The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government has added and removed some occupations from the Critical Skill List.

The Australian Government allocates the ACT a fixed number of nomination places each financial year. The 2021-22 allocation is 2000 nomination places:

• ACT permanent 190 nomination: 600 places
• ACT provisional 491 nomination: 1400 places

Today we are going to discuss:

• ACT Critical Skills List
• Allocation of nomination places in the ACT
• Occupations Removed and Added

What is the main difference between the 190 and 491?

The State/Skilled Nominated (Subclass 190) is a permanent visa to Australia. The Skilled Regional (491 visa) is a 5 year temporary visa that converts to PR after as few as 3 years.

As Canberra is a designated regional area, for both visas can live in the Australian Capital Territory – including Canberra)

You require ACT Territory Nomination in order to apply for either the State Nominated (Subclass 190) or Regional Nominated Visa (Subclass 491) in the ACT.

What is the ACT Critical Skills List?

The ACT Critical Skills List identifies the occupations in current demand in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). This List is important if you want to apply for ACT nomination for either:

• A Skilled Work Regional (provisional) subclass 491 visa
• A Skilled Nominated (permanent) subclass 190 visa

You can also claim points in the Canberra Matrix if your occupation is on the Critical Skills List or you are working in an occupation on the list.

Cap on occupations

Depending on demand, the ACT may not invite you to apply if the monthly cap for your occupation has been reached.

Current ACT Critical Skills List

The ACT Critical Skills List was last updated on 1 September 2021. It applies to all Canberra Matrix, regardless of when they were submitted.

The list will be updated every four months to make sure that the ACT Skilled Migration Program adapts and responds to the evolving critical skills needs of the ACT economy.

Occupations Removed

222311 Financial Investment Adviser
222312 Financial Investment Manager

Do you still unsure about if your occupation is on the ACT Critical Skills list? Self-assess your visa options using our daily-updated searching

Bill Mitroulas

Head of Migration at Questra Immigration. Managing and overseeing the growth and performance of Questra’s team of migration agents, while maintaining a client-centric and quality-driven approach. A registered migration agent since 2015 and a member of the Migration Institute of Australia, with over 15 years’ experience in international education and 11 years in Australian Migration law.