To qualify for state nomination, you must meet all nomination requirements relevant to your situation and occupation.
You must ultimately meet all the Department of Home Affairs' criteria and requirements.
Before applying for State Nomination, you should work out if you have sufficient points on the Department of Home Affairs' points test to apply for the 190 permanent or the 491 provisional visa. It is important to check the requirements below and the occupation lists to see if you are restricted to applying for a 491 state nominated visa.
Please read through the nomination requirements below and the document checklist before applying.
1.1 State nomination is provided to meet skills needs of this state and is granted on the basis of the applicant’s genuine interest and commitment to living and working in South Australia with a view to long-term settlement.
- Your commitment to South Australia commences from the date of arrival for settlement
- For those already living in South Australia, your commitment to South Australia commences from state-nominated visa grant date.
You must confirm this commitment by:
1.1.1 Undertaking first-hand, thorough and meaningful research on South Australia including: lifestyle, education and employment opportunities, and providing your reasons for wanting to migrate to South Australia in the online application form.
1.1.2 Undertaking research on job opportunities in South Australia and any occupation training, licensing or registration requirements.
1.1.3 If you are onshore, you may be required to provide evidence of South Australian residence and that your employment has primarily been in South Australia.
1.2 When you arrive in South Australia on a state nominated General Skilled Migration (GSM) visa, you are required to:
1.2.1 Register your arrival in South Australia on Immigration SA's Apply website (this needs to be completed when you arrive to settle in Australia)
1.2.2 Maintain up to date contact details through Immigration SA's Apply website
1.2.3 Complete regular online employment surveys as requested and shown on Immigration SA's Apply website.
1.3 The following commitment to state restrictions apply.
1.3.1 If you are in Australia but not currently residing in South Australia, you are ineligible to apply for state nomination.
1.3.2 If you are currently offshore and have previously studied or worked in another Australian state or territory (i.e. on a temporary visa) and not in South Australia in the last 10 years, you are only eligible to apply for a provisional 491 visa. Please also note 1.3.6.
1.3.3 If you have studied or worked in another Australian state or territory as well as in South Australia in the last 10 years, you will generally only be eligible to apply for a 491 provisional visa (and not a 190 permanent visa) unless it is clear that your commitment is more clearly aligned to South Australia than to any other Australian state or territory.
Factors that will be taken into account will include the time spent in South Australia, the most recent Australian location you spent time in, and what you were doing in these locations (i.e. study, work).
Note: If 1.3.3 applies to you, select the “491” visa on your state nomination application. If you wish to be considered for a 190 nomination, still select the “491” visa in your application and attach a separate supporting statement outlining your 190 visa request and demonstrated commitment to South Australia. On your Expression of Interest (EOI), you should select both “491” and “190”.
1.3.4 If you are currently residing in South Australia, and have lived, studied or worked in another Australian state or territory before moving to South Australia, you must be currently working for the last 6 months (minimum 20 hours per week) in a skilled occupation in South Australia and meet all other state nomination requirements.
1.3.5 If your nominated occupation is listed as 'Provisional 491 visa only - 190 nomination offered to applicants under specific circumstances only', you must meet the requirements outlined in section 3.5 below to be considered for a 190 nomination. If your occupation is listed as 'Provisional 491 visa only', you are only able to apply for a 491 nomination - see 3.4 below.
1.3.6 Immigration SA reserves the right to either offer a 491 provisional visa (for applicants otherwise eligible for a 190 visa nomination) or to refuse your application if your commitment to South Australia is not sufficiently demonstrated.
1.3.7 Immigration SA will only provide one nomination per applicant.
1.3.8 Provisional 489 or 491 visa holders are not eligible to apply for South Australian state nomination.
2.1 You must be under 45 years of age at the time of the nomination decision.
2.2 You must factor in Immigration SA’s nomination processing times as there is no fast-tracking of applications for reasons associated with age.
