Australia’s State and Territory Governments have continued to process and nominate visas for migrants, though ongoing developments with COVID-19 have meant changes to their priorities. For those considering applying for a Subclass 190 or 491 state nominated visa, please ensure you check the relevant State or Territory Government website for up-to-date changes and closures.
A brief overview for each State/Territory is below.
Australian Capital Territory
The ACT generally requires applicants to have lived and worked continuously in the ACT for 13 weeks prior to applying for a State nomination. Due to the impacts of COVID-19, applicants may request a waiver of the ‘continuous employment’ criteria where:
- The applicant’s return to Canberra has been delayed due to the travel ban;
- The applicants is required to self-isolate for 14 days;
- The applicant’s work hours are reduced, they are required to take unpaid leave, or have lost their job due to COVID-19.
Northern Territory
Due to the closure of Australia’s borders, Migration NT is currently not accepting offshore applications for Northern Territory nominations. This will remain in place for the foreseeable future.
Existing applications and onshore applications will still be processed.