Great news for international students that are either studying or considering studying in Adelaide, South Australia!!

Immigration SA has introduced some changes to its general skilled migration nomination policy. All involve offering greater opportunity for nomination, with graduates of South Australia’s educational institutions benefiting in particular.

The three category changes are: 

1. Rewarding international students that have been long-term student residents of South Australia

2. Expansion of the high performing graduate category for South Australian graduates

3. Removal of the minimum Bachelor’s degree requirement under the Chain Migration category

Following is a summary of each category:

1. Long term international student residents of South Australia 

• Recognition of current or former students that have remained in South Australia (and no other state) for a number of years

• Immigration SA will offer state nomination for the Provisional 489 visa to any applicant who:

• Is a current or former international student residing in South Australia; AND

• Has resided continually in South Australia since March 2012 or earlier and continues to reside in South Australia; AND

• Is currently:

working in South Australia in any occupation (does not have to be at a skilled level) for at least the last 3 months (minimum of 40 hours per fortnight);

studying a course with a minimum duration of one academic year in South Australia

2. High performing graduate category 

• For South Australian graduates with a Bachelor’s degree or a Masters by coursework completed in SA, this work experience waiver required a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 6.0. This GPA remains for those seeking nomination for a permanent 190 visa.

• Immigration SA will offer state nomination without the need for work experience to students able to obtain a skills assessment where they can meet the high performing graduate settings

• For other students who have performed very well in their studies, but not to a GPA of 6.0 or above, Immigration SA will offer Provisional visa nomination (subclass 489) to those students who achieved a GPA of 5.20 to 5.99.

• To access this waiver, the applicant must have completed their South Australian degree within the last two years and continued to live in South Australia after graduation.

3. Removal of the minimum Bachelor’s degree requirement under the Chain Management category 

• For applicants with an eligible family member already residing in South Australia, the chain migration pathway offered access to occupations on the Supplementary Skilled List, but this required a minimum Bachelor’s degree or higher

• Since July 2014, chain migration has allowed a pathway for many migrants to join their family members in South Australia

• This Bachelor’s degree requirement has now been removed, meaning access to a range of trade occupations that are not on the State Nominated Occupation List

• The chain migration pathway continues to offer access to a provisional visa, not a permanent visa

For more information and eligibility please refer to the Immigration SA website:

https://migration.sa.gov.au/skilled-migrants/changes-to-general-skilled-migration-nomination-policies