The Federal Government retains ultimate responsibility for Australia's migration program, including the allocation of available places across program streams and making decisions on visa applications.
Under agreement with the Federal Government, state and territory governments can nominate a limited number of applicants in a limited number of skilled, business and investor visa subclasses.
About NSW nomination
NSW nomination for this visa allows skilled migrants to live, work and study indesignated regional areasof NSW for a period of 5 years.
There are two pathways to NSW nomination for this visa:
- Pathway 1– Apply directly to a Regional Development Australia (RDA) office
- Pathway 2– Be invited to apply by Investment NSW
There are two nomination streams under Pathway 1, these are:
- Stream A– Established work history with a regional NSW-based employer
- Stream B– My skills are required in regional NSW
See ourCommon questions about skilled visaspage for answers to a full list of our most commonly received questions.
Nomination criteria
To be eligible for NSW nomination, you must meetalleligibility requirements outlined byHome Affairsfor this visa. This includes being skilled in an eligible occupation.
Additionally, you must also meet all eligibility for the nomination pathway and/or stream you are seeking nomination. These are outlined below.
Note: You are not eligible for NSW nomination for this visa if you have previously been nominated by NSW for any visa.
Pathway 1 – Apply directly to a Regional Development Australia (RDA) office
The nomination criteria for each nomination stream include:
Stream A – Established work history with a regional NSW-based employer
To apply under this stream, you must be currently living and working in a designated regional area of NSW, and have continuously done so for the past 12 months.
Your qualifying skilled employment in the twelve months immediately before applying must be:
In your nominated (or closely related) occupation; and
With the same regional NSW-based employer; and
Deemed skilled by NSW; and
Paid a minimum of the TSMIT salary level of $53,900 (prorated if under 38 hours per week) from your qualifying employer in your nominated (or closely related) occupation
Your nominated occupation must be eligible for the Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491).
See ourCommon questions about skilled visaspage for further information about eligibility under this stream.
Stream B – My skilled are required in regional NSW
To be eligible to apply under this stream, you must:
Be skilled in an occupation that is:
within an ANZSCO unit group identified on theStream Bskills list, and
is eligible for the visa
Be currently residing in NSW,oroffshore, and have continuously done so for a minimum period ofthreemonths
Pathway 2 – Be invited to apply by Investment NSW
To be considered for NSW nomination under Pathway 2 you must:
Be skilled in an occupation that is:
within an ANZSCO unit group identified on thePathway 2skills list, and
is eligible for the visa
Be currently residing in NSW, or offshore, and have continuously done so for a minimum period of three months
Have submitted an EOI in SkillSelect seeking nomination for the Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491) onlyandNSW only
Previously published points scores and work experience guides for the Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491) have been removed for this visa due to increased availability of the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) by Home Affairs.
Pathway 2 invitation rounds
Invitation rounds occur ongoing throughout the financial year. There are no set dates, and rounds are not announced beforehand.
We cannot advise the date of upcoming NSW invitation rounds or the likelihood your SkillSelect EOI will be invited by contacting our office.
Meeting the minimum nomination criteria outlined above in no way guarantees you will be invited to apply for NSW nomination.
Because being invited to apply is competitive, we strongly encourage anyone seeking NSW nomination to explore all other migration pathways and do not wait to be invited by NSW.
If you are invited to apply for nomination, you must provide evidence for all claims in your SkillSelect EOI on the day you were invited to apply. If you have claimed points/employment in your SkillSelect EOI that you cannot provide evidence for, you cannot accept your invitation.
Nomination process
How to apply or be considered for NSW nomination is different for each nomination pathway:
Pathway 1– Apply directly to a Regional Development Australia (RDA) office
To apply directly for NSW nomination under Pathway 1 you must:
- Confirm you are eligible for this visa with Home Affairs
- Confirm you meet all eligibility requirements for your chosen nomination stream outlined above
- Complete an EOI in SkillSelect ensuring that all information is accurate and that your EOI is seeking nomination for the Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) only and NSW only
- Complete your application fee payment directly with theRDA office in your chosen nominating region
- Apply for NSW nomination using our online application form
- Wait up to eight weeks for your application outcome
Pathway 2– Be invited to apply by Investment NSW
To be considered for NSW nomination under Pathway 2 you must:
- Confirm you are eligible for this visawith Home Affairs
- Confirm you meet all pathway eligibility requirements outlined above
- Complete an EOI in SkillSelect ensuring that all information is accurateand that your EOI is seeking nomination for the Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) only and NSW only
- Wait to be invited to apply – because of the high demand for NSW nomination, most migrants seeking nomination will unfortunately not be invited
- If invited, apply for NSW nomination directly to Investment NSW using the link provided to you by email
- Wait up to six weeks for your application outcome
Common reasons applications are declined
Common reasons why applications are declined include where an applicant:
Overclaimed skilled employment
For the purpose of NSW nomination, you may only claim employment that is:
- after the date you have been deemed skilled by your skills assessor (if applicable), or
- after the date you have completed your qualifying study
If you claim employment in your SkillSelect EOI before the date you are deemed skilled in your occupation, you are not eligible to apply for NSW nomination if invited.There are no exceptions for any reason.
Does not meet the residency requirement
You must be currently residing in NSW, or offshore, and have done so for a minimum period ofthreemonths to be eligible for NSW nomination.
Could not provide evidence for all claims in EOI
It is the responsibility of the EOI owner to ensure they can provide evidence for all the claims in their SkillSelect EOI. This includes:
- Claiming points for skilled employment before the date you are deemed skilled in your occupation (see below)
- Claiming credentialled community language points when your qualification has expired. Your CCL certificate must be valid on the day you are invited to apply by NSW to claim these points
Important information about providing false documents
NSW nominates applicants for the Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491) to support its regional economies and communities through the settlement of highly skilled migrants who are committed to living and working in regional NSW long term.
Providing falsified or misleading information to NSW in support of your claims against our nomination criteria is taken very seriously.
Any instances offraudulent activity will be reported to Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs and/or NSW Police and may result in any nomination being withdrawn and/or visa cancelled.
Alternative migration pathways
NSW nomination for the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) is just one ofa number ofvisa options for prospective skilled migrants.
There are a range of visas offered byHome Affairs, including both temporary and permanent employer nominated visas.You may also wish to seek advice from a registered migration agent.