A Complete Guide to the South Australia State Nomination Program (SNP)

Why South Australia?

South Australia offers:

☀️ Lifestyle - South Australia offers a relaxed, family-friendly lifestyle where you can truly achieve work-life balance and afford to do more.
👑 Culture - South Australia prides itself on nurturing a diverse cultural experience: from food and wine through to hosting outstanding world-class art, cultural and sporting events.
⛑ Health & Safety - All residents and visitors to South Australia enjoy one of the world's finest and fairest health-care systems, with access to first-class health professionals and medical facilities across the state.
🎓 Education - South Australia boasts a world-class education system supporting excellent schools, three major teaching universities and a network of training organisations to support the continued education of you and your family.

🏙 Adelaide is one of the world’s most liveable cities, perfectly positioned just a short drive from some of Australia’s most unique, globally-renowned regions, so whether you choose city, suburban or country life, South Australia offers something for everyone.

🏭 South Australia has experienced more than two decades of uninterrupted economic growth and $100 billion of major developments are underway in a range of sectors across the state.

Building on this history, South Australia offers skilled and business migrants with every opportunity to further themselves or their business.

Overview of South Australia State Nomination Program

State nomination enables the South Australian state government to nominate highly skilled migrants to meet South Australia’s skills needs.

For skilled migrants, state nomination can assist you to qualify for a skilled migration visa from the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs, providing additional points towards your subclass 190 or subclass 491 application.

The 2022-23 Skilled Migration Program will prioritise nominations for skilled migrants:

with backgrounds in in-demand industries, such as Health, ICT, Education, Engineering, Agribusiness and Trades, or
who can bring their skills to growing sectors such as Hi-Tech / Digital, Health and Life Sciences, Green Energy, Defence, Space and Cyber Security.

The state’s focus is to nominate migrants who are already living and working in South Australia—to retain those with in-demand skills—as well as nominating skilled and experienced migrants from overseas who can fill critical shortages.

Before you apply for state nomination:

check the Department of Home Affairs visa requirements
that your occupation is on the State Skilled Occupation List and
read about each of South Australia’s nomination streams to see if you’re eligible.

Note: This guide is focused on Skilled Migrants, and International Graduates of South Australia.

Benefits of State Nomination

The benefits of South Australia State Nomination are: 

Access to an extensive list of occupations
Additional points towards the Department of Home Affairs points test - extra 5 points for the Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190) and 15 points for the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491).
Priority visa application processing with the Department of Home Affairs

As a skilled migrant you may also be eligible for certain concessions and waivers.

State Nomination Process Overview

The state nomination process in South Australia requires skilled and business migrants to ensure they meet all visa and state nomination criteria, prepare required documentation and make their application online via the Skilled & Business Migration portal.

The nomination process has 4 key steps:

Step 1 : Preparation

Once you have reviewed all requirements for your chosen visa pathway/stream, you will need to prepare a range of documentation to support your State Nomination application.

Skilled & Business Migration have provided documentation checklists that can help you prepare all information that needs to be supplied. For Skilled Migrants and International Graduates of South Australia, please review the supporting information page for more details.

Note: More details on the required documentation is provided further in this guide.

Step 2 : Submission

Once you have prepared all required documentation and supporting information for your state nomination application, you need to register/login to the Skilled & Business Migration portal to submit your application.

The portal will walk you through submission requirements in a step-by-step process to ensure you have supplied all information required for your submission.

Note: You can save progress of your application and come back to it prior to submission.

Step 3 : Assessment and Outcomes

Once Skilled & Business Migration have received your submission, your application will be reviewed and processed by the Skilled & Business Migration team.

Skilled & Business Migration will notify you on the outcome of your application once it is processed. If state nomination has been approved, you can then continue your visa application with the Department of Home Affairs.

Step 4 : Visa Preparation

If you had a successful assessment outcome in step 3, you can now make your visa application with the Department of Home Affairs.