3.1 To be nominated, you must have an occupation on our State Nominated Occupation List and meet the eligibility requirements for that occupation. Occupations are available for 491 nomination only unless you meet the requirements listed under 3.5 below. Please check the requirements below and the occupation lists to see if you are restricted to applying for a 491 state nominated visa.
3.2 All applicants can apply for occupations listed as 'Available' or 'Low Availability' on the State Nominated Occupation List. This is not an indicator of availability in the South Australian job market. It is purely an indicator of the nomination places available.
3.3 Each occupation listed has a planning level and should this be reached, the occupation will then be listed as “Special Conditions Apply”. To apply for an occupation which has met its planning level, you must meet the requirements listed under Special conditions apply & Supplementary Skilled List below.
Further information about the State nominated occupation lists can be found here.
3.4 Selected occupations are listed as ‘Provisional 491 visa only’ and this condition applies to all applicants regardless of location or situation. Several of these occupations have been made eligible for the Provisional 491 visa only by the Department of Home Affairs, with others designated by Immigration SA.
3.5 Most occupations are listed as 'Provisional 491 visa only - 190 nomination offered to applicants under specific circumstances only'. To be eligible for Permanent 190 nomination, you must meet the following scenario and all of the requirements for the relevant category (please note 1.3 overrides this concession).
- I am currently working for the last 12 months in my nominated or closely related occupation (minimum 20 hours per week) in South Australia (or the last 6 months in my nominated or closely related occupation (minimum 40 hours per fortnight) in a country region of South Australia).
Further information about the state nominated occupation lists can be found here.
Special conditions apply & Supplementary Skilled List
3.6 You can access occupations that appear as ‘Special conditions apply’ on the State Nominated Occupation List or occupations listed on the Supplementary Skilled List if you meet the requirements listed under one of the following categories:
3.6.1 If you are international graduate of South Australia, visit International Graduate Occupation and Waiver Requirements.
3.6.2 If you have been working in a skilled occupation in South Australia for a minimum period of time, visit Currently Working in South Australia
3.6.3 If you have an immediate family member permanently residing in South Australia, see requirements for Chain Migration.
3.6.4 If you have high points on the Department of Home Affairs points test (including State nomination points), visit High Points to check if you are eligible to apply.
3.7 Immigration SA is able to offer a limited number of nominations for occupations listed as special conditions apply or on the Supplementary Skilled List. Planning levels apply to all occupations and availability is subject to change. Once planning levels are reached, occupations may be closed or further requirements may apply. Priority will be given to applicants based on length of employment in South Australia.
3.8 If you are applying for occupations under special conditions apply or the Supplementary Skilled List, you must meet the same state nomination requirements for commitment to state, age, skills assessment, work experience, English and financial capacity.
3.9 International graduates of South Australia should see if they are eligible for any waivers or exemptions for work experience, English or financial capacity before applying.
4.1 You must have a positive General Skilled Migration skills assessment from the relevant skills assessing authority for your nominated occupation. Links to relevant Skills Assessing Authorities can be found on the Lists of State Nominated Occupations.
4.2 Copies of qualifications or certificates in lieu of a positive skills assessment will not be accepted.
4.3 A positive General Skilled Migration skills assessment is required even if the qualification was obtained in Australia.
4.4 For international graduates of South Australia, the skills assessment must be in their nominated occupation and field of study in South Australia.
4.5 Skills assessments must have been issued within the last three years or if the skills assessing authority has specified a shorter validity period, the skills assessment is only valid until that specified date. The skills assessment must be valid at time of nomination decision.
5.1 At least one year of skilled work experience in the past three years unless your occupation has a higher work experience requirement. Certain exemptions to this requirement may apply to international graduates of South Australia and Medical and Health Professionals (see 5.6).
5.2 Skilled work experience is defined as at least 20 hours per week of paid employment in a skilled occupation on the Lists of State Nominated Occupations. The skilled work experience does not need to be in your nominated or closely related occupation unless your occupation requires additional work experience (see 5.4 below).
