Immigration Lawyers and Migration Agents

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South Australia (SA) offers many opportunities for skilled migrants. With 503 occupations listed on the SA Skilled Occupation List and four available streams, you may be eligible to apply.

South Australian Graduates Stream

International graduates who have selected South Australia as their study destination are given preference within the General Skilled Migration program.

The criteria to apply include:

• Have completed your qualification at a South Australian education provider
• A minimum of 50% of your qualification must have been completed in South Australia
• Must have resided in South Australia for at least one year during your studies
• Have been residing in South Australia for at least the last 12 months
• Have been working for the last 6 months, and be currently employed, in a full-time (at least 30 hours per week) job that is relevant to your nominated occupation

You can check all the criteria here.

Stay informed about the February immigration News by watching this video and have a privilege information about States Nomination in ACT, SA and WA for 190 - 491 visas and NZ path to PR. The article will bring highly important topics related to processing times and new actions from the Australia Government.

General Skilled Migration

The federal government has given out 35,000 189 invitations in December.

This is the biggest round on record for Australian immigration.
This is causing many ripple effects across the migration system.
The skills assessment bodies are now getting clogged up with new applications as everyone rushes to put in a skills assessment to try take advantage of these new opportunities.

Another example is that many of the states are trying to come up with more attractive criteria because of all the 189 visas that are providing competition.

Queensland State Nomination

Queensland has adjusted its policies and is now prioritizing skilled workers living and working in Queensland.
Those who meet the requirement should get ready for an application.
More details are in the article below.

South Australian State Nomination

The final allocations for South Australia are for GSM subclass for 190 and 491 8,000 Places, for Business Innovation and Investment Program 70 Places.

There is no more business visa allocations to the states and territories as of the announcement in December.
It's clear that the new government is focusing on skilled migration and that business visas are on the backburner as each state nomination.

ACT State Nomination

The ACT has received 4050 nomination places equally distributed across the 491 and 190. Only ten places have been given to the Business and Investor Program.
This is a significant uplift in nomination places compared to the previous years for the 190 and 491.

WA State Nomination

Western Australia is one of the high-performing states at the moment.
There were over 5000 invitations in December for skilled migrants from Western Australia.
The state has seen a successful year so far with easier requirements and more generous invitations.

Today, a total of 16,085 invitations have been sent out for migrants both onshore and offshore for western Australia.
One of the reasons for the increased numbers is that the foreign on one visa does not now require a job offer or a job contract.

The Western Australian Government will have an invitation round every month.
The invitation round will occur in the first week of every month.
This allows adequate time for the processing of the large number of applications.
I feel like every time I meet with a client and they want to know about their best state nomination options, I end up talking about Western Australia.

This is because the Western Australian criteria are often lower than the other states

We will be making a separate video to discuss the WA state nomination requirements in detail.

Working Holiday Visa

Working holiday visas from the 19th of January 2022 to the 30th of June 2023, working holidaymakers in any sector anywhere in Australia may continue to work for the same employer or organization for longer than six months without requesting permission.

Backlog Status Update.

The new government was left with almost 1 million visas in the department in June 2020, so Andrew Giles has posted on his Twitter account saying that there have been over 4 million visas processed since June 2020 to the backlog is now down to 600,000, with a promise to improve this by the middle of 2023.

Migration is expected to rebound to the pre-pandemic levels, according to a recent report.

General News

In other general news, recently, universities in Australia have backed a reset in migration policies.
It states that the current migration system is not delivering the required talent to meet the needs of the economy.
This comes as the country faces a skills crisis leading to calls for a refresh of the migration system.
The Government is now aiming for a more targeted approach to migration that aligns with the country's economy and needs.

New Zealander’s path to PR.

Good news for New Zealanders. The process of obtaining permanent residency in Australia has become easier with the elimination of the income and health checks for those who have already lodged a 189 New Zealand stream. This helps make the process a lot quicker. The change is aimed to improve the relationship between New Zealand and Australia.

International Students are Back in Fashion.

International students are seen as a key to the migration program. International students are not only a source of revenue for universities, but also a potential source of future migrants.
The fact is that many international students end up staying and becoming permanent residents.
Now the government is recognizing that these students bring a wealth of knowledge, skills and cultural diversity to Australia.

We hope that international students may be given more pathways when the reviews to the migration program are announced later this year.

Pacific Workers and Their Families.