State Nomination Streams

A number of nomination streams are available for skilled migrants seeking to live and work in South Australia. Read through each of the streams before applying for state nomination to see if you are eligible.

1. South Australian Graduates Stream

International graduates who have studied in South Australia may be eligible for state nomination as a skilled migrant faster than other candidates. High Performing Graduates may also benefit from certain concessions or waivers under this stream.

To be eligible under the South Australian Graduates stream, you must:

Check if your nominated occupation is eligible under the South Australian Graduates stream on South Australia’s Skilled Occupation List
Currently live and work in South Australia
Be under 45 years of age at the time state nomination is approved
Have a valid and positive skills assessment for your nominated occupation
Have at least Competent English, unless your nominated occupation requires registration or licensing to practice in South Australia. If your occupation requires registration or licensing in South Australia, you will need to ensure you meet the English requirement set by the registration or licensing authority to work in South Australia. Occupations with registration requirements include trades, education, and health professions. (Note: Passport holders or citizens of the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada or New Zealand do not need to provide an English language test result)
Score at least 65 points in the Department of Home Affairs’ points test (including state nomination points)
Have completed your qualification at a South Australian higher education provider and meet the following study requirements:
- Your course in South Australia must be Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) registered, with a minimum of 46 CRICOS weeks
- Your study meets the minimum qualification level listed for your nominated occupation on the Skilled Occupation List
- A minimum of 50% of your qualification must have been completed in South Australia
- You must have resided in South Australia for at least one year during your studies
Be currently working in a job that is related to your nominated occupation. For South Australian nomination, this is defined as being in the same Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) Sub Major Group of your nominated occupation. That is, to the first two digits of the occupation’s ANZSCO Code of the occupation’s ANZSCO Code
Have undertaken your skilled work experience post-course completion
Meet the minimum work experience requirement listed for your occupation on the Skilled Occupation List
Unless specified higher for your nominated occupation on the Skilled Occupation List, be working at least:
- 20 hours per week or 40 hours per fortnight for subclass 491 visa nomination
- 30 hours per week or 60 hours per fortnight for subclass 190 visa nomination
- If you are a South Australian graduate who has not continuously resided in South Australia after completing your qualification, you must be working at least 30 hours per week for the minimum working period.

High Performing Graduates: To be eligible as a high performing graduate under the South Australian Graduates stream, you must:

Have a nominated occupation on South Australia’s Skilled Occupation List that is eligible for the High Performing Graduates pathway
Have completed your qualification at a South Australian higher education provider in the last two years
Have a South Australian qualification in the same field as your skills assessment (i.e. your nominated occupation)
Currently live in South Australia, and have continuously resided in South Australia post-course completion
Have at least Proficient English overall, unless specified higher for your occupation. (Note: Passport holders or citizens of the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada or New Zealand do not need to provide an English language test result)
Meet the minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) specified for your nominated occupation on the Skilled Occupation List
Have a qualification in South Australia that meets the High Performing Graduates requirements in the table below

Educational Qualification	High Performing Graduate requirements
PhD or Masters by Research degree	You can apply once your degree has been conferred
Masters by Coursework degree	Your Masters degree must be at least 78 CRICOS weeks
First Class Honours in a dedicated Honours year	Your Honours year must have followed the completion of a 92 CRICOS week Bachelor degree in South Australia
Bachelor degree	Your Bachelor degree must be at least 92 CRICOS weeks. You must have commenced skilled employment in an occupation related to your nominated occupation.

Note: International graduates may also be eligible for other nomination streams available. Read through each of the streams before applying to see if you are eligible.

2. Working in South Australia Stream

Skilled migrants currently living in South Australia and working in their nominated occupation may be eligible for state nomination through this stream. Candidates may include temporary visa holders, international graduates, self-employed applicants, and sub-contractors.

