To be granted certain skilled migration visas to live and work in Western Australia, you must be nominated (invited) by an Australian state or territory through the State Nominated Migration Program.
WA Migration Services, on behalf of the WA State Government, provides WA State nomination to eligible applicants for two visa subclasses, which gives you extra points on the Department of Home Affairs points test:
- the Skilled nominated visa (subclass 190) — an extra five points; or
- the Skilled work regional (provisional) visa (subclass 491) — an extra 15 points.
Features of the 2023—24 program
- no application fee;
- equal invitation ranking for Interstate and Overseas candidates;
- prioritised invitations for candidates with an occupation in a WA industry sector with critical demand for skilled workers; and
- reduced employment requirements for candidates invited through a WA building and construction industry sector occupation (as classified on the WA State nomination Occupation lists).
2023-24 Eligibility requirements
If you would like to be considered for an invitation for State nomination, your occupation will need to be eligible under the following streams.
- General stream — A skilled migration pathway for a range of occupations and industry categories. Eligible occupations are listed on the WA Skilled migration occupation list (WASMOL) Schedule 1 or 2.
- Graduate stream — A skilled migration pathway for eligible international students who are completing vocational education and training (VET) or higher education qualifications in WA. Eligible occupations are listed on the Graduate occupation list (GOL).
These occupation lists identify occupations that are considered a priority for WA and are therefore eligible for skilled migrants through State nomination.
Please note that the occupations identified in these streams, as detailed in the WASMOL and the GOL, do not relate to any specific job vacancies nor represent any guarantee of a job. Both lists are updated from time to time, in line with WA industry and workforce needs.
How to apply for 2023-24 WA State nomination
Please note that to be eligible for an invitation in the WA State Nominated Migration Program, you must meet both:
- the Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs) criteria for the nominated visa, and
- the WA criteria for State nomination(PDF document – opens in a new tab)
Before starting your application, you will need to check whether your occupation is available on either the WA Skilled migration occupation list (WASMOL) Schedule 1 or 2, or the Graduate occupation list.
Current processing time for applications is 28 working days.
2023-24 Eligible occupations
Here you can check whether your occupation is listed and eligible for your intended visa subclass and stream.
For the purpose of WA State nomination, occupations have been classified into ‘WA Industry sectors’.
2023-24 Invitation rounds
Invitations for WA State nomination are anticipated to be issued each month. The number of invitations issued each month may vary depending on the number of applications being processed by WA Migration Services. If you are invited, WA Migration Services will contact you via email with a link to the State nomination application form.
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 nominated occupation is currently available on the Eligible occupations list; and
- your EOI meets all requirements outlined in the How to apply for WA State nomination section.
Please note that WA Migration Services does not provide feedback on individual EOIs that have not received an invitation.
Ranking system
EOIs are selected based on the following ranking system.
General stream EOI
Candidates eligible for the General stream will be ranked in accordance with the following.
- currently residing in Western Australia
- currently residing offshore or in another Australian state or territory
- occupations in priority WA Industry sectors (in no particular order):
- building and construction;
- healthcare and social assistance;
- hospitality and tourism; and
- education and training.
- occupations in all other WA industry sectors
- highest EOI points score
- oldest EOI submission date
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.
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.
Source : https://migration.wa.gov.au/our-services-support/state-nominated-migration-program#2023-24-stream-specific-requirements
