With the Australian Government election process completed, the State and Territory Government’s are finally releasing some further information regarding their long awaited State Migration Plans. 

The South Australian Government is the first of the States to give Australian visa applicants some certainty regarding their State Migration Plan.  They have released details of the new sponsorship process, criteria and the much anticipated list of occupations for which they intend to sponsor under their State Migration Plan.  Significantly, the South Australian Government has announced that they are now accepting and processing new State Sponsorship applications for those occupations which will be included on their State Migration Plan. 

The South Australian Government has also indicated that there will be a cap on the number of applicants sponsored for each occupation and that once sponsorship is approved it will only be valid for 30 days.  This means that applicants must prepare and lodge their Australian visa application within 30 days of receiving their State Sponsorship approval. Given the limited number of places available for each occupation on their State Migration Plan, visa applicants who delay making their Sponsorship applications in the hope that their occupation will be included on other State or Territory Government State Migration Plans risk missing out altogether.

Being the first of the State Governments to release details of the State Migration Plan occupations available for State Sponsorship will no doubt give South Australia first pick of the most promising Australian visa applicants.  Unlike other Australian States taking sponsorship applications, South Australia has confirmed which of the Schedule 3 occupations they will sponsor for under their State Migration Plan. 

Applicants whose occupation is not included on the South Australian Government sponsorship list may still seek South Australian sponsorship after the implementation of their State Migration Plan at which time they will also be able to accept off list nomination applications.

The Tasmanian Government has also assisted applicants by indicating which occupations are likely to be included in their State Migration Plan.  It is expected that Tasmania’s Government State Migration Plan list will be limited to medical, engineering and some technical trades, mirroring those occupations currently in demand in the State.  The Tasmanian Government has indicated that they may also be willing to sponsor for further occupations using their Off List nominations where an applicant is able to demonstrate a job offer in Tasmania. 

The Victorian Government State Migration Plan still appears to be some time away from release.  The advice on their web-site now provides that the State Migration Plan details will not be available before at least 1 November 2010, while the remaining State and Territory Government’s have provided no further State Migration Plan updates.

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