A Complete Guide to the Western Australia State Nominated Migration Program (SNMP)

Why choose Western Australia ?

Western Australia has a population of just over 2 million people and is the largest in area of the 8 Australian states and territories.
Western Australia is safe, stable and strong, and regarded as one of the world’s most beautiful and popular destinations. It is the leading economy in Australia accounting for half of the nation’s total exports with an unemployment rate of just 3.2% (July 2022).
The Government of Western Australia is looking for skilled workers to fill jobs in demand across industry sectors including health care, building and construction, teaching, hospitality and tourism, manufacturing and mining.
Western Australia offers the world a unique set of strengths and capabilities, from abundant resources, to a highly skilled workforce and excellent research and educational institutions.
Western Australia’s capital city, Perth, is a safe, clean and vibrant city, consistently ranked amongst the world’s top 10 most livable cities.

What is the Western Australia State Nominated Migration Program (SNMP) ?

The Western Australia State Nomination Migration Program allows skilled people in high demand occupations and their families to migrate to Western Australia.

The Governmnt of Western Australia provides State Nomination for the Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190) and the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 491).

To be eligible for Western Australia nomination you must meet both the Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs) criteria for the nominated visa and the Western Australia criteria for State nomination.

WA Migration Services processes nominations on behalf of the State Government. If you are nominated by WA Migration Services, you are given an automatic invitation to apply for the intended visa from the Department of Home Affairs.

What are the benefits of State Nomination ?

The Western Australia State Nomination provides the following benefits:

An opportunity to live and work in Western Australia;
Access to a more extensive and tailored skilled occupation list;
Priority visa processing with the Department of Home Affairs; and
Extra 5 points for the 190 visa application or extra 15 points for 491 visa application

What is the minimum criteria for State Nomination ?

To be able to apply for Western Australia State Nomination, applicants must be able to meet the following criteria:

meet the Department of Home Affairs minimum points test (currently 65 points)
have an occupation listed on the Western Australia Skilled Migration Occupation List (WASMOL) or the Graduate Occupaton List (GOL)
have atleast 6 months full time employment secured in Western Australia if the nominated occupation is on the WASMOL or meet the two years WA study requirement if the nominated occupation is on the GOL
meet the required English language levels.

The process and requirements are described in detail further in the guide.

Please note that State Nomination is a competitive process and not all application meeting the minimum threshold will receive a State Nomination invite.

What is the overall process to apply for WA State Nomination ?

The complete 3 step process to apply for WA State Nomination is described further:

Step 1: Submit Expression of Interest (EOI) in the Department of Home Affairs SkillSelect database

Your EOI must:

Indicate that you are younger than 45 years of age.
Show that you meet the English language requirements (table provided in this guide). If you have a passport from the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, the United States of America or Ireland, you are not required to sit an English exam to be eligible for Western Australian State nomination.
indicate that you are seeking nomination from Western Australia; or any State or Territory.
Score at least 65 points in the Department of Home Affairs points test. This includes the points for State nomination which are automatically included in your EOI (5 points for subclass 190 visa and 15 points for the subclass 491 visa).
Have evidence of a skills assessment suitable for permanent migration in your nominated occupation. See the Home Affairs website for more information on skills assessments and skills assessing authorities.
Have a nominated occupation that is available for your intended visa subclass on the Western Australian Skilled Migration Occupation List schedule 1 or 2 (WASMOL) for the general stream; or the Graduate Occupation List (GOL) for the graduate stream.
If you are using the graduate stream, the details of your Western Australian study, including the address and postcode of the Western Australian campus of the educational institution must be included in your EOI. You should list your highest level Western Australian qualification first in your EOI. Visit the Graduate stream requirements page for more information.

Step 2: WA Migration Services reviews EOIs in SkillSelect and invites eligible applicants to apply for State Nomination based on a ranking system.

The EOI ranking system is described further in this guide. You can also visit the invitation rounds page for more information on the ranking criteria for invitations.

If you are invited to apply, you will receive an email with a link to the State nomination application form. You have up to 28 days to complete the application.

To be approved, your application must meet the State nomination criteria, which includes additional requirements depending on your intended stream. Visit the General stream WASMOL schedule 1 requirements page or General stream WASMOL schedule 2 requirements page or Graduate stream requirements page for further information.

You will need to provide documents to show you meet all the State nomination criteria and any documents submitted should be high quality copies of the original. Once you submit your application, you may be asked to provide further information by email.

