Western Australia: 2024-25 State Nominated Migration Program

To be granted certain skilled migration visas to live and work in Western Australia, you must be nominated or invited by the state through the State Nominated Migration Program.

Key highlights for the 2024-25 Western Australia State Nominated Migration Program:

• 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;

• no job offer is required for WASMOL Schedule 2 occupations for the 491 visa, construction-related occupations for the 190 visa, and the entire WA graduate stream occupations; and

• job offer required for WASMOL Schedule 1 occupations plus 1 year of work experience.

WA = Western Australia

SNMP = State Nominated Migration Program

WASMOL = Western Australian Skilled Migration Occupation List

The State Nominated Migration Program (SNMP) allows the WA Government to nominate eligible skilled migrants for the Skilled nominated visa (subclass 190) and Skilled work regional (provisional) visa (subclass 491) for priority occupations.

WA’s State Nominated Migration Program targets those skilled jobs that genuinely require overseas workers, where local workers cannot be sourced.

The program works in conjunction with other workforce development mechanisms to help ensure employers have access to the skills they need.

Candidates may be nominated by the Western Australian Government to live and work in Western Australia under two streams:

General stream

— A skilled migration pathway for a range of occupations and industry categories. The General stream is divided into two Western Australian skilled migration occupation lists (WASMOL).

• WASMOL Schedule 1: Health and Medical Occupations

• WASMOL Schedule 2: All other occupations

Graduate stream

— A skilled migration pathway for eligible international students who are completing vocational education and training (VET) or higher education qualifications in WA.

You must fulfil Stream-specific requirements for your chosen stream.

Please note that to be eligible for an invitation in the WA State Nominated Migration Program, you must meet both:

• The Department of Home Affairs criteria for your nominated visa

• The WA criteria for State nomination

- Alice Guan (MARN 1909953) IDP’s registered Migration Agent

Based on the 2024–25 state and territory nomination allocations:

There are two visa subclasses available under the Western Australia State Nominated Migration Program:

Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa

• This visa allows you to live and work in Australia permanently.

Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa

• This visa allows you to stay in Australia for 5 years and live, work and study in a designated regional area of Australia.

• You may apply for permanent residence after 3 years from the time your visa is granted.

* Applicants invited through a WA building and construction industry sector occupation (as per the WA State nomination Occupation lists) do not need to have a contract of employment.

All potential applicants must have an eligible occupation listed on one of the skilled occupations list for their nominated visa, and their chosen stream.

All applicants must also have a suitable skills assessment for their eligible occupation before applying for a state nomination.

Priority WA Industry sectors

Western Australia is experiencing skills shortages across many industries. Candidates with an occupation in the industry sectors below will be given first priority:

• Healthcare and social assistance

• Building and construction

• Education and training

• Hospitality and tourism

If you’re considering a career change, talk to the friendly team at IDP and find out how we can help you reach your career and migration goals!

For the 2024-25 State Nominated Migration Program the minimum English Language proficiency required for State nomination is Competent English.

To prove you have competent English, the Department of Home Affairs accept IELTS test results, including One Skill Retake (OSR), as proof of English proficiency.

Book IELTS for migration

Please note that to be eligible for an invitation in the WA State Nominated Migration Program, you must meet both:

• the Department of Home Affairs criteria for the nominated visa; and

• the WA criteria for State nomination

Before starting your application, you will need to check whether your occupation is available on either the WA Skilled migration occupation list (WASMOL) Schedule 1 or 2, or the Graduate occupation list.

The current processing time for applications is 28 working days.

You can follow these steps to apply for the Western Australia State Nominated Migration program:

1. Collect your documentation

You must provide evidence that you have met the eligibility requirements set out by the WA criteria for State nomination and the Department of Home Affairs criteria for your nominated visa.

Documents that may be required include:

• Personal identification documents

• Evidence of English proficiency (i.e. 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 stream requires)

2. Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI)

Use SkillSelect to submit an EOI for state nomination.

SkillSelect is Home Affairs online platform that enables skilled workers to express interest in applying for a skilled migration visa, to live and work in Australia.

Your EOI must include the following details:

• Whether you are seeking nomination from:

  • Western Australia; or

  • another Australian state or territory.

• Indicate that you are younger than 45 years of age.

• A score of at least 65 points in the Home Affairs points test.

• Evidence of a skills assessment suitable for migration in your nominated occupation.

• Nomination of an occupation that is available for your intended visa subclass on the WA Skilled migration occupation list (WASMOL) Schedule 1 or 2 for the General stream; or the Graduate occupation list (GOL) for the Graduate stream.

• If you are using the Graduate stream, your WA study information, including the address and postcode of the WA campus of the educational institution, must be included in your EOI.

• Show that you meet the English language requirements. You may need to take an English language test. Your IELTS test results, including OSR, is accepted as proof of English proficiency.

Expressions of Interest will be prioritized as follows:

Location:

• Candidates residing in Western Australia are given first priority.

• Candidates residing in the rest of Australia or outside Australia will be given second priority.

Occupation:

• Candidates with an occupation in the industry sectors below will be given first priority:

  • building and construction;

  • healthcare and social assistance;

  • hospitality and tourism;

  • education and training;

• Candidates with an occupation in other industry sectors will be given second priority.

3. Wait for an invitation

Invitations for WA State nomination are anticipated to be issued each month. The number of invitations issued each month may vary depending on the number of applications being processed by WA Migration Services. If you are invited, WA Migration Services will email you with a link to the State nomination application form.

• WA Migration Services reviews EOIs that have been submitted through SkillSelect, and invites eligible applicants to apply for State nomination based on the WA State nomination criteria.

• If you are eligible for an invitation through multiple streams, you will receive an invitation for each stream you are eligible for. However, you will only be able to lodge one application for State nomination through your chosen stream. If multiple EOIs are ranked at the same level, invitations will be issued based on the EOI submission date.

• If your EOI indicates you are seeking State nomination for both the subclass 190 and subclass 491 visa, you will generally be invited for the subclass 491 visa in the first instance. This is because you will generally have a higher EOI points score for this visa.

• You will not receive multiple invitations for WA State Nomination through the same EOI. If you receive an invitation that then lapses, is withdraw or declined, you must lodge a new EOI to be considered for a future invitation.

4. Apply for your State nomination

To be granted certain skilled migration visas to live and work in Western Australia, you must be nominated (invited) by an Australian state or territory through the State Nominated Migration Program.

• If you are invited by WA Migration Services to apply for State nomination, you will receive an email with a link to the application form.

• If you lodge an application for WA State nomination, you are agreeing to work, live and settle in Western Australia.

• You have 28 days to complete your application.

5. Receive your nomination and apply for your visa

If your State nomination application is approved, WA Migration Services will nominate you in SkillSelect and you will then receive an invitation from Home Affairs to lodge an application for your intended visa.

• You can lodge your application through your ImmiAccount.

• Your visa application must be submitted within 60 days from the date of the invitation.

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Ready to get started? Book your IELTS today and take the first step on your journey to living, working or studying in Australia!

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.

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Sources:

Department of Home Affairs

Migration WA

Government of Western Australia