Western Australia's State Nomination Program 2024-2025

In this blog, we will discuss WA nomination criteria for both visa subclass 190 and 491. WA has received a total of 5000 seats, 3000 seats for the 190 visa and 2000 seats for the 491 visa.

Some of the features for the 2023-2024 financial year are:

• 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;
• Reduced employment requirements for candidates invited through a WA building and construction industry sector occupation; and
• Additional employment contract arrangements for General Stream: WASMOL Schedule 1.

Ranking System:

EOIs are selected based on the following ranking system for the General stream:

• 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

Invitations will be issued to those with the highest ranking expression of interest, which includes ranking based on the highest points score. If you are eligible for an invitation for both visa subclasses, you generally receive an invitation for the subclass 491 visa first, as you receive more points for State nomination for this visa.

If you are someone who has received a nomination from Western Australia and wishes to relocate to another State, Western Australia has advised that State-nominated visa holders who intend to relocate to another state or territory should email WA Migration Services. You are required to complete and return a short questionnaire stating your reasons for leaving Western Australia. Following relocation, you are required to advise WA Migration Services of your new contact details so that you can continue to be included in their post-arrival survey.

If you are someone who has lodged a visa in the past and the visa application has been refused, WA Migration Services may consider re-inviting applicants for WA State nomination. To be eligible for a WA nomination, you must meet the Australian Department of Home Affairs and WA nomination criteria for your chosen visa category.

The Home Affairs criteria require you to:

• Have a points-test result of 65 or higher, inclusive of state nomination points;
• Have a positive skills assessment in your nominated occupation;
• Be under 45 years of age;
• Meet the minimum English language requirement of Competent, unless a higher level is required by your assessing authority.

Western Australia has 2 streams for the Nomination program in 2024-2025:

General stream:?Eligible occupations listed on the WA Skilled Migration Occupation List (WASMOL) Schedule 1 or 2.

To be eligible to apply under the General Stream for Schedule 1:

• Your nominated occupation must be on the Schedule 1 occupation list.
• Your skills assessment must match the nominated occupation.
• You must have:
• At least one year of Australian work experience in the nominated (or closely related) occupation over the last 10 years; or
• At least one year of overseas work experience in the nominated (or closely related) occupation over the last 10 years.
• You can only count work experience gained after you received your qualification, in paid employment, where you have worked at least 20 hours per week.
• You must have a contract of employment in your nominated (or closely related) occupation for full-time employment in Western Australia, for at least six 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 of employment requirement is not applicable to visa 491 applicants.

To be eligible to apply under the General Stream for Schedule 2:

• Your nominated occupation must be on the Schedule 2 occupation list.
• Your skills assessment must match the nominated occupation.
• You must have a contract of employment in your nominated (or closely related) occupation for full-time employment in Western Australia, for at least six 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 of employment requirement is not applicable to visa 491 applicants or applicants who were invited through a WA building and construction industry sector occupation.

Graduate Stream Requirements:

Your nominated occupation must be on the Graduate Stream occupation list and your skills assessment must match the nominated occupation. You will need to have gained at least one of the following qualifications from a WA educational institution that meets the accreditation requirements at the time of your study:

• A university or higher education qualification:
• A PhD or Masters degree;
• Higher degree (Bachelor Honours Degree, Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma); or
• Bachelor.
• And/or a vocational education and training (VET) qualification at a Certificate III level or above.

You can use study from different WA qualifications to make up the two-year study requirement component. Study gained through an English language program can be used to meet the study requirement if you have also gained at least one of the qualifications listed above. The contract of employment requirement is not applicable for the Graduate Stream.

If you are someone in Australia or overseas and would like to be considered for Western Australia’s State Nomination program this financial year, please book a consultation with us.

WA State Nominated Migration Program 2024-25 Eligible Occupations

Disclaimer:

The information shared by Nationwide Migration and Education on social media and blogs is for general informational purposes only. (The information is accurate at the time of publication but may be subject to change.) It is not legal or immigration advice and should not be relied upon as such.

If you need immigration advice specific to your circumstances,?please book a consultation with our Registered Migration Agent.