What is the Queensland state nomination skilled migration program?
The Queensland State Nomination skilled migration program is designed to fill critical skills shortages by providing skilled migrants with a pathway to live and work in Queensland, Australia. There are four skilled visa pathways available for:
Skilled workers living in Queensland
Skilled workers living offshore
Graduates of a Queensland university
Small business owners operating in regional Queensland
In order to be considered for a Queensland state nomination, you must satisfy the eligibility criteria for both:
The Migration Queensland criteria for your chosen skilled visa pathway
The Department of Home Affairs criteria for your chosen visa
For a full list of Queensland state nomination and visa eligibility criteria, please refer to the Migration Queensland and Department of Home Affairs websites.
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How many places are available in the program?
The Department of Home Affairs has granted Queensland 1,550 positions in the national skilled nomination program. Queensland will invite a limited number of applicants to apply for the program each month until the end of the 2023-24 financial year.
The Queensland state-nominated program for FY 2023-24 is anticipated to be highly competitive, with the quota for QLD 190+491 reduced to 1550. Invitations for selected applicants commenced at the end of September 2023, and monthly invitation rounds will continue throughout FY 2023-24. Based on my experience, Migration Queensland (MQ) is in favour of health-related occupations, likely due to the urgent need for health workers in the local industry.Dorothy Yueh (MARN: 0430004) , migration agent at IDP Brisbane
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What are the available visa options?
There are two visa subclasses available under Queensland's skilled migration program:
Subclass 190 - Skilled Nominated (Permanent) visa
This visa allows you to live and work in Australia permanently
Basic visa eligibility requirements
You must be under 45 years of age at the time of application
You must achieve a points test result of 75 or higher to be eligible for a Queensland state nomination
You must commit to living and working in Queensland for two years from the date your visa is granted
You must have an eligible occupation listed on the relevant skills list
You must have a positive skills assessment in your nominated occupation
If you are a Queensland graduate, you must complete your studies 100% in Queensland.
If you apply for the nomination in Australia, you may require some Queensland work experience in your nominated occupation
Subclass 491- Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa
This visa allows you to live and work in regional Australia for up to five years. Visa holders may be eligible to apply for permanent residency three years after their visa is granted.
Basic visa eligibility requirements
You must be under 45 years of age at the time of application
You must achieve a points test result of 65 or higher
You must commit to living and working in Regional Queensland for three years from the date your visa is granted
You must have an eligible occupation listed on the relevant skills list
You must have a positive skills assessment in your nominated occupation
If you are a Queensland graduate, you must complete your studies 100% in Queensland.
If you apply for the nomination in Australia, you may require some Queensland work experience in your nominated occupation
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What are the eligible skills and occupations?
All potential applicants must have an eligible occupation listed on one of the following skills lists:
Regional Occupation List (Subclass 491 applicants only)
Queensland Skilled Occupation List (Skilled workers living offshore only)
All applicants must also have a suitable skills assessment for their eligible occupation before applying for a state nomination.
In demand occupations
Queensland is experiencing critical skills shortages across many industries. Occupations in high demand currently include:
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What IELTS score do I need to achieve?
To be considered for a Queensland state nomination, you must achieve a minimum IELTS band score of 6.0 for each of the 4 components to demonstrate that you have a competent level of English comprehension. The Department of Home Affairs accepts IELTS One Skill Retake for both the subclass 190 and 491 visas.
If your occupation or professional registration authority requires an IELTS score higher than 6.0, you will need to meet that requirement instead to be considered for a Queensland state nomination.
Make sure you’re prepared for your state nomination application by booking your IELTS test today. Available at over 4000 locations worldwide, it’s easy to find an IELTS test centre near you!
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How do I apply for a Queensland nomination?
Before applying for a Queensland nomination, you must carefully check the eligibility criteria from Migration Queensland, as well as the Department of Home Affairs. If you are confident that you satisfy all the requirements, you can follow these steps to apply to the Queensland State Nomination Skilled program:
1. Collect your documentation
You must provide evidence that you have met the eligibility requirements set out by Migration Queensland and the Department of Home Affairs. Documents that may be required include:
Personal identification documents
IELTS test results
Proof of professional registration (if your occupation requires this)
A suitable skills assessment
Academic transcripts
Work experience-related document (if the chosen pathway requires)
2. Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI)
Use SkillSelect to submit an EOI for state nomination. You will be asked to provide information relevant to your EOI, including details about your work experience. In order for your EOI to be considered, you must select ‘Queensland’ as the only state you’d like to receive a nomination from.
3. Wait for an invitation
Not the most exciting step, we know. Migration Queensland will consider all EOIs that meet the eligibility requirements. If you are selected to receive a nomination, you will receive an email invitation to formally apply for a state nomination.
4. Apply for your state nomination
When you receive your invitation from Migration Australia to apply for state nomination, you will be asked to:
Upload your documents
Pay the application fee
You can only upload one document per file. If you have more than one document for a file, please merge these so that they can be uploaded as a single file.
Once you have received your invitation, you have 14 days to finish your application. It is very important to finish and submit your application during this time. If you do not finish your application within 14 days, you will need to submit a new EOI and start the process over.
5. Receive your nomination and apply for your visa
If you are nominated by Migration Queensland, you will receive an email invitation from the Department of Home Affairs asking you to submit your visa application. Your visa application must be submitted within 60 days from the date of the invitation.
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Why choose IELTS?
IELTS is the world's most popular English test for a reason. Why choose IELTS?
IELTS is accepted by more universities, colleges and academic institutions than any other English test. The test is accepted globally by more than 12,000 organisations.
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Immigration and the law
Legislation about immigration changes frequently. It’s important to check the Australian Department of Home Affairs website for changes that may apply to you. If you are interested in Australian student visas, work visas, or looking to migrate permanently, you need to lodge an application with the Australian Government. You may want to consider getting support from a lawyer or migration agent.