NSW offering offshore State Sponsorship
NSW Offshore State Sponsorship
In December 2021, New South Wales opened to offshore applicants (people living outside Australia). This caused much excitement, as offshore applicants have had limited options for skilled visas over recent years. Moreover, NSW is a popular destination for migrants due to its booming economy.
Learn more about the New South Wales lifestyle
Meeting NSW Offshore State Sponsorship requirements
The basic criterion for NSW Offshore State Sponsorship is that the main applicant must hold a valid skills assessment. This skills assessment must be in an occupation that is within an ANZSCO unit group identified on the NSW Occupation List. In addition, the applicant must have lived outside Australia (offshore) for the last 3 months.
Some occupations require a minimum of 3 years work experience for both the 190 and 491 visa subclasses. This includes most trade occupations, and a variety of ICT and hospitality occupations. You can find the full details on the NSW GOV website. Alternatively, you can book a consultation with our migration agent to discuss this in detail.
Is NSW Offshore State Sponsorship achievable?
Yes – at Visa Go Australia our clients have had great success! We have received NSW invitations for a good number of our clients, all under the subclass 190 Skilled Nominated visa. This is a permanent residency visa with full work and study rights.
Our invitations include occupations such as Social Worker, Secondary School Teacher, Hairdresser, Plumber, Electrician and Fitter.
Once invited to apply to NSW, applicants have 14 days to lodge and make payment of $300 AUD. If approved, you have 60 days to lodge a skilled visa with the Department of Home Affairs. We have had clients go through this whole process and lodge their skilled visa in as little as 1 week.
Our migration agent Darren Chatt MARN:0211214 comments, “It’s exciting to see movement for our skilled visa clients again. During the last 2 years of the Covid pandemic, offshore applicants have had extremely limited options. I encourage my clients to apply for state sponsorship opportunities which arise, as quotas are filled quickly and are not guaranteed to be offered again”.
Australia has limited quotas for migrants, and the demand far exceeds the available spaces. The skilled visa program continues to be competitive, and many states have increased their requirements over the years. Darren explains, “Securing an invitation to apply for state sponsorship and a skilled visa is a privilege. I encourage my clients to be flexible regarding their chosen Australia state, as often their preferred state does not offer sponsorship for their occupation. The risk of waiting for your state to sponsor your occupation, is that it may never happen and/or your skills assessment and EOI expire. There are large financial risks in being selective over your chosen Australian destination.”
Do I need to live in my sponsoring state?
Yes. New South Wales has nominated you because your skills are needed in their economy. In applying for sponsorship, applicants are committed to live and work in NSW for at least the first two years of their visa. NSW will contact migrants periodically with surveys to understand their experience in emigrating.
If you wish to discuss skilled migration and your state options, you can complete our free online visa assessment. Alternatively, speak directly with our migration agent by booking a consultation.
