Tasmania State Nomination Changes – Subclass 190 & 491 Visa

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic the Tasmanian Government has announced a range of changes to the Tasmania State Nomination Criteria, updates to their processing times and their new fee schedule.

Updated Processing time and New Fees Schedule

Updated processing times: The current processing time for the majority of Tasmanian visa state nomination applications is between 4 and 5 months

Fees: All Tasmanian visa state nomination applications (Subclass 190 and Subclass 491) now incur a FEE FOR SERVICE of $220 (GST inclusive). During the online application process a $220 fee will be required, when processed you will be able to ‘SUBMIT’ the application for processing.

Tasmania State Nomination Criteria

Flexible nomination requirements for applicants affected by COVID-19 restrictions

Summary of Relaxations in Nomination Requirements (Category 1 – Tasmanian Graduate)

Students currently in Tasmania: Tasmania will accept online study with a Tasmanian CRICOS provider completed during the period courses were not able to be delivered on campus. Applicants must have been living in Tasmania during this period and must have completed all of their study in Tasmania.

Graduates who have completed study in Tasmania but are unable to return after travelling overseas: Eligible for consideration if able to provide evidence course was completed in Tasmania, have temporarily left Tasmania and are unable to return due to the COVID-19 restrictions. Students must show that they were genuinely affected by travel restrictions and intend to return to Tasmania. These applicants must meet all other published requirements for subclass 190 or 491 nomination, including the minimum Tasmanian residence period.

Currently overseas – partially completed course: Remote / online study for applicants who commenced their courses in Tasmania, departed temporarily and have been unable to return to Tasmania due to COVID 19 travel restrictions will be accepted where they have genuinely been unable to return to Tasmania. Applicants must have commenced course in Tasmania, lived in Tasmania for a minimum 12 months and completed a minimum total of 12 months study on campus.

New enrolments – course commenced outside Tasmania: Applicants who commenced study with a Tasmanian institution, but were unable to arrive in Tasmania due to COVID-19 restrictions and commenced their studies remotely while waiting for restrictions to be lifted will be eligible for consideration if they:

·      Completed a two academic year course and arrived in Tasmania soon after restrictions were lifted; and

·      Lived and studied in Tasmania for a period of at least 12 months

Courses of one academic year must be completed solely in Tasmania  no period of remote study will be accepted. This includes students who enrolled in one-year courses but did not arrive in Tasmania before entry restrictions.

Summary of Relaxations in Nomination Requirements (Category 2 – Working in Tasmania)

Flexibility will be applied to applicants genuinely affected by COVID-19 employment stand-downs before or after meeting the mandatory 6-month full-time employment. Each application will be considered on its merits according to the particular industry, the skills of the applicant, and the likelihood of being able to return to and maintain full time in the future.

In general, following factors will be taken into consideration:

·      A minimum 3 months full time employment up to the closure or business / reduction in hours.

·      Full-time employment ceased directly due to a COVID-19 related closedown or restriction.

·      There is a reasonable likelihood of being able to return to employment (full or part-time) after the workplace restrictions have been lifted  (i.e a written evidence from employer).

Reduction in hours from full-time to part-time as a result of COVID-19 restrictions will be considered with leniency.

Source: migration.tas.gov.au/skilled_migrants/skilled_nominated_visa