To be eligible under the Working in South Australia stream, you must:

Check if your nominated occupation is eligible under the Working in South Australia stream on South Australia’s Skilled Occupation List
Currently live and work in South Australia
Be under 45 years of age at time the state nomination is approved
Have a valid and positive skills assessment for your nominated occupation
Have at least Competent English, unless your nominated occupation requires registration or licensing to practice in South Australia. If your occupation requires registration or licensing in South Australia, you will need to ensure you meet the English requirement set by the registration or licensing authority to work in South Australia. Occupations with registration requirements include trades, education, and health professions. (Please note: Passport holders or citizens of the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada or New Zealand do not need to provide an English language test result)
Score at least 65 points in the Department of Home Affairs’ points test (including state nomination points)
Be currently working in a job that is related to your nominated occupation. For South Australian nomination, this is defined as being in the same Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) Sub Major Group of your nominated occupation. That is, to the first two digits of the occupation’s ANZSCO Code
Have undertaken your skilled work experience post-course completion
Meet the minimum work experience requirement listed for your occupation on the Skilled Occupation List
Be working at least 20 hours per week or 40 hours per fortnight, unless specified higher for your nominated occupation on the Skilled Occupation List

3. Outer Regional South Australia Stream

Skilled migrants who have made an important contribution to supporting regional South Australian communities and businesses may benefit from certain work experience concessions under this stream.

👉 Working holiday maker visa holders may also apply under this pathway.

The Outer Regional South Australia stream is for skilled migrants working for outer regional South Australian businesses (who do not qualify to apply for state nomination under South Australia’s other nomination streams).

To be eligible under the Outer Regional South Australia stream you must:

Check if your nominated occupation is eligible under the Outer Regional South Australia stream on South Australia’s Skilled Occupation List
Currently live and work in Outer Regional South Australia
Be under 45 years of age at time the state nomination is approved
Have a valid and positive skills assessment for your nominated occupation
Have at least Competent English, unless your nominated occupation requires registration or licensing to practice in South Australia. If your occupation requires registration or licensing in South Australia, you will need to ensure you meet the English requirement set by the registration or licensing authority to work in South Australia. Occupations with registration requirements include trades, education, and health professions. (Note: Passport holders or citizens of the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada or New Zealand do not need to provide an English language test result)
Score at least 65 points in the Department of Home Affairs’ points test (including state nomination points)
Have been working for the past six months in Outer Regional South Australia in any job (does not need to be related to your nominated occupation). During these six months, you must have worked at least 30 hours per week or 60 hours per fortnight. If you are a working holiday maker visa holder, your specified work experience can count towards this work experience requirement
Be working in a high skilled position: Skill Level 1 or 2 and receiving a high salary (at least $65,000) for subclass 190 visa nomination
Provide a letter of support from your employer outlining why you should be considered for state nomination

Your employer must:

Be a business in Outer Regional South Australia
Be an existing business for at least 12 months, and have a premise located and operating in Outer Regional South Australia for the past 12 months
Be a business of good standing and there must be no adverse information about the business

Note: To find out if the location of your work experience is defined as Outer Regional, please view the postcodes listed under ‘Regional’ on the Regional South Australia regions definition fact sheet.

4. Long Term Residents Stream

Long-term residents of South Australia, who do not qualify under other pathways for state nomination and are not currently working in their nominated occupation, may be eligible for nomination through this stream.

To be eligible under the Long-term Residents stream, you must:

Check if your nominated occupation is eligible under the Long Term Residents stream on South Australia’s Skilled Occupation List
Currently live and work in South Australia
Have resided continuously in South Australia for the past five years (at the time of application)
Be under 45 years of age at the time your state nomination is approved
Have a valid and positive skills assessment for your nominated occupation
Have at least Competent English, unless your nominated occupation requires registration or licensing to practice in South Australia. If your occupation requires registration or licensing in South Australia, you will need to ensure you meet the English requirement set by the registration or licensing authority to work in South Australia. Occupations with registration requirements include trades, education, and health professions. (Note: Passport holders or citizens of the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada or New Zealand do not need to provide an English language test result)
Score at least 65 points in the Department of Home Affairs’ points test (including state nomination points)
Be currently working for the past six months in South Australia in any Skill Level 1, 2, 3 or Skill Level 4 Carer and Aide occupation. To find out the skill level of your work experience, visit the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) website
Have at least 12 months total work experience in South Australia in any Skill Level 1, 2, 3 or Skill Level 4 Carer and Aide occupation over the past three years. This is cumulative, and inclusive of the six months requirement outlined above
During these 12 months of work experience, you must have worked at least:
- for subclass 491 visa nomination: 20 hours per week or 40 hours per fortnight
- for subclass 190 visa nomination: 30 hours per week or 60 hours per fortnight and:
  - be working in a high skilled position: Skill Level 1, or
  - be receiving a high salary (at least $80,000 in Greater Adelaide or $65,000 in regional South Australia). Please refer to South Australia’s Skilled Occupation List if your nominated occupation is available for subclass 190 visa nomination under this stream.

Note: If you are working in your nominated occupation, or a related occupation, you are not eligible to apply under this stream. Visit our Nomination Options page and read about each of the other streams available to see if you are eligible.

Occupations with Specific Requirements:

Accountants (General), Taxation Accountants, Management Accountants, External Auditors, Chefs and Motor Mechanics - You must have been working for at least the past six months in Outer Regional South Australia, or the past 12 months in Greater Adelaide
Cooks - You must have been working for at least the past six months in Outer Regional South Australia

5. Highly Skilled and Talented Stream

The Highly Skilled and Talented stream provides opportunities and pathways for highly skilled migrants who can contribute their demonstrated talent and/or support innovation in South Australia.

Candidates may include skilled migrants living in South Australia, other Australian states and territories, and offshore.

The stream also allows the South Australian Government to nominate applicants who can contribute to the state’s critical priority sectors. Successful applicants will demonstrate how they bring new ideas, skills, and innovation to South Australia.

To be eligible under the Highly Skilled and Talented stream, you must:

Currently live and work in South Australia, interstate, or overseas
Be under 45 years of age at time the state nomination is approved
Have a valid and positive skills assessment for your nominated occupation
Have at least Proficient English (Note: Passport holders or citizens of the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada or New Zealand do not need to provide an English language test result)
Score at least 65 points in the Department of Home Affairs’ points test (including state nomination points)
Be earning a high base salary threshold commensurate with the expectations of the Highly Skilled and Talented stream (at least $80,000 per annum) and working full time (at least 30 hours per week or 60 hours per fortnight)

Onshore Applicants: In addition to meeting the general eligibility requirements above, if you are currently living in South Australia or interstate, you must:

Have demonstrated extensive experience, working in highly skilled jobs, in senior or executive level roles
Demonstrate that you meet one of the following:
- Have already commenced employment in South Australia,
- Have an employment contract for a position you plan to relocate to in South Australia. You are also able to apply, if you are currently working for a company interstate, and intend to relocate to the South Australian office of your current company, or
- Have demonstrated specialised experience or niche skills that are highly desired in one of South Australia’s critical priority sectors.

Your employer must:

Be an existing business for at least 12 months. Your employer must have a premise located and operating in South Australia for the past 12 months.
Have annual turnover of at least $4 million. Please note:
- start-up companies may be exempt from the annual turnover requirement
- businesses who operate in outer regional South Australia may be exempt from the annual turnover requirement
Be a business of good standing and there must be no adverse information about the business

Offshore applicants: In addition to meeting the general eligibility requirements above, you must:

Have demonstrated extensive experience, working in senior or executive level roles in highly skilled jobs, in: - Internationally renowned organisations, or
- Multinational companies with a presence in South Australia, or
- Have demonstrated specialised experience or niche skills that are highly desired in one of South Australia’s critical priority sectors

South Australia's Critical Priority Sectors

Priority will be given if your employer is a business in one of South Australia’s priority industry sectors or is an integral part of the supply chain supporting these priority sectors. Currently these sectors include:

