Victoria has temporarily opened its State Nomination Program for the subclass 190 and the subclass 491 visa while awaiting official allocation numbers from the Australian Government. The program will commence on 8 September 2020 for a period of 4 weeks concluding on 5 October 2020. The sudden re-opening derives from the State’s efforts to initiate an economic recovery plan designed at responding to the challenges resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Victorian Government will employ a more selective method of issuing invitations and limit eligibility to those currently employed in Victoria in a highly skilled occupation working in health or medical research. This initiative was devised by the State to seek those who will contribute to Victoria’s recovery and was implemented as a responsive measure to the circumstances caused by the pandemic.
In anticipation of the delivery of the Federal Budget on 06 October 2020, Victoria will initially conduct a more refined skilled nomination program for the subclass 190 and the subclass 491 visa. This will involve a selective nomination process to target applicants whose skills and experience comply with the interim selection criteria imposed by the Victorian Government. Such compliance will be determined by an examination of an applicant’s Expression of Interest (EOI) and corroborating documents supporting their eligibility for nomination under the interim nomination program.
To be considered as eligible for the Victorian nomination, applicants will be assessed in accordance with the information provided on their EOI which will form the basis for their selection to apply for a Victorian state sponsored visa. The deadline for submission of an EOI is strictly by 5pm AEST on 21 September 2020.
The eligibility criteria for the Victorian State Nomination program provides that applicants must:
- currently reside in Victoria;
- be currently employed in Victoria for a minimum of six months; and
- work in a highly skilled occupation in health or medical research in support of Victoria’s economic recovery and/or health response
The Victorian Government will then select a limited number of candidates to apply for the skilled nominated visas based on their demonstrated skills, experience and ability to meet the prescribed criteria. The intentions of this program are to select candidates who will best serve the State’s objective of economic recovery and is another factor which Victoria will assess in their consideration of eligible applicants.
It should be noted that due to the limited nomination places available, the ability to meet the above criteria does not guarantee an applicant’s selection, nor does submitting an expression of interest constitute an application for a skilled nominated visa.
If you intend to apply for a Victorian skilled nominated visa or believe you may be eligible, please contact one of our friendly registered migration agents or immigration lawyers on 07 3876 4000 or [email protected].