Western Australian residents who meet the requirements can now apply for the 2023–24 Skilled Migration State Nomination programme, with invitation rounds beginning soon.
In an effort to streamline and hasten skilled migration, the WA government recently unveiled several changes to its migration programme.
The State Nominated Migration Programme (SNMP), according to the WA government, gives skilled migrants from within the state, as well as from other states and abroad, priority.
The SNMP allows the state government to focus on its priorities for skilled migration within constraints established by the Commonwealth Government, she said, even though the Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs is responsible for Australia’s migration programme and the processing and granting of visa applications.
States and territories can nominate qualified skilled migrants for one of two visas through the SNMP: the permanent Skilled Nominated visa (Subclass 190), and the temporary Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (Subclass 491), which may become a permanent visa if certain requirements are met.
Significant changes to the State Nomination Migration Programme in Western Australia
The state government made short-term adjustments to the immigration programme in 2022–2023.
It contained:
- the $200 application fee is waived
- reducing the duration of the employment contract from 12 months to 6 months
- sixty days
- removing the need for applicants to show they have enough money
- lowering additional English language requirements for manager and professional jobs
- lowering the need for work experience for the 2022–2023 programme year to draw in more qualified workers to WA
- Additionally, more than 100 jobs have been added to the state’s Skilled Migration Occupation List to cover a wider range of professions with high demand for skilled workers, such as roles in the fields of medicine, aviation, ICT, agriculture, primary industries, community services, environmental management, mining, urban planning, events, and engineering.
Additional modifications to the migration criteria are scheduled to take effect in 2023–2024, according to the state government.
It contains:
- removing the demand for a six-month employment contract when applying for a visa applicants for subclass 190 jobs in the building and construction trades
- Prioritising invitations for Western Australian applicants in order to keep skilled workers in the state, with applicants from the rest of Australia and abroad being equally valued
- Prioritising invitations for occupations in construction, health care, education, and tourism and hospitality, among other sectors with a pressing need for skilled labour