Hi-Tech / Digital
Green Energy / Hydrogen
Defence, Space and Cyber Security
Advanced Manufacturing
Agribusiness
Creative Industries
Health and Life Sciences

How to register your interest

If you meet the eligibility guidelines for the Highly Skilled and Talented stream, you are encouraged to submit a Registration of Interest via the Skilled & Business Migration portal
After your Registration of Interest (ROI) is reviewed, you may receive an invitation to submit a General Skilled Migration (GSM) application for state nomination

Note: State nomination is a competitive process. There is no guarantee of receiving an invitation to apply for state nomination after lodging a Registration of Interest, even if you meet the eligibility guidelines. South Australia cannot indicate the likelihood of invitation or answer enquires on this matter.

6. Offshore Stream

Skilled migrants currently residing offshore, who have submitted an Expression of Interest using the Commonwealth Government’s SkillSelect system, may be selected by South Australia and invited to apply for state nomination.

If you are seeking to move to South Australia, the first step is to use SkillSelect to make an expression of interest (EOI), and select South Australia as your first preferred State or Territory to move to in Australia.

Once you submit your EOI, the South Australian Government can view your application and may decide to invite you to apply for state nomination for a Skilled Nominated (Permanent) visa (subclass 190) or Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (Subclass 491).

South Australia will be assessing candidates on merit by the following factors, within their nominated occupation:

Years and field of skilled employment
English language ability
EOI points

Please note:

If you are selected to apply for South Australian nomination, you will have 14 days to submit your application. Your application must demonstrate that you were eligible for the claims entered in your SkillSelect EOI at the time of invitation, so please ensure all the information in your SkillSelect EOI is up to date.
If you are an applicant in a priority nominated occupation, you may be selected to apply for the Skilled Nominated (Permanent) visa (subclass 190), which would allow you to live and work in South Australia indefinitely.
For South Australian state nomination, you must also meet the Department of Home Affairs visa requirements, state-specific occupation requirements and have skills in an occupation that is available on our Skilled Occupation List.
Other pathways available - If you are a highly skilled migrant currently living offshore, who can contribute your demonstrated talent and/or support innovation in South Australia, you may also directly register your interest in state nomination through our Highly Skilled and Talented stream.

General State Nomination Requirements

South Australia State nomination requirements vary depending on the visa pathway you are applying for, as well as your specific circumstances.

When you apply for state nomination in South Australia, you will need to meet a range of requirements prior to submitting your application. This includes providing documentation to support your application and prove your claims.

Requirements for Skilled Migrants

Skilled Migrants seeking a state nomination for a subclass 491 or 190 visa will need to:

Review South Australia’s Skilled Occupation List to ensure your occupation is available for state nomination and you meet the specific requirements for your occupation.
Review all requirements associated with your chosen visa pathway/stream. Please refer to: Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) and Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)
Prepare all required supporting documentation ready for your application. Please refer to the State Nomination Document Checklist for further information.
If applying for the Highly Skilled and Talented stream, you will need to submit a Registration of Interest application to Skilled & Business Migration.

Read here for more information relating to state nomination pathways and requirements for skilled migrants.

Requirements for International Graduates of South Australia

International Graduates of South Australia seeking a state nomination for a subclass 491 or 190 visa will need to:

Review South Australia’s Skilled Occupation List to ensure your occupation is available for state nomination and you meet the specific requirements for your occupation.
Review all requirements associated with your chosen visa pathway/stream. Please refer to: Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) and Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)
Review the requirements specific to South Australian Graduates to see if you are eligible for this nomination stream and whether you are able to access any waivers or concessions.
Prepare all required supporting documentation ready for your application. Please refer to the State Nomination Document Checklist for further information.

Read here for more information relating to state nomination pathways and requirements for international graduates.

Supporting Documentation Requirements

1. Passport

A copy of the biographical details page of your current valid passport. This page must include your photograph, name, date of birth and passport number.