Please note

WA Migration Services does not charge any application fees to apply for WA State nomination.
it is important that all information in your EOI is accurate and not misleading. If you are invited to apply for WA State nomination and subsequently it is found that misleading or false information was submitted in your EOI, your State nomination application may be declined.
if your EOI is amended during the application process, resulting in a reduction of your points score and/or ranking, evidence must be provided to substantiate the points claimed in your EOI.

Please check the accuracy of the information entered in your EOI on SkillSelect.

Step 3: If your application is successful, WA Migration Services nominates you in SkillSelect and you automatically receive an invitation from the Department of Home Affairs to lodge your visa application.

All successful applicants are required to:

comply with border rules that apply at the time, if they are moving to WA;
register their arrival with WA Migration Services;
live and work in Western Australia for two years upon arrival; and
complete a settlement survey every six months for this two year period.

Some occupations need licensing or registration before you are able to work in Western Australia.

A positive Skills Assessment and State nomination do not guarantee that you will meet the requirements of the relevant licensing or registration authority. You should check the requirements for your nominated occupation before applying for State nomination.

How do Invitation Rounds work ?

Invitations are anticipated to be issued in the third week of each month. The number of invitations issued each month may vary depending on the number of applications being processed by WA Migration Services.

Selection Process

On a monthly basis a set number of EOIs are selected from SkillSelect to receive an invitation to apply for State nomination. If you are invited, WA Migration Services will contact you via email with a link to the State nomination application form.

Ranking system

EOIs for applicants eligible for the General stream will be ranked in accordance with the list below:

currently residing in Western Australia
currently residing in another Australian state or territory
currently residing offshore
highest EOI points score
oldest EOI submission date

EOIs for applicants eligible for the Graduate stream will be ranked in accordance with the table below

Higher education graduates	Vocational Education and Training (VET) Graduates
Currently residing in Western Australia	Currently residing in Western Australia
Currently residing in another Australian state or territory	Currently residing in another Australian state or territory
Currently residing offshore	Currently residing offshore
Completed a PhD or Masters qualification in Western Australia	Completed a VET qualification at Advanced Diploma level in Western Australia
Completed a Honours degree or other higher degree in Western Australia	Completed a VET qualification at Diploma level in Western Australia
Completed a Bachelor degree in Western Australia	Completed a VET qualification at Certificate IV level in Western Australia
Highest EOI points score	Completed a VET qualification at Certificate III level in Western Australia
Oldest EOI submission date	Highest EOI points score
-	Oldest EOI submission date

Please note:

If you are eligible for an invitation through multiple streams, you will receive an invitation for each stream you are eligible for. However, you will only be able to lodge one application for State nomination through your chosen stream.
If multiple EOIs are ranked at the same level, invitations will be issued based on the EOI submission date.
If your EOI indicates you are seeking State nomination for both the subclass 190 and subclass 491 visa, you will generally be invited for the subclass 491 visa in the first instance. This is because you will generally have a higher EOI points score for this visa.

Eligibility and future invitations

Having an eligible EOI does not guarantee you will receive an invitation for State nomination. To receive an invitation in a future round please ensure that your EOI meets all requirements as outlined above, plus any additional State nomination criteria.

Please ensure that your nominated occupation is currently available on the WA State Nomination - Combined occupation list.

Please note:

up to 75% of SNMP graduate stream nominations will be made for higher education graduates and
up to 25% of SNMP graduate stream nominations will be made for VET graduates.

What happens if I receive an Invitation ?

If you receive an invitation to apply for State Nomination from Government of Western Australia:

the application for State Nomination can now be submitted to Western Australia Migration Services.
successful applicants are nominated by the Government of Western Australia in SkillSelect.
the Department of Home Affairs then invites the intending visa applicant to apply for the relevant visa.

What occupations are available on the WASMOL and GOL ?

Occupations available across all WA State Nomination streams (WASMOL schedule 1 and 2, and GOL) are now listed together for easy reference in the WA State Nominated Combined Occupation List.

The WASMOL Schedule currently includes 89 occupations, WASMOL Schedule 2 includes 188 occupations and the GOL includes 331 occupations.

The complete and up to date list can be viewed here.

What are the English Language Requirements for State Nomination ?

You must meet the English language requirements shown in table below in all four components in a single Department of Home Affairs approved English test.

If you have a passport from the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, the United States of America or Ireland, you don't need to sit an English test to be eligible for Western Australian State nomination.

Bands	Listening	Reading	Writing	Speaking
International English Language Testing System (IELTS)	6	6	6	6
Occupational English Test (OET)	B	B	B	B
Test of English as a foreign language internet based test (TOEFL-IBT)	12	13	21	18
Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic)	50	50	50	50
Cambridge C1 Advanced	169	169	169	169

What are the available State Nomination Streams ?

