of reforms to the Business Innovation and Investment Program, the Department of Home Affairs has recently advised that relevant jurisdictions will no longer be able to submit nominations in SkillSelect for the Subclass 188 Premium Investor stream and Subclass 132 Business Talent visa from 27 April 2021. To ensure that there is sufficient time to consider all on-hand applications for state nomination lodged under these streams, Migration Tasmania has closed the 132 Business Talent stream and 188 Premium Investor stream on Monday, 12 April 2021 at 5pm (AEDT). No further applications will be accepted for these streams after this date. (Updated: 13/04/2021)

What does this mean for Subclass 188 and 132 visa nomination applications?

As Business Migration program reopens, all new business nominations must be of high quality that support Australia’s COVID-19 recovery effort.

What does this mean for prospective business investors?

Migration Tasmania is seeking interest from high calibre business investors who can make a significant contribution to Tasmania’s economy. We are looking for business proposals which display some of the following key attributes:

1. Investment in a regional area (which generally excludes Hobart CBD and suburbs)
2. Generation and/or retention of local jobs for Tasmanians.
3. Investment in key sector/s that will benefit Tasmania’s economy which may include:

• Aquaculture, Agriculture and Agribusiness
• Minerals and Mining
• Forestry and Timber
• Antarctic and Marine Science
• Information and Communication Technology
• Creative Industry
• Community Infrastructures that enhance a region’s liveability
• Renewal Energy
• Bio Renewal/Waste Recycle
• Food production

4. Generation of significant flow-on opportunities for other sectors and/or economic growth
5. Partnership with at least one Tasmanian business partner who is a permanent resident or an Australian citizen.
6. Transfer of new capital investment
7. Expansion of trade in Tasmanian goods and/or services
8. Development of export markets for Tasmanian products or replacement of imports
9. Introduction of new skills, expertise, technologies or innovations that are currently unavailable in Tasmania.
10. Environmentally sustainable initiatives that build on Tasmania’s established environmental principles.

Prospective applicants can show interest by completing a short “intention to apply” form, providing details of their background, experience and plans. Migration Tasmania will contact those with the best value proposition and invite them to provide full application details.

Full details are provided on the Business Migration website page.