This document is also required for your partner if you are including them in your application.

2. Skills Assessment

A positive and valid skills assessment, assessed by the relevant skills assessing authority for your nominated occupation. All pages of the skills assessment must be uploaded.

Note: For Medical Practitioners, General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers, you can provide evidence of your current full registration from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority (AHPRA) instead of a skills assessment.

3. English Language Test

A copy of your English language test certificate from one of the following providers:

Your English language test results must be less than three years old at the time of nomination application decision.

If you are a citizen or passport holder of the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand, you do not need to provide an English language test result unless you are claiming English points on your SkillSelect Expression of Interest (EOI).

4. Qualification(s)

A graduation certificate and/or academic transcript for:

any qualification relevant to your nominated occupation
any qualification(s) you are claiming points for in your SkillSelect Expression of Interest (EOI)

In addition to the above, for any qualification(s) completed in Australia, you will need to provide:

A copy of your academic transcript or a letter from your Education Provider confirming course completion, duration of the course and campus

⚠️ Qualifications achieved in-part, or solely through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), are generally not accepted.

If a qualification with RPL is used in support of your application, it will be considered on a case-by-case basis and there is no guarantee of a positive nomination outcome.

5. Work Experience

You will need to provide the following supporting documentation as evidence of your work experience.

5.1 Letters from Employers

Letter(s) from current and previous employer(s) confirming your:

job title
duties and tasks
salary, number of hours worked per week
employment duration and location
letter(s) must be on approved company letterhead and dated and signed by the relevant manager or the human resources section
the letter(s) must detail the name, position, email address and contact number of the relevant manager or the human resources section

⚠️ If your letter does not contain this information listed above your work experience claims may not be assessed leading to refusal decision.

Note: If your Australian employer is sub-contracting you to another business in South Australia, you will also need to provide a letter from the contracting business (where you are physically located in South Australia), which includes all of the information above.

5.2 Payslips

Upload the last three months of payslips for your current South Australian, interstate, or overseas work experience (not as individual documents)
Upload one document per employer
Upload all payslips in date order
If working for two or more employers simultaneously, fill in the work experience proforma (excel document must be saved and submitted to us in PDF format)

If you are applying under the Outer Regional South Australia stream:

Provide a letter of support from your employer outlining why you should be considered for state nomination

If you are applying under the Offshore stream:

Provide a copy of your curriculum vitae (CV)

If you are a 457, 482 or 494 visa holder with more than 12 months remaining on your visa:

Provide a letter from your current employer consenting to your state nomination application

If you are a self-employed applicant or sub-contractor, provide:

Invoices (showing debtor, hours worked and rate of pay) in date order for the work experience period required for your occupation
A copy of your annual tax return
A Notice of Assessment (if available) issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for each year of self-employment
Bank statements for the business in date order for the work experience period required for your occupation

6. Residing in South Australia

You will need to provide:

Bank statements in your name showing salary transactions and daily expenses for the work experience period required for your nominated occupation

and one of the following in your name:

Current lease agreement(s) with proof of rental payments
Utility bill for the past six months (for example, gas, electricity, water, or rates bill)
Current Vehicle Registration

Continuous Residency in South Australia

If you are a Long Term Resident of South Australia, you will need to provide evidence of continuous residency for the period required in South Australia.

You can provide a combination of any of the following documents to demonstrate continuous residency in South Australia over that period:

Residing in South Australia documents
Work experience documents
Qualification documents
Confirmation of Enrolment (COE) for courses
Visa grant notices

7. Registration of Interest (ROI) Applications

If you are submitting ROI application, under the Highly Skilled and Talented stream, you will need to provide:

A copy of your curriculum vitae (CV)
A copy of your current employment contract
A letter of job offer, if you are applying from onshore and have a job offer in South Australia or intend to relocate to the South Australian office of your current company

⚠️ Important:

Documents in above checklist must be provided with your application submission. Any documentation provided after submission (unless requested by Skilled & Business Migration) will not be accepted
Only upload one copy of each document in an acceptable document format and size
If you do not include a mandatory document(s), your application could be refused without any clarification being sought
Your uploaded documents must be scanned copies of the original documents and the Government of South Australia reserves the right to request hard copies of original documents at any time
All documents must be in English or translated into English by a qualified translator
You should only upload documents required for your application. Non-essential documents may delay processing

How to Apply ?