Labor is being urged to boost regional migration.
The Pacific Worker families are expected to join their mine applicants in 2023-2024 under a new scheme.
There are calls for an increase in skilled migration cap and for early learning pathways to be added to universities for free.
A former official has stated that Australia is on track for a migration boom in 2023, with arrivals exceeding Treasury forecast.

Please if you have any questions you can Contact us or book your appointment.

The Australian Government announced that it will close the Global Talent Visa in late 2024 and replace it with the new National Innovation Visa. Follow this link for more details about the National Innovation Visa.

All that you need to know about Global Talent Visa is on this page: CLICK HERE

Getting a PhD degree from an Australian university is not easy. It takes a lot of hard work, sacrifice and expense to successfully complete a PhD degree. So, congratulations to all PhD graduates.

However, PhD graduates still have big decisions to make after finishing their degree.

While some PhD graduates decide to go back to their home countries or move to other countries, some choose to stay in Australia for the various opportunities on offer.

This includes job opportunities and perhaps because of the options for permanent residency in Australia.

Many PhD graduates found it complicated to secure an Australian Permanent Residency until the born of Global Talent Visa program.

However, with the current news and budget allocations this financial year, focus has been distributed to other skilled visa 491/190 streams.

States and territories have announced new state nomination criteria to attract those research students and planning to migrate in Australia.

In this article, we will discuss 2 options for permanent residency for PhD graduates – the Global Talent Visa and the state-nominated visas 491 or 190

Global Talent Visa Australia

One good option for PhD graduates is the Global Talent Visa.

Since opening, Global talent visa is designed for PhD students not just in Australia but around the world to get Australian PR.

Many PhD graduates have been nominated for Global Talent visa 858.

It became increasingly popular in Australia during covid-19 being the only stream for highly skilled talented people to get into Australia while travel restriction is still around.

During that time, applicants could get Global Talent Visa within months and moved to Australia with the whole family.

Recent PhD graduates who can attract or is earning a very high salary will be considered favourably for this visa.

High salary means that you are currently earning or has the ability to earn a salary equivalent to or higher than Australia’s Fair Work High Income Threshold (FWHIT) which is currently set at AUD$162,000/per annum.

More information about the Global Talent Visa requirements here >>

Applicants relying on their PhD degree need to show that they have internationally recognised achievements, are prominent in their field and must have their PhD degree conferred in the last 3 years.

Applicants with a PhD still must show that they meet the other criteria for the grant of the Global Talent Visa.  More information about this visa and the eligibility requirements can be found on our website.

These are the 4 core requirements for Global Talent Visa Australia:

1. Skills in the 10 targeted sectors
2. Internationally recognized for outstanding achievement in your field -career history, publications, journals, awards throughout your career
3. High salary income threshold at 162,000 AUD per annum
4. Nomination from Australian organizations or Australian Permanent residents who must be prominent in the same field as you.

Please check out our Global Talent visa recent news here >>

State nominated visa 491/190

If you are a PhD graduate but will not be able to meet the criteria for the Global Talent Visa, like for example you do not meet the high-income threshold, there are still other options for you such as the state nominated visas.

South Australia state nomination for PhD students

One state nominated visa option for international graduates is South Australia’s nomination under its Highly Skilled and Talented stream.

This is a new stream recently announced by South Australia.

The stream is slightly similar to Global Talent Visa but much easier with lower income requirement.

Most PhD graduates have been struggling with income threshold requirements for Global Talent Visa.

This is the chance for you because this SA Nomination Stream is open for interstate applicants.

The requirements say you must::

1. Under 45 years of age
2. Positive Skill Assessment
3. at least Proficient English (IELTS 7.0 or equivalent)
4. EOI 65 points including State nomination points
5. Be earning a high base salary threshold commensurate with the expectations of the Highly Skilled and Talented stream (at least $80,000 per annum) and working full time (at least 30 hours per week or 60 hours per fortnight)
6. Onshore applicants are also required to show that they:
   1. Have extensive experience, working in highly skilled jobs, in senior or executive level roles; and
   2. already commenced employment in South Australia

OR

have an employment contract for a position you plan to relocate to in South Australia. If you are currently working for a company in another state, and intend to relocate to the South Australian office of your current company,

OR

Have demonstrated specialised experience or niche skills that are highly desired in one of South Australia’s critical priority sectors.

If you meet the above requirements, South Australia may potentially nominate you for the sc-491 or sc-190 visa.

For some South Australia PhD graduates, you will be encouraged to apply for state nominated visa in Australia.

