Update: Australian State-Sponsored Visa Programs – June 2023

Thousands of migrants move to Australia each year through state sponsorship.

Several state-sponsored visa programs have recently undergone changes, and some programs have closed until the new financial year.

For these reasons, we wanted to summarise the status of Australia’s state-sponsored visa programs. Please find the details below.

Australian Capital Territory 

• The next SkillSelect invitation round will be held before 14 July 2023.
• The ACT Nomination Guidelines have been updated:
  • The eligibility criteria have been adjusted, and
  • changes have been made to the Canberra Matrix.
• The Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) has closed for this financial year. 

New South Wales

• The state nomination program appears to remain open.

Northern Territory 

The Northern Territory has new offshore General Skilled Migration nomination criteria, including:

• Reduced work experience requirement – one year down from three years for most occupations
• More occupations added to the Priority Occupations Stream
• Expansion of the Family Support Stream to enable regional provisional (Subclass 489, 491 and 494) visa holders and those who hold bridging visas after having applied for regional permanent residency (Subclass 887 and 191 visas) to support family members who are applying for nomination

Queensland 

• The state nomination program appears to remain open 

South Australia 

• General Skilled Migration Programs (Registration of Interest, Subclasses 491 and 190, 491 and 190 and the Business Innovation and Investment Program) closed to new applications on 8 June 2023. South Australia will:
  • delete any applications that had commenced but weren’t lodged before 8 June 2023 from the system, and
  • continue to assess existing applications that were lodged before 8 June 2023.
• Pending an allocation of Subclass 190 visa nominations from the Commonwealth Government for the 2023-24 program year, applicants who are assessed as eligible for Subclass 190 visa state nominations will receive a nomination in the upcoming program year. 

Tasmania 

• The state nomination program appears to remain open. 

Victoria 

• The Victoria state nomination program has closed to Registrations of Interest (ROI). Submitted ROI will continue to be assessed and selected for invitations to apply for Victorian visa nomination. If an ROI is withdrawn, applicants won’t be able to submit a new one until the 2023-24 program opens. 

Western Australia 

• The state nomination program appears to remain open.

Want to find out more about state sponsorship? 

Book a consultation call with our licensed advisor if you want to know more about immigration to Australia through state sponsorship.

Our advisor can also assess you against its requirements to see if you can apply for one of the available work or business visas.

You’ll get all the details during your call and get the chance to ask any questions.