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NSW Skilled Migration Nomination Requirements (190VISA)
New South Wales visa subclass 190 Nomination Criteria
NSW uses a selection-based invitation process to ensure that NSW nominees are aligned to the skills needs of the state’s economy. You cannot directly apply.
Minimum eligibility
To receive nomination for a Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa, you must meet the following minimum eligibility requirements:
SkillSelect point score
You must be eligible to claim at least 65 points in your SkillSelect EOI. Please refer to the Home Affairs points calculator to see what points you are eligible to claim.
Age
You must be under 45 years of age to apply for the Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa.
English language
You must have at least a competent level of English (or equivalent).
If you are a citizen of the USA, UK, Canada, Republic of Ireland or New Zealand you are not required to complete an English assessment.
Residency
You must be currently residing in NSW. NSW will not invite EOIs submitted from people currently residing in another Australian state or territory, or offshore.
Although there is no minimum timeframe, you must be able to demonstrate you are genuinely residing in NSW if invited to apply.
Occupation and employment
You must hold a valid skills assessment in an occupation that exactly matches an occupation on the NSW subclass 190 visa occupation list.
You are not required to be currently, or previously, employed in NSW in your occupation to be eligible for NSW nomination.
How to Apply
Frequently asked questions
How does NSW nomination work for the subclass 190 visa?
NSW runs a selection-based invitation process. NSW selects and invites the highest-ranking candidates at the time of an invitation round to apply for nomination. Invitation rounds occur ongoing during the financial year.
NSW does not accept direct applications; you must be invited to apply for NSW nomination.
Unlike selection rounds conducted by Home Affairs, there are no set dates for NSW invitation rounds, and they are not announced beforehand.
During an invitation round, eligible EOIs are ranked by:
- Point score, then
- English proficiency, followed by
- Years of skilled employment
The highest ranking EOIs up to the number of places available for a given occupation are issued an invitation to apply. When an EOI was submitted, or amended, does not affect its ranking.
NSW will not issue invitations based on your visa expiring, losing points or eligibility, or living and working in NSW.
When will I be contacted by NSW?
NSW will only contact you if you are selected to apply for NSW nomination. We determine how many invitations are issued on an ongoing basis with the top-ranking candidates in each occupation being invited to apply.
NSW does not:
- send acknowledgement emails after you’ve submitted an EOI in SkillSelect,
- provide status updates on your EOI, or
- provide a likelihood of when/if you will be invited to apply for NSW nomination.
Will NSW invite me to apply for nomination as a special case?
No. NSW does not accept direct applications, you must be invited to apply during the normal course of an invitation round. NSW will not respond to correspondence seeking special consideration.
What are NSW nomination fees?
NSW nomination fees are A$330, and are non-refundable.
I don’t currently reside in NSW, am I still eligible for NSW nomination?
No. NSW is currently only inviting EOIs to apply for nomination from people currently residing in NSW. We cannot provide a time frame when offshore EOIs will be invited at this time.
How do I prove my NSW residency?
The following documents (as applicable to you) are required to provide evidence of your residency:
- bank statements from your main transaction account showing transactions,
- rental/lease agreements,
- utility bills, e.g. gas, water etc,
- other bills, e.g. phone, internet etc,
- driver’s license/proof of age card.
How long do I need to be residing in NSW to be eligible?
There is no set timeframe you must be residing in NSW to be eligible for NSW nomination; however, you must demonstrate (through documents outlined above) that you are genuinely residing in NSW if you are invited to apply for NSW nomination.
Do I need to be currently employed in NSW?
There is no employment requirement to be eligible for NSW nomination, and you are not required to be currently, or previously, working in NSW in your occupation.
I am an ICT Professional, how does NSW assess my skilled employment?
NSW only grants points for skilled employment that:
- is after the date the Australian Computer Society (ACS) has determined you have met the required skill level in your occupation, and;
- is considered by ACS to equate to work at an appropriately skilled level and relevant to your occupation.
If you have claimed points for skilled employment in your SkillSelect expression of interest (EOI), you must be able to provide an ACS skills assessment that identifies the date your employment is considered to equate to an appropriately skilled level.
If your ACS skills assessment does not identify this date, or has not been assessed as suitable, you are not able to claim points for skilled employment for the purposes of NSW nomination.
You should only claim points for skilled employment that is after this date in your EOI. This will ensure that if you are invited to apply for NSW nomination, your application will not be declined on the basis of having over-claimed points.
How do I show evidence for skilled employment after I obtained my skills assessment?
If you have a valid skills assessment, which has assessed your skilled employment, you do not need to obtain a new assessment to demonstrate your employment occurring after you received your assessment.
You can demonstrate your further skilled employment with evidence such as; your letter of offer, employment contract, payslips and employment reference letter detailing the duration of your employment, the hours worked per week and duties performed.
I’ve submitted my EOI, when can I expect to be invited by NSW?
NSW cannot forecast the likelihood of candidates receiving an invitation to apply for NSW nomination. If your EOI is valid, you will be considered in future selection rounds; however, being invited is not guaranteed.
The NSW Government cannot preference or fast track applicants outside of normal policy and procedures due to the competitive nature of the program.
What if I am invited to apply for NSW nomination, but I do not see the invitation email?
NSW sends invitations by email to the address you have provided in your EOI. It is your responsibility to regularly check this email account.
NSW issues only one invitation per each EOI. If you are invited but do not take up your invitation, you will need to submit a new EOI in SkillSelect to be considered again in a later invitation round. Because this selection process is highly competitive, there is no guarantee that you will receive another invitation at a later date.
What should I do if I have been invited by NSW, but I am not eligible to claim the points in my EOI?
You should not apply. You were invited by NSW based on claims made in your SkillSelect EOI. If the points score in your NSW nomination application is less than the points score EOI at that time, your application will be declined. Application fees are not refundable.
How do I provide evidence of my employment?
If your employment is wholly included in your skills or employment assessment document, we do not require any further evidence.
If your employment is not included in your skills or employment assessment, or you have skilled employment after your assessment was completed, please provide at least two of the following with your application:
- A signed and dated reference letter(s) from your employer on the organisation’s letterhead. Reference letters must outline the length of employment, your duties performed, and the hours worked per week.
- Your letter of offer and/or employment contract.
- Notice of assessment received from the Australian Taxation Office.
- Your most recent six months of payslips from your employer. If the employment is less than six months, include the entire length of the employment.
Please note the following important information relating to employment claims:
- For the purposes of NSW nomination, you are only eligible to claim skilled employment after the date you have been deemed skilled on your skills assessment. Claiming employment before this date may result in your application being declined by NSW.
- NSW requires all ICT professionals claiming points for skilled employment to provide an Australian Computer Society (ACS) skills assessment that clearly identifies your ‘Skill Level Requirement Met Date’. Under ACS’s framework, your skilled date is the date after which you can claim skilled employment.