You can go for SA Graduate stream with high-performing graduate pathway.

If you have positive skill assessment of your nominated occupation, you might be eligible for a visa 491 or 190.

Queensland

 Another state which has a great visa option or pathway for high-performing PhD graduates is Queensland.

Migration Queensland allows PhD graduates of the state to seek 491 visa or 190 visa nominations.

To be eligible you must:

1. Be living in Queensland
2. have a points test result, including the state nomination points, of at least 80 points (for the sc-190 visa) or 65 points (for the sc-491 visa). However, having higher points is always better
3. at least proficient English
4. have completed all of your PhD or Doctorate at a Queensland based institution
5. have had a decision of their thesis and graduated in the last 2 years
6. have an occupation listed on LIN 19/051 or the Specification of Occupations and Assessing Authorities Instrument 2019. LIN 19/051 is the Legislative instrument that lists the occupations in the Medium and Long‑term Strategic Skills List (or the MLTSSL.)

One advantage of this pathway is that if you are a PhD graduate you do not have to provide evidence of employment unlike for Master’s Degree or Bachelor Degree graduates who need to show that they have a job offer or employment in their nominated or closely nominated occupation.

Tasmania

Tasmania is also another state that is currently providing a good pathway for its PhD graduates.

Tasmania has introduced a colour-coded system to rank the applicants’ Registration of Interest (ROI).  These are the Gold, Green and Orange pass or attributes.

Those who have the Gold attribute are likely to be invited immediately to apply for the Tasmanian state nomination. These are the candidates who have their skills assessment and related employment for at least the past 3 months in Tasmania’s critical roles list. This list can be found on the Migration Tasmanian website.

Candidates who can claim one or more Green attributes are likely to be invited within 2 weeks of their ROI submission.

And those who have Orange attributes may still be invited depending on the ROIs received by the state and number of priority attributes recorded. This means that those who can only claim Orange attributes have less chances of getting invited. However the more Orange attribute you can claim, the better your chances are of getting invited to apply for the Tasmanian state nomination.

PhD graduates or candidates who cannot claim to have the Gold Attribute still has a good chance of getting invited to apply for the Tasmanian state nomination and claim a Green attribute if they have completed at least 2 years of their PhD in Tasmania.

They also have to meet the following minimum requirements:

1. have completed a course of study and obtained a letter of completion from a tertiary institution in Tasmania registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS)
2. have lived in Tasmania for at least two calendar years from the commencement of their course and for the duration of their studies
3. their course must have been completed full-time and on-site in Tasmania and
4. currently be living in Tasmania and intend to continue living in Tasmania.

If you are an onshore PhD graduate or candidate and wants to know more about your Australian visa options or who wants to know how we can assist you with your permanent visa options please contact us on (+61) 08 8351 9956 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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

You can also book an appointment online.

Australia Skilled Migration Program: Small Business Owner for Regional Skilled Visa 491 and Skilled Nominated Visa 190

The general skilled migration program in Australia has been the most popular program used by migrants to obtain permanent residency status.

Visas represented for this program can be named subclass 189 (skilled independent visa), subclass 190 (skilled nominated visa), and 491 (skilled regional) (the previous visa for 491 is 489 visa)

The skilled migration program attracts skilled migrants worldwide and onshore graduates and workers as its benefits that the country can bring to each family.

Not surprisingly, Australia receives thousands of applications every year under the skilled migration program, which is highly competitive.

Those who are not highly skilled in their occupation might consider the Small Business Owner (SBO) pathway to aim for permanent residency.

Queensland was the first state to launch this program, and it has been increasingly popular over the years. 

As of July 2021, four states in Australia, Queensland, Tasmania, Canberra, and South Australia, have this program officially in place.

You may not be aware that South Australia even has this stream. Very few articles talk about the small business owner skilled migration stream in South Australia.

This blog will give you full details of the South Australia small business owner stream.

Before that, watch out video for the quick overview of the Small business owner stream South Australia 491/190

Visa 491 and 190 South Australia and Tasmania has continuously updated their Skilled Migration program. There are further 259 occupations added to South Australia Offshore skilled occupation list with requirements and Subclasses offered will vary depending on the occupation. More details on their requirements will be illustrated below. 

Tasmania has updated their quotas used for this financial year and announced their priority group of applicants who are going to be assessed soon. It is likely that their quotas will be running out significantly before the end of this program which is 30 June 2022.

To know more about South Australia Skilled Migration program, read here >