State Sponsorship can assist in gain a visa to live and work in Australia
When you are applying for a Skilled visa (such as the Skilled Independent visa subclass 189) it is best to claim as many points as you are eligible for to maximise chances of obtaining a visa. By focusing on age, work experience and qualifications alone candidates often overlook the opportunity to boost their points through a different visa pathway, such as the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) visa and Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) subclass 491 visa. These can be collectively referred to as state sponsorship visas.
What is state sponsorship?
State sponsorship or state nomination allows the Australian state government to select migrants who are highly skilled and nominate them to live and work in Australia.
When state nomination occurs additional points are awarded to skilled migrants which can assist in their chances to be selected to apply for a visa.
State sponsorship is a separate application to the visa application but you still must meet the requirements set by the Department of Home Affairs and your occupation should be listed on the relevant occupation list.
The various lists and a detailed overview of the requirements can be found at the following links:
- Australian Capital Territory
- New South Wales
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Tasmania
- Victoria
- Western Australia
As State Sponsorship is a stand-alone application, when you are successful in obtaining state sponsorship, you are not automatically granted a visa. You will need to submit a separate visa application.
Common mistakes to avoid in State Sponsorship applications
The Subclass 491 and 190 visa programs were created to ensure that shortages in the labour market are being addressed. The states are keen to attract the right skills and therefore it is critical that you avoid the following common mistakes when preparing your applications:
Do not overclaim on the expression of interest
A State or Territory government agency nominates an applicant directly from SkillSelect. The invitation to apply for the Subclass 491 or 190 visa is evidence of a State or Territory government agency’s nomination, provided it has not been withdrawn.
The skilled program can be confusing and we have seen skilled workers overclaiming points in their expression of interest (EOI) submission to the government.
The main areas that are overclaimed are:
· Work experience
· Qualifications and
· Partner skills
Skilled workers who miscalculate the duration of their work experience or classify unskilled work experience as being relevant may cause issues at the time of invitation by the government. Please ensure that you are entitled to each area of the points or set a reminder to check your expression of interest periodically to ensure that you maintain eligibility of the points claimed.
This is key as one of the requirements for the 491 visa is that the your score must not be less than the score stated in the invitation to apply for the visa.
Quick tip
If you have overclaimed and been invited to apply – there is no requirement for the individual points test criteria assessed for the application to be identical to those identified by the intending migrant in their EOI when the invitation was issued.
This means if you fall short in one area that you have claimed points, you may be able to claim this in another test criterion.
This flexibility in calculating the score is handy but it is best to avoid any overclaiming.
Have a full skills assessment
Some assessing authorities issue a provisional or Subclass 485 specific skills assessment for recent graduates of Australian educational institutions who apply for a Subclass 485 visa. These types of skills assessments are not suitable skills assessment for 491 / State Sponsorship purposes.
Please check our website here for tips for a positive skills assessment.
Skills assessments vs evidence of membership of an Australian professional society
Do not submit evidence of membership of an Australian professional society (for example, membership of the AIM/Australian Institute of Management) as these are not skills assessments.
Bridging visas
Submitting an application for State Sponsorship does not provide you with a bridging visa to live and work in Australia. Bridging visas may only be granted when a visa application is applied for when a visa applicant is onshore.
Visa and strategy
If you have researched the criteria for State Sponsorship applications and 491 visa, you may be able to personally apply for the above mentioned applications. If you are looking for Australian visa immigration support, strategic advice or assistance in assessing your points, please do not hesitate to contact us for a consultation.