State nomination can help overseas graduates stay on to live and work in Australia

Many international students who study for a degree in Australia look to stay on and work in the country after graduation and the country is keen to retain such talents.

Immigration officials are reminding soon to be graduates that if they want to continue to work and live in Australia they can look to a state nomination as a way of doing so.

“As part of its aim to attract and retain international talent in specific skill areas, Australian states and territories can provide pathways to working and living for international graduates,” said an immigration official.

“These pathways are through state nominations that assist with the skilled visa application process. Each state and territory manages its own state nomination immigration process,” he added.

In general State nomination provides a pathway to permanent residency for international graduates but it is not a visa application, it assists in meeting the requirements for an Australian visa.

If nominated a graduate must then lodge a visa application with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) who are responsible for the assessing and granting of all visas.

However, by applying for state nomination as an international graduate applicants can benefit from access to a more extensive occupation list and gain additional points towards the Federal points test for the 190-Skilled Nominated visa and the 489-Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa.

It is worth checking the regulations for the State where you want to work. For example in South Australia, if any of your studies were undertaken outside of the State, a minimum of 50% of your qualification must have been completed in South Australia. Other rules may or may not vary, State by State. It is also worth noting that in some instances for skilled work experience to be considered, it must be in a skilled occupation listed on the State Nominated Occupation Lists.

In Queensland, for example, applicants must have a Masters Degree or a higher qualification from a Queensland institution and have graduated within the last two years. They must also have an offer of employment in their skilled occupation which must be for at least 12 months.

Queensland also asks for evidence of having sufficient funds to continue to support living in the country and a commitment to long term settlement in the State for at least two years after the visa is granted.

There are exemptions, depending on circumstances, and also some occupations have limited places in certain States. When these places have been filled, further applications for state nomination cannot be accepted.

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