Skilled Nominated Migration (190 Visa) – Live & Work in NSW

Skilled Work on a 190 Visa

Australia’s general skilled migration scheme includes a visa specifically for skilled migrants to permanently live and work in an occupation that is state-/government-sponsored – subclass 190 visa. This does not mean that the government employs an applicant, rather that the skilled migrant’s application receives the support of the state.

Such support means that the state gives an applicant additional points (5 for a subclass 190) towards meeting the migration points-threshold required for this visa.

In order to be eligible for a subclass 190 visa, an applicant must meet certain criteria – be skilled in a suitable occupation on the specific occupation list, be nominated by an Australian state or territory government, meet the points-based system and meet language (English), age, character and health requirements.

Eligible applicants will be aged over 18 and under 45 years, have ‘Competent’ English language skills, pass an occupation skills assessment and accumulate 65 points before an Expression of Interest (EOI) may be approved by a nominating government.

Live and Work in NSW

The NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment has stated that “Demand for nomination by NSW is extremely high. The NSW Government will continue to select and invite top-ranking candidates who meet the NSW nomination criteria in occupations on the NSW 190 Priority Skilled Occupation List (NSW 190 List)”.

New South Wales (NSW) has recently – as of 1 July 2019 – adjusted its criteria for some occupations.

First, the NSW Government now uses a system to show the availability of occupations in NSW and this will be regularly updated to reflect the changing needs of skilled labour in NSW.

Second, the NSW Government now requires that for some occupations an applicant must have been living in NSW for at least two years and working in their nominated occupation in NSW for at least one year at the time of applying for a subclass 190 visa.

For occupations with low and limited availability – such as hairdressers, plumbers, accountants and tradespersons, an applicant will need to have a high point measure in order to receive an invitation to work in NSW.

For occupations with high availability – such as cooks/chefs, welfare workers, electricians and vehicle mechanics, an applicant who has already chosen to live and work in NSW will have reduced competition for these positions, albeit still requiring an invitation from government and meeting all application criteria.

To see an occupation’s availability in NSW, head to the NSW 190 Priority Skilled Occupation List at https://www.industry.nsw.gov.au/live-and-work-in-nsw/visas-and-immigration/nsw-skilled-occupations-list/nsw-190-priority-skilled-occupation-list

With the new NSW Skilled Occupation List, introduced in July 2019, containing occupations not previously listed, you may appreciate that there has already been much demand for these positions. At YML Migration, we have advice that:

• Currently, NSW has a total of 3,000 places available for nomination under this programme and a cap of 100 places to be allocated as the maximum amount under any one occupation;
• Occupations listed as “Limited” or “Low” availability only have 1-5 places available for allocation. It is not yet known how many places have been made available under occupations listed under “Medium” and “High”;
• At any point of time, NSW has 40,000-60,000 Expressions of Interest in the queue to be assessed; and
• Priority is being given to those who are able to show a points score of 75 or higher and thereafter to those who have high English scores and finally to those with significant relative work experience.

Given the above information, the competition to be selected by NSW for nomination under the subclass 190 visa programme is extremely high. Let our experts at YML Migration help you to consider your options.

How can YML help?

Talk to our YML Migration Team today to see how YML Group can assist you with your application to work in NSW. Contact us on (02) 8383 4400 or by visiting the Contact Us page on our website.