What’s new for South Australia’s Skilled and Business Migration program?
We’ve added more occupations to South Australia’s skilled occupation list. This means there are more opportunities for South Australian graduates to migrate to Adelaide and South Australia.
And the Government of South Australia has recently updated its priority nomination pathways to our Skilled and Business Migration program. These give South Australian graduates more ways to apply for a state-nominated skilled migration visa.
What’s the skilled occupation list, and what jobs are on it?
South Australia’s skilled occupation list is a list of occupations eligible for a state-nominated skilled visa. If your occupation is on the list, you might be able to apply for one of these state-nominated visas:
Check to see if your occupation is on South Australia’s skilled occupation list.
Once you find your occupation, check the details to find out:
- which visa you can apply for with your occupation
- whether you need to apply in South Australia or offshore
- if any priority nomination pathways are available to you
- if there are any waivers or exemptions via certain pathways
- how many points you need to apply
Figure 1: Sample of skilled occupation details
Which pathways for a state-nominated skilled migration visa are best for international students?
If you’ve studied in South Australia, you might be able to apply for a state-nominated skilled migration visa via one of these pathways:
- International Graduates
- Talent and Innovators program – high performing graduate stream
- Living and working in South Australia as a long-term resident
South Australian graduates who apply via one of these pathways could be eligible for certain concessions or waivers, including:
- extra points towards your visa point test
- potential waivers or reductions to your work experience requirements
- priority visa processing times
Who can apply for a state nomination via the International Graduates pathway?
If you’re a graduate of a South Australian-based course and have lived in SA since you finished your studies, you might be eligible for this pathway.
A significant benefit for international graduates who apply via this pathway is that your South Australian qualification can be different to the nominated occupation you’re using for your visa application. (This doesn’t apply if you’re using the high performing graduate pathway)
But you will have to have worked in South Australia in your nominated occupation for at least three months. This is an excellent benefit for SA graduates as most non-South Australian graduates need between 12- and 18-months of work experience in their nominated occupation before applying.
To be eligible, your course must be CRICOS registered and have a minimum of 46 CRICOS weeks. And you must have completed at least 50% of your qualification in South Australia.
Your eligibility to apply via this pathway depends on your occupation and individual circumstances. To learn more about your eligibility and potential benefits, please check South Australia’s skilled occupation list and read more about the International Graduates pathway.
Who can apply for a state nomination via the Talent and Innovators program’s high performing graduate pathway?
If you’ve completed your qualification in South Australia, you might be eligible to apply for this pathway. High performing graduates can apply straight out of university as there is no work experience requirement for your state nomination.
However, you’ll still need to meet any work experience or visa skills assessment requirements from the skills assessment authority in your occupation.
You can apply for a high performing graduate nomination if you:
- Completed a relevant Bachelor or higher qualification at a South Australian education provider
- Completed at least 50% of your qualification in South Australia
- Completed your South Australian qualification in the same field as your nominated occupation
- Live in South Australia and continuously lived here after finishing your qualification
- Have a proficient level of English
To be considered, you’ll usually need a Grade Point Average of 6.0 or higher, unless there’s a different GPA specified for your skilled occupation.
Your application might get priority if you’ve studied in health or natural or physical sciences. And your previous study and work experience might also help your application.
Your eligibility to apply via this pathway depends on your occupation and individual circumstances. To learn more about your eligibility and potential benefits, please check South Australia’s skilled occupation list and read more about the Talent and Innovators program high performing graduate pathway.
Who can apply for a state nomination via the currently living and working in South Australia as a long-term resident pathway?
If you’ve been studying and working in South Australia for more than three years, or you’re a partner of an international graduate of South Australia, you might be eligible for this pathway. Even if you’ve been working in an occupation that’s different to your nominated occupation.
Graduates who’ve lived and worked in South Australia for at least three years could be eligible for subclass 491 and five years for subclass 190.
To be eligible, your work for the last 12 months in South Australia must be within a Skill Level 1, 2 or 3 occupation. ‘Carers and Aides’ occupations (Skill Level 4) can also be accepted as skilled work experience.
This means if you’ve been working in an industry that’s different to your nominated skilled occupation, you could still be eligible for a state-nominated visa. These benefits are only available to graduates of South Australian courses.
Your eligibility to apply via this pathway depends on your occupation and individual circumstances. To learn more about your eligibility and the different skill levels for occupations, please check South Australia’s skilled occupation list and read more about the currently living and working in South Australia as a long-term resident pathway.
How can I learn more about applying for a state-nominated skilled migration visa?
Read our article to learn more about the application process.
Data and policies are accurate as at 7 June 2021.
The information in this article is a general overview only. Check South Australia’s Skilled & Business Migration website for the most detailed and up-to-date information.
Author: Sherrie Gaskin (MARN 1681494)
Editor: Johanna Kohler
Want to know more about skilled migration in South Australia? Check out the other articles in our series:
- Skilled migration for South Australian graduates
- Changes to SA’s skilled migration make it easier for offshore graduates to apply