Australian Capital Territory (ACT) State Sponsored Migration Plan Released
Introduction:
On 05 November 2010, ACT released its State Migration Plan under which skilled migrants to Australia can apply for Australian permanent residence with state sponsorship.
Sponsorship applications for ACT state sponsorship will be accepted from 05 November 2010.
Revised eligibility lists for occupation under which ACT state sponsorship may by granted have now been released forAustralian visa subclass categories -
- Subclass 176,
- Subclass 886
It is advised that applications can take up to 60 days to be approved.
Eligibility:
International Students Applying for Subclass Visa 886
The Subclass 886 Skilled Sponsored Residence Visa, you will need to meet the following requirements to be considered under the ACT State Migration plan and sponsorship;
- have completed a recognized course of study in Australia;
- hold an appropriate temporary visa; either a Subclass 476 (Skilled - Recognized Graduate) visa or
A Subclass 485 (Skilled - Graduate) visa; or bridging visa granted in association with a valid Subclass 886 (Skilled - Sponsored Residence) visa
- meet the relevant English ability level of 7.0* minimum (**conditions apply) or above and work experience criteria;
- are resident and working full time in Canberra;
- have a successful skills assessment in your nominated occupation;
- have a demonstrated commitment to living and working in Canberra for at least two years from the date your Australian permanent residence visa is granted; and
- Meet all visa requirements for General Skilled Migration.
ACT does not charge an application fee for Subclass 886 State Sponsorship applications
International students that did not study in the Australian Capital Territory, but gained their qualification in another state of Australia, will not be eligible for ACT Nomination under the new State Migration Plan, unless they can show they permanently reside in Canberra full time and have been employed for no less than 9 months before applying.
The new ACT state migration plan lists occupations under which ACT state sponsorship can be applied for. These occupations are segregated by the level of demand that exists in the Australian Capital Territory for that occupation. The categories of occupations are -
- closed,
- limited &
- open.
If the occupation is listed under 'limited' all occupations must be verified before they can be lodged for nomination.
For Verification of your occupation to be successful you must -
- provide a successful skills assessment,
- have sat the IELTS test and scored no less than 8.0 in speaking plus have received an IELTS score of at least 8.0 overall, and
- Provide evidence that you have been working in that nominated occupation within the ACT.
Without those essential verifications the nomination application will not be successful.
WHERE IN THE ACT OR ALL OVER Student graduates also have a further opportunity to apply for nomination without being on the skilled migration plan occupation list; you must be able to show significant employment experience within the ACT. If this applies to you seek a consultation with one of our solicitors.
The Eligibility List for the 886 Visa contains some of the following occupations:
- Social Worker
- Accountant **Limited
- Computing Professionals Group 2231
- Welfare Worker
- Trade Workers such as Cooks, Chefs and Electricians
The full list can be found at;
http://www.business.act.gov.au/skilled_and_business_migration/SMP_Occupation_List
Eligibility:
Offshore Applicants who are applying for Subclass Visa 176
The Subclass 176 Skilled Sponsored Visa, you will need to meet the following requirements to apply successfully to the ACT government for state sponsorship -
- Nominate an occupation on the ACT State Migration List;
- Have recent, relevant work experience in the nominated occupation and there must also be sufficient employment opportunities available in the ACT at the time of lodgment;
- Professional skills and work experience that will be of benefit to the ACT economy;
- A positive skills assessment in your nominated occupation;
- Work experience in an industry relevant to the ACT. Experience in heavy industry or manufacturing; production; international airlines; mining; shipping; oil; railways; etc will generally not be considered relevant.
- Sufficient English language ability (*conditions apply) to enable reasonable employment opportunities in the Canberra labor market;
- Sufficient financial resources to settle in Canberra while seeking employment, $20,000AUD for the main applicant and $10,000AUD for each additional family member;
- A demonstrated commitment to living and working in Canberra for at least 2 years from the date your Australian permanent residence visa is granted; and
- Meet all visa requirements set by the Australian immigration department for general skilled migration under the skilled independent Australian visa pathway.
A fee of $275 applies to lodgement of this nomination application.
The Eligibility List for the 176 Visa contains some of the following occupations:
- Accountant **Limited
- Registered Nurses
- Computing Professionals
- Managerial positions
- Trade occupations; Electrician, Carpenter, Motor Mechanic
- Teachers; Secondary and Primary
- Engineers; and
- Business Professionals
The full list can be found at;
http://www.business.act.gov.au/skilled_and_business_migration/SMP_Occupation_List
Conclusions:
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government set specific criteria that must be satisfied if you are to be awarded ACT Sate Sponsorship.
Various occupations have further individual criteria that must be met in order to satisfy the states requirements as part of the State Migration Plan. If your application is incomplete inaccurate or you do not satisfy all applicable requirements, then the application will most likely fail and be refused.
Therefore, it is important to have accurate and up-to-date legal advice and assistance in preparing your State Sponsorship and correlating visa applications because quite simply, your future is riding on it!
This article should not be taken as legal advice and cannot be relied upon as a complete or accurate representation of the law. It is meant to be indicative only and should be seen as a general informative guide to the visa application processes.