In Australia the position must be paid at the appropriate rate for the skill level required (and meet any minimum award pay rates that apply to that industry). The Fairwork website has more information about minimum wages in Australia. Research work undertaken as part of your PhD will not be accepted as skilled work experience (even if it is recognised on your skills assessment).
5.3 Skilled work experience is assessed as being successful after completion of the relevant qualification(s).
5.4 Where additional work experience is listed for your occupation (for example, 3 years work experience), you will need to demonstrate that you have this amount of work experience in the field of your nominated occupation. Certain exemptions to this may apply if you are an international graduate of South Australia and Medical and Health Professionals (see 5.6).
5.5 If you are relying on Australian skilled work experience to meet the work experience requirement you are only eligible to apply if the last 6 months of your skilled work experience in Australia was undertaken in South Australia (minimum 40 hours per fortnight).
5.6 Medical and Health Professionals listed here who currently reside and work in South Australia in their nominated or related occupations (minimum 20 hours per week) are exempt from Immigration SA's current work experience requirements. Applicants accessing the work experience exemption are only eligible for a provisional 491 visa nomination.
Registered Nurses currently working in their nominated or closely related occupation in South Australia are exempt from the 5 years' work experience requirement.
6.1 You must meet the English language level required for your nominated occupation. Exemptions may apply for international graduates of South Australia.
6.2 Immigration SA accepts the following English language tests:
- IELTS - International English Language Test System (Academic or General)
- OET - Occupational English Test (For Health Professionals only)
- PTE Academic - Pearson Test of English Academic
- TOEFL iBT - Test of English as a Foreign Language, internet Based Test
- CAE - Cambridge English: Advanced
The English Language test that you provide will need to be less than three (3) years old at the time you apply for your visa, not at the time of nomination decision. If you are submitting a Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) test, the test must have been taken on or after 1 January 2015.
6.2.1 You (and partner, if they are claiming partner points in their EOI) must give permission to Immigration SA to view your PTE Academic test, OET or CAE results through your online English test account (For OET, only tests taken after September 2018 apply). If Immigration SA cannot view your PTE Academic, OET or CAE scores online, your state nomination application will be refused. Please note you need to give permission to Immigration SA – Department for Innovation and Skills, in addition to the Department of Home Affairs.
6.3 The Immigration SA English requirement for your occupation will be detailed on the Lists of State Nominated Occupations as: Competent in each score (or Competent Plus overall), Competent Plus in each score (or Proficient overall) or Proficient in each score (or Proficient Plus overall). If you meet the higher overall score requirement, no band score can be below Competent English. For details of the minimum scores required for your particular English test, view the English test comparison table.
6.4 Passport holders and citizens of the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, United States of America, or the Republic of Ireland are exempt from providing an English test result.
6.5 If you are currently registered to practice as a health professional or education professional in South Australia, you can upload a current registration certificate to practice in South Australia and provide an English language test result which meets the ‘Competent’ requirement. You do not need to meet any additional English requirements listed on the State Nominated Occupation Lists.
6.6 If you are currently working in a skilled occupation in South Australia (minimum 20 hours per week), you only need to meet the minimum Department of Home Affairs' requirement of competent English (unless your occupation requires registration in South Australia - see 6.5 above).
6.7 Some skills assessing authorities may have a higher English language requirements that you will be required to meet. Please check with your skills assessing authority prior to applying.
6.8 If your occupation requires registration or licensing in South Australia, you will need to ensure you meet English requirement set by the registration or licencing authority to work in South Australia. Occupations with registration requirements include trades, education and health professions.
7.1 You must ensure that you have sufficient funds for settlement when you arrive in South Australia. Evidence of financial capacity is not required. However, Immigration SA reserves the right to seek additional information or evidence at a later stage if necessary. The requirement depends on whether you are applying offshore or onshore.
7.2 Financial requirement:
You need to have combined cash and assets within the range listed in the table below. As a guideline, when you arrive in South Australia, Immigration SA recommends that offshore applicants have $20,000 in cash and onshore applicants have $5,000 in cash for settlement. You should not dispose of any assets before the visa is granted.