You can be nominated through the General (WASMOL Schedule 1 or 2) or Graduate streams as described further.

General Stream WASMOL Schedule 1 - You can apply under this stream if your occupation is listed as eligible on the WASMOL Schedule 1 for the intended visa subclass, and you can meet the additional requirements.
General Stream WASMOL Schedule 2 - You can apply under this stream if your occupation is listed as eligible on the WASMOL Schedule 2 for the intended visa subclass, and you can meet the additional requirements.
Graduate Stream - You can apply under this stream if you gained a Certificate III or higher level qualification in Western Australia and your occupation is listed as eligible on the Graduate Occupation List (GOL) for the intended visa subclass and you can meet the additional requirements.

What are the overall stream requirements for subclass 190 State Nomination ?

The 190 visa allows you to permanently live and work in all areas of Western Australia. See table below for the overall stream requirements:

	General Stream WASMOL Schedule 1	General Stream WASMOL Schedule 2	Graduate Stream
Meet Department of Home Affairs eligibility requirements for the intended visa subclass	Y	Y	Y
Nominated occupation is available on the relevant list	WA skilled migration occupation list (WASMOL) schedule 1	WA skilled migration occupation list (WASMOL) schedule 2	Graduate occupation list (GOL)
Meet minimum English requirements	Y	Y	Y
Work experience	At least one year Australian or one year of overseas work experience in nominated (or closely related) occupation	N	N
Contract of employment	Full time employment contract in WA for a minimum of six months in the nominated (or closely related) occupation.	Full time employment contract in WA for a minimum of six months in the nominated (or closely related) occupation.	N
Have a Certificate III level or higher level qualification from an accredited WA educational institution	N	N	Y
Meet the two years WA study requirement	N	N	Y

What are the overall stream requirements for subclass 491 State Nomination ?

The 491 visa is a five year provisional visa for skilled workers.

This visa allows you to live in regional Australia. Currently all of WA is considered regional.

See table below for the overall stream requirements:

	General Stream WASMOL Schedule 1	General Stream WASMOL Schedule 2	Graduate Stream
Meet Department of Home Affairs eligibility requirements for the intended visa subclass	Y	Y	Y
Nominated occupation is available on the relevant list	WA skilled migration occupation list (WASMOL) schedule 1	WA skilled migration occupation list (WASMOL) schedule 2	Graduate occupation list (GOL)
Meet minimum English requirements	Y	Y	Y
Work experience	At least one year Australian or one year of overseas work experience in nominated (or closely related) occupation	N	N
Contract of employment	N	N	N
Have a Certificate III level or higher level qualification from an accredited WA educational institution	N	N	Y
Meet the two years WA study requirement	N	N	Y

If you are eligible for an invitation through multiple streams, you will receive an invitation for each stream you are eligible for. However, you will only be able to lodge one application for State nomination through your chosen stream.

What are the specific requirements for the Contract of Empoyment for subclass 190 visa State Nomination?

You must have a contract of employment in your nominated (or closely related) occupation for full time employment in WA, for at least 6 months from the date of your application for State nomination.

Full time employment is defined as an average of at least 35 hours work per week. You are able to provide two contracts of employment to make up the 35 hours.

The contract must include:

full names of both the employer and the employee
contract start and end date (if permanent, only start date is required). The start date must be within three months of your application
job title and related ANZSCO code
job description
terms and conditions of employment (such as salary, hours of work, leave entitlements and superannuation) which must be no less favourable than those that would apply to an Australian citizen or permanent resident doing equivalent work. If your contract does not describe your terms and conditions of employment, you can provide the Enterprise Agreement or industrial Award for your occupation
location of employment
a statement that work specified in the employment contract must be performed by the employee and not contracted out to a third party
signed and dated by the employer and the employee and
must be drafted by the employer and not by the employee

You will need to provide a copy of your contract as part of the State nomination application and it must be provided as one document.

The nominating authority will also assess whether:

an appropriate salary will be paid for the specified occupation, based on market salary rates
the business employing you is genuine and operating in the location specified and
as the employee, you will bear no financial risk and be provided with the relevant tools and equipment to successfully undertake the tasks required

Note for Independent Contractors and Self-employed

Employment contracts submitted by an independent contractor or for self-employment do not meet the above requirements and are not suitable to apply for WA State nomination.

Employment contracts submitted by a sole trader will be considered in the following circumstances only:

if the sole trader is not the stated applicant of the State nomination application and
if the employment contract meets all the above requirements.

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