All applications for state nomination are submitted online through the Skilled & Business Migration portal.

1. Create an Account

Before you commence an application, you must first register an account. To create an account with Skilled & Business Migration, please visit the Skilled & Business Migration portal.

If you already have an account, you can login to commence your application.

2. Start your Application

Before you start an application, ensure you have reviewed and met all visa and state nomination requirements and prepared required documentation for your application to support your claims. 

Please refer to the criteria and documents required aligned to your chosen visa and situation.

For more information on requirements, please refer to the following website sections.

Skilled Migrants:

International Graduates of South Australia:

Once you are satisfied that you fulfil all visa and state nomination requirements, and have prepared all supporting documentation, you can proceed with your application via the Skilled & Business Migration portal.

Processing Times

Processing times for state nomination, endorsement and Regional Certifying Body advice applications with Skilled & Business Migration vary across visa types and application requirements.

Skilled & Business Migration make every effort to process applications as quickly as possible. To ensure a smooth application process, you will need to have all information and documentation prepared when you submit your application.

Please be aware that some services relating to Skilled & Business Migration’s nomination and assessment process may be impacted by COVID-19. However, the current average processing times are as follows:

Skilled Nominated (Permanent) visa (Subclass 190): 2-8 weeks
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (Subclass 491): 2-8 weeks
Highly Skilled and Talented stream: There are no processing times available for Registration of Interest (ROI) applications submitted under this stream.
Employer sponsored & DAMA: 2-4 weeks

Application Outcomes 

Skilled & Business Migration will notify you or the authorised recipient by email once a decision has been reached.

For information on Department of Home Affairs visa processing times please refer directly to their website.

Application Fees

Application fees vary depending on the type of application you are making. Please see below for a guide to costs for all state nomination and endorsement applications.

Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) $343
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) $343

Useful Resources

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Does State Nomination guarantee a visa grant ?

State nomination does not guarantee a visa grant and you must also meet all of Department of Home Affairs visa requirements.

Once you have been nominated and received your visa invitation from Department of Home Affairs, Skilled & Business Migration has no further involvement in the visa application process. All queries about the visa application process, need to be directed to Department of Home Affairs.

Q: Will volunteer work experience be considered as meeting South Australian Skilled & Business Migration's skilled work experience requirement?

Volunteer work experience isn’t considered to be skilled work experience. It must be paid skilled work experience.

Q: Can I appeal a refused General Skilled Migration state nomination decision on my application?

If you can demonstrate that an administrative error has been made, Skilled & Business Migration may review your application.

Inadequate documentation, not meeting state nomination requirements, unclear information, typing errors or inadvertent omission of information/document(s), are not reasons to review a decision to refuse. Please refer to the application terms and conditions.

To notify of an administrative error, submit an online enquiry via the Skilled & Business Migration portal within 14 calendar days of the refusal notification. Include your name, GSM reference number and the reasons you believe an error has occurred.

Q: I am a state nominated provisional subclass 489 visa holder, can you tell me how to apply for permanent residency?

If you are a 489 visa holder, you can apply for a permanent visa - Skilled Regional visa (subclass 887) once you have met the Department of Home Affairs requirements. Further information can be found on the Department of Home Affairs website.

Q: I am a state nominated provisional subclass 491 visa holder, can you tell me how to apply for permanent residency?

If you are a 491 visa holder, you can apply for a permanent visa – Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191) once you have met the Department of Home Affairs’ requirements. Further information can be found on the Department of Home Affairs website.

