If your ultimate goal is to get a permanent residency in Australia, then pursuing South Australia Graduate Nomination might be a promising pathway for you to consider. It’s advantageous to utilize the concessions and waivers for graduates to successfully apply for Australian PR.

After completing a course in South Australia, you can apply for the Skilled Regional (Subclass 491) or State Nominated (Subclass 190), depending on your occupation. Apparently, not every state offers this kind of pathway. Hence, taking advantage of this opportunity should be on top of your considerations.

Let’s take a detailed look at how game-changing this pathway is.

What is State Nomination

This process enables the state government to qualify skilled migrants to meet South Australia graduate nomination skills requirements. It will assist you in having a skilled migration visa. Aside from having more time to enjoy the country’s lifestyle and opportunities, state nomination can also give you extra points towards Federal points tests for the 491 and 190 visas. Thus, giving you a high priority in processing your visa application.

South Australia Graduate Nomination Options

As stated earlier, you have the option to apply for either Skilled Regional (Subclass 491) or State Nominated (Subclass 190). Let’s take a closer look at each opportunity.

Skilled Regional (Subclass 491)

This is a nominated provisional visa for highly skilled migrants, giving you permission to reside and work in SA for up to five years. This option is a good stepping stone in having your Australian PR.

State Nominated (Subclass 190)

This visa is a nominated permanent for skilled migrants, giving you automatic permanent residency to live, study work in SA.

Steps to Consider for South Australia.

Technically, there are three steps that you need to take advantage of to maximize the South Australia Graduate Nomination pathway.

• Complete a Course: By taking the SA Graduate nomination path, you can study a course in South Australia. However, there are specific requirements that you need to adhere to in taking courses for the nomination. Check out the list below for the requirements.

Eligibility Requirements for International Graduates of South Australia

• Your course should be registered in the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).
• The course must be a minimum of 46 weeks (1 Year) and CRICOS registered.
• A minimum of 50% of your qualification must have been completed in South Australia.
• You must have resided in South Australia for at least 1 year during your period of study.
• You must have continuously resided in South Australia post-course completion.
• You must meet the nomination requirements outlined here and as listed for your nominated occupation.
• SA graduates must be currently working in their nominated or closely related occupation for the last 3 months in South Australia (post-course completion) unless specified differently for your occupation.
• You must be working at least 20 hours per week or 40 hours per fortnight in your nominated or closely related occupation in South Australia for the duration required for your nominated occupation unless specified differently for your occupation. (If you are working part-time (less than 35 hours per week), you may be offered a 491 nomination.)
• Where specified, some occupations may require longer work experience requirements.

Pass a Skill Assessment: Whether this is based on your completed course in SA or previous education and work experience, you should successfully complete your skills assessment.

Apply for State Nomination: Once you have completed all the requirements, you can now lodge an EOI through the Skillselect. From there, you can select and apply for a South Australian Government state nomination.

South Australia State Nomination Requirements

In order to fulfil SA state nomination requirements, you should be able to satisfy the following requirements as listed by the SA state government:

Residency Requirements

You need to be residing in South Australia to be able to apply for South Australia State and Regional Sponsorship.

Age 

Be under age 45 at the time of nomination.

Occupation 

Have an occupation on South Australia’s Skilled Occupation list and meet the eligibility requirements for that occupation.

Skills Assessment 

Have a valid and positive General Skilled Migration skills assessment from the relevant authority.

Work experience 

Skilled work experience must be undertaken post-course completion and is defined as a minimum of 20 hours per week or 40 hours per fortnight of paid employment in your nominated or closely related occupation.

Some concessions apply if,

• You are currently working in outer regional South Australia, or
• You are a long-term resident of South Australia,
• or for specified occupations.

(Applicants already working in South Australia and South Australian graduates may be eligible for exemptions or waivers to the work experience requirement, as specified in the occupation requirements.)

English

Meet the minimum English language requirement listed for your occupation. Some skills assessing authorities may have higher English language requirements that you will be required to meet. Please check with your skills assessing authority prior to applying.

Points

Meet the minimum points requirement listed for your occupation (including state nomination points).

South Australia Opportunity Sectors

If you want to gain an advantage in looking for competitive career opportunities after completing your course, you need to prioritize the following industries.

• Defence and Space Industries
• Creative Industries
• International education
• Food, Wine and Agribusiness
• Tourism
• Resources and Energy
• Energy and mining
• High Technology
• Health and Medical Sciences

Key Takeaway

Taking advantage of SA Graduate Nomination is a suitable pathway in getting an Australian PR or an excellent stepping stone. It will give you an edge in having the following provisions.

• Access to a massive pool of career opportunities

• Extra points towards your points test for the 491 and 190 visas

• Priority in processing your Visa application for the subclass 491