Want to call Australia home? South Australia might be the answer

Migration is a lengthy, complex, and ever-changing area of law. For many, migration is the final step to realise their Australian dream. South Australia offers one of the best migration programs in the country including:

• Access to an extensive list of occupations
• Additional points towards the Federal points test for 190 and 491 visas (bear in mind that the power to make laws with respect to immigration is vested with the Commonwealth government and state nominations only indicate those states’ and territories’ interest in having the applicant in their respective jurisdiction); and
• Priority processing for the subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional Visa

Below is a brief overview of the application process for potential migrants who want to call South Australia home.ol>Lodge your Expression of Interest (‘EOI’) to the Department of Home Affairs (‘DHA’) and include South Australia as your preferred jurisdiction of settlementLodge your state nomination application or expression of interest to Migration SA (the South Australian government migration agency)If you receive your state nomination from Migration SA; thenSouth Australian state nomination will trigger an invitation from the DHA for you to lodge your application; finallyLodge your application to the DHA.To achieve a favourable outcome, applicants must satisfy the requirements outlined by both the Federal Government and the State Government. The South Australian government also provides incentive concessions and waivers of certain requirements to three categories of applicants which include:

• South Australian International Graduates
• Applicants that are currently living and working in South Australia (especially those who reside in outer-regional South Australia as defined by the South Australian government)
• High calibre applicants with a demonstrated skill and track record

If your occupation is a non-ANZSCO (Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations) occupation, the South Australian government currently has two agreements with the Commonwealth government which are;

• the Adelaide City Agreement; and
• the South Australian Agreement.

Adelaide City Agreement

The Adelaide City Technology and Innovation Advancement Designated Area Migration Agreement (a designated area migration agreement otherwise known as ‘DAMAs’) has been designed to address skill shortages across the Adelaide Metropolitan region. This DAMA is for South Australian local employers to sponsor overseas workers in the defence, space, and advanced manufacturing and technology industries and provides a mechanism for them to access and retain a highly skilled workforce.



South Australian Agreement

The South Australian Regional Workforce Designated Area Migration Agreement (another DAMA) has been designed to address skill shortages across the entire state of South Australia.

If you would like assistance in migrating to Australia, have someone you know migrating to Australia, or just any migration matter in general, Straits Lawyers are here to help. We are now offering online services in both English and Chinese.



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Please note that this article does not constitute legal advice and Straits Lawyers will not be legally responsible for any actions you take based on this article.