7.3 If you are an Australian international graduate, you can claim financial support from your parent(s). Your parent(s) need to complete the Financial Capacity Declaration and this must be uploaded in your online application.
| Family composition | Offshore Applicant: Combined cash & assets requirement |
Onshore Applicant: Combined cash & assets requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Main applicant only | Total figure between AUD $ 20,000 - 25,000 | Total figure between AUD $5,000 - 10,000 |
| Main applicant plus one (1) dependent | Total figure between AUD $25,000- 30,000 | Total figure between AUD $ 10,000 - 15,000 |
| Main applicant plus two (2) dependents | Total figure between AUD $30,000 - 35,000 | Total figure between AUD $15,000 - 20,000 |
| Main applicant plus three (3) dependents | Total figure between AUD $35,000 - 40,000 | Total figure between AUD $20,000 - 25,000 |
8.1 For Immigration SA to approve your nomination in SkillSelect you need to have an EOI which meets the Department of Home Affairs criteria and Immigration SA requirements.
8.2 Your nominated occupation in your EOI must match your nominated occupation on your Immigration SA online application.
8.3 Your personal details in your EOI must be the same as your Immigration SA online application.
8.4 There must be no discrepancies between the information provided on your Immigration SA online application and the information recorded in your EOI.
8.5 You must meet the required Department of Home Affairs pass mark for the 190/491 visa subclasses (the current pass mark is 65 points). Please note many occupations will require more than 65 points - see the State Nominated Occupation Lists for information on the points required for you occupation. You will need to ensure you meet all Department of Home Affairs requirements and have documented evidence to support your points claim. See additional instructions.
8.6 For occupations on "high availability" or "low availability" with "75 points required for offshore applicants" or "85 points required for offshore applicants", you will need to meet the points requirement listed (including state nomination points) unless you meet all requirements under one of the following categories (only 65 points is required for the two categories below):
- I am an international graduate of South Australia
- I have worked in a skilled occupation in South Australia for the last 12 months
8.7 For occupations listed as "special conditions" or "Supplementary Skilled List" you will need to meet the points requirements for your category. You are only required to have 65 points (including state nomination points) if you meet all requirements under one of the following categories:
- I am an international graduate of South Australia
- I have worked in a skilled occupation in South Australia for the last 12 months
8.8 Your EOI number must be recorded correctly, otherwise Immigration SA will be unable to locate you in SkillSelect and your state nomination application will be refused.
8.9 If you are refused for any of the above reasons you can re-apply for state nomination. However, you must meet all state nomination requirements.
8.10 If you have made an error in your EOI prior to the Immigration SA decision being made, you will need to:
Edit your EOI details & email Immigration SA to advise you have amended the EOI. If you are nominated by Immigration SA, the EOI is frozen and cannot be edited.
9. International Graduates of South Australia
International graduates of South Australia have access to a more extensive list of occupations for state nomination. In addition, if you do not meet state nomination requirements for work experience, English or financial capacity, there may be waivers or exemptions available to you. Refer to International Graduate Occupation and Waiver Requirements to see if you can access more occupations and any exemptions or waivers.
10. Currently working in South Australia
Access to additional occupations is available if you are currently living and working in South Australia in your nominated or closely related occupation and have been for 6 months or more in a country region of South Australia or 12 months or more in Greater Adelaide. You must be working for a minimum of 20 hours per week. Refer to currently working in South Australia to see if you can access more occupations.
11. Chain Migration-family member in South Australia
Chain migration is a state nomination pathway providing access to a broader list of occupations if you have an immediate family member permanently residing in South Australia. Refer to chain migration to see if you can access more occupations.
12. High points
If you have high points on the Department of Home Affairs points test, you can gain access to the Supplementary Skilled List (SSL) and occupations on the main list that are special conditions apply. Refer to High points to see if you can access more occupations.