Western Australia’s state nomination program - Do interstate applicants actually stand a chance?
Western Australia’s 2024-25 State Nominated Migration Program opened to much fanfare in July 2024, being one of the first states and territories in Australia to commence considering nominating onshore and offshore candidates for the Skilled Nominated (Subclass 190) Visa and the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (Subclass 491) Visa and announcing its increased allocation of 5,000 state nominated migration places for the 2024-25 program year.
In particular, while most states and territories in Australia are expressly excluding interstate applicants from meeting its eligibility criteria for state or terriotry nomination (e.g. by requiring that all onshore applicants have been residing in the relevant state or territory for a minimum period of time), Western Australia has taken a “friendlier” approach towards interstate applicants who are living in other states and territories in Australia, inviting both offshore and interstate applicants to submit Expressions of Interest (EOI) to be considered in its 2024-25 State Nominated Migration Program.
Results of Western Australia’s first two invitation rounds
Nonetheless, and true to its ranking system as published on Western Australia’s website, it is clear from Western Australia’s first two invitation rounds (conducted in August 2024 and September 2024), that Western Australia continues to prioritise candidates who are already residing in Western Australia.
Invitation round data published by the Western Australian Government for the August 2024 and September 2024 invitation rounds indicates that invitations to apply for nomination have been primarily issued to Western Australian residents in various occupations who have scored at least 80 points and higher depending on the nominated occupation.
This suggests that while Western Australia is open to nominating interstate and offshore candidates for the Subclass 190 Visa and Subclass 491 Visa programs, it may in fact be difficult for persons residing outside of Western Australia to secure state nomination from the Western Australia Government due to them being ranked lower than WA residents, even if they are nominating an occupation prescribed as a “priority occupation” in Western Australia.
So how can interstate applicants maximise their chances of being nominated by the Western Australian Government?
Offshore and interstate applicants in priority occupations are still encouraged to pursue their Expressions of Interest to the Western Australian Government as they may still have a decent chance of being invited to apply for nomination in future invitation rounds of Western Australia’s 2024-25 State Nominated Program, depending on the competition that they are facing in the relevant invitation round.
On the other hand, interstate applicants, especially those who may not otherwise be prioritised or eligible for state nomination in the current state or territory of residence, may wish to consider obtaining skilled employment in their nominated occupation in Western Australia, and accordingly relocate to Western Australia, so that they may be ranked higher in future invitation rounds.
What other options do interstate and offshore applicants have?
All persons who have lodged an Expression of Interest (EOI) and/or Registration of Interest (ROI) with any state or territory government for the Subclass 190 or Subclass 491 Visa Program are otherwise reminded that there is ultimately no guarantee that they will be nominated for a Subclass 190 Visa or Subclass 491 Visa within any particular timeframe.
They should therefore also consider any employer-sponsored visa options they may have, such as under the Temporary Skill Shortage (Subclass 482) Visa Program or the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Subclass 494) Visa Program, as this may provide a more certain pathway to permanent residence.
Should you wish to discuss your eligibility for a Subclass 190 Visa, Subclass 491 Visa, Subclass 482 Visa or Subclass 494 Visa, please email info@inclusivemigration.com.au or submit an enquiry using the contact form on our website.