Q: How do I change my Registration of Interest (ROI) application details?

Once you have submitted an ROI, you cannot edit your application. If you want to change the details in the ROI, please send an online enquiry requesting to withdraw your ROI application then re-submit.

There is no application fee for an ROI.

Q: My current 485 visa is due to expire but I haven’t heard back on the status of my state nomination?

If you are currently in South Australia and your 485 visa is about to expire and you have not received an outcome of your state nomination application, you will need to submit an online enquiry through the Skilled & Business Migration portal and provide at least 10 business days’ notice for your application to be flagged for special consideration. It is important to note that Skilled & Business Migration does not guarantee faster processing.

Due to a high volume of requests, Skilled & Business Migration cannot offer priority processing to other Australian visa holders.

Q: I am working in South Australia, and I will turn 45 years of age before I can satisfy the minimum work experience requirement.

If you are working in South Australia and you will turn 45 years of age before you can satisfy the minimum work experience requirements, you may still apply for state nomination and send an online enquiry to request priority processing.

Please provide a statement outlining your situation for consideration during assessment. This does not guarantee nomination, each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Q: What is the definition of a related occupation ?

A related occupation is defined as being in the same Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) Sub Major Group of your nominated occupation. That is, to the first two digits of the occupation’s ANZSCO Code.

Q: I hold an employer sponsored visa and work in South Australia. Can I apply?

Yes, you can, however, if you have more than 12 months remaining on your visa, you must provide a letter from your current employer consenting to state nomination application.

If you are unable to provide a letter of support the application will be considered on a case-by-case basis

Q: How do I know if my work experience is Skill Level 1, 2 or 3?

To determine the skill level of your work experience, you may wish to refer to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations website.

Q: What type of work qualifies under Skill Level 4 Carer and Aid occupations?

Acceptable work includes aged and disability care workers, personal care workers, social support workers, community support workers, welfare support workers, disability support workers.

Physical care (showering, bathing, manual handling, and dressing assistance)
Clinical care (redressing wounds, helping with light physiotherapy exercises or assisting with mobility instruments, medication management, working under the direction of medical staff, use of food assistance technology/feeding tubes
Day to day care (transport to appointments, attending social outings, collecting prescriptions, shopping, basic preparation of meals and drinks, tidying and household chores). Day-to-day care is acceptable if undertaken in combination with physical and clinical care. · Refer to ANZSCO definition for aged and disability carers for more detail on acceptable tasks.

Q: Can I combine work experience from multiple employers to meet the hours of work experience requirement?

Yes. You can combine work experience from multiple employers to make up the hours required for your nominated occupation; however, all work experience must be paid and meet the skilled level for your occupation.

Q: I want to apply under the Long-Term Residents stream and am currently working in a nominated/related occupation. Can I apply under the Long-Term Residents stream?

No. If you are currently working in your nominated occupation, you cannot apply under the Long-Term Residents stream. You will need to see whether you meet the requirements for other streams offered for South Australian State Nomination.

Q: Do I need to create a new Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect for this program year?

No, you will not need to create a new EOI in SkillSelect. Please ensure your EOI is up to date and reflects your current situation.

Q: I am living and working in South Australia, but my employer is interstate. Am I eligible to apply?

Your employer must have a physical presence in South Australia. Working for an interstate employer is not regarded as eligible work experience to meet the work experience requirements.

Q: Does the salary threshold specified for South Australian State Nomination include superannuation contributions?

No. The salary threshold excludes mandatory employer superannuation contributions.

Q: I am a PhD student working for a university and receiving a scholarship or stipend. Can I claim it as part of my work experience to apply for State Nomination?

No. A scholarship or stipend will not be considered as eligible skilled work experience for State Nomination.

Q: What visa pathways are available to international graduates in South Australia?

A complete visa pathways guide is available here. The following pathways are available:

👋 Are you looking for help with your 🇦🇺 491/190 State Nomination application ?

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