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State Nominated Migration Program

To be granted certain skilled migration visas to live and work in Western Australia, you must be nominated (invited) by an Australian state or territory through the State Nominated Migration Program.

WA Migration Services, on behalf of the WA State Government, provides WA State nomination to eligible applicants for two visa subclasses, which gives you extra points on the Department of Home Affairs points test:

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State Nominated Migration Program

2024-25 State Nomination Migration Program

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State Nominated Migration Program

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Closure of the WA State Nominated Migration Program applications for 2023-24

State Nominated Migration Program

2023-24 SNMP program changes

State Nominated Migration Program

State Nominated Migration Program

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Boosting WA's building and construction industry through skilled migration

WA Migration Services

State nomination: Process update

Features of the 2024—25 program

 

  • no application fee;
  • equal invitation ranking for Interstate and Overseas candidates;
  • prioritised invitations for candidates with an occupation in a WA industry sector with critical demand for skilled workers; 
  • reduced employment requirements for candidates invited through a WA building and construction industry sector occupation (as classified on the WA State nomination Occupation lists); and
  • additional employment contract arrangements for General Stream: WASMOL schedule 1.

2024-25 Eligibility requirements

If you would like to be considered for an invitation for State nomination, your occupation will need to be eligible under the following streams.

These occupation lists identify occupations that are considered a priority for WA and are therefore eligible for skilled migrants through State nomination.

 

Applicants who have a nominated occupation identified on the WASMOL or the GOL may be eligible for WA State nomination using one of the following visa subclasses:

The WASMOL is available to applicants who intend to use the General stream WASMOL Schedule 1 or the General stream WASMOL Schedule 2.

Please note that the occupations identified in these streams, as detailed in the WASMOL and the GOL, do not relate to any specific job vacancies nor represent any guarantee of a job. Both lists are updated from time to time, in line with WA industry and workforce needs. 

Overview of requirements

The following table provides an overview of the 2024-25 requirements for each stream of the State nominated migration program, for each of the two eligible visa types.

Stream requirementsGeneral stream
WASMOL
Schedule 1
General stream
WASMOL
Schedule 2
Graduate
stream
Visa type190491190491190491

Meet Department of Home Affairs eligibility requirements for the intended visa subclass

see How to apply for WA State nomination, Step1: Lodge an expression of interest

​Nominated occupation is available on the relevant list
Meet minimum English requirements 
At least one year Australian or one year of overseas work experience in nominated (or closely related) occupation----
​Full time employment contract in WA for a minimum of six months in the nominated (or closely related) occupation*----
Have obtained a Certificate III level or above qualification from an accredited WA educational institution----
Meet all of the Graduate stream study requirements----

* Applicants invited through a WA building and construction industry sector occupation (as per the WA State nomination Occupation lists) do not need to have a contract of employment. 


2024-25 Stream-specific requirements

For specific details about each of these requirements for the General or the Graduate streams, please refer to the information below.

1: Nominated occupation on the relevant occupation list 

The nominated occupation identified in your skills assessment must be:

  • listed on the:
    • WASMOL Schedule 1 occupation list
  • eligible for your intended visa subclass.

View eligible occupations

2: Skills assessments

Your skills assessment must match the occupation you nominate in your EOI, and the occupation you are invited to apply for WA State nomination through.

A provisional skills assessment issued for a subclass 485 visa application cannot be considered.

 

3: Department of Home Affairs requirements

You must meet Home Affairs' requirements for your intended visa subclass, being:

4: English language requirement

To meet the English language requirement, you must meet the minimum score listed for all four components, in a single sitting of one of the Home Affairs approved English tests listed below. 

Competent English bands (test)ListeningReadingWritingSpeaking
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Including One Skill Retake (OSR)6666
Occupational English Test (OET)BBBB
Test of English as a foreign language internet-based test (TOEFL-iBT) 12132118
Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic)50505050
Cambridge C1 Advanced 169169169169
If you have a passport from the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, the United States of America or the Republic of Ireland, you don't need to sit an English test to be eligible for WA State nomination. 

British National (Overseas) passports are not acceptable as evidence of competent English.

5: Work experience requirement

You must have:

  • at least one year of Australian work experience in the nominated (or closely related) occupation over the last 10 years; or
  • at least one year of overseas work experience in the nominated (or closely related) occupation over the last 10 years.

You can only count work experience gained after you received your qualification, in paid employment, where you have worked at least 20 hours per week. 

 

Evidence of relevant work experience may include:

  • records of Payment/Payslips to demonstrate paid employment in the occupation or closely related occupation. The Record of Payment/Payslip must include the Employer’s name and ABN (or overseas equivalent), the name of the employee, the pay period, date the payment was issued, gross and net pay including any loadings, penalties or allowances, deductions and tax withheld.
  • a letter from an employer that provides evidence of employment, including the employee’s name, job title, location of employment, duties performed and period of employment and the salary/hourly rate paid to the employee. The letter must include the business details, including company name and ABN (or overseas equivalent) and name and contact details of the employer for verification purposes.


Further evidence of work experience may be requested during the application process.

6: Contract of employment 

The Contract of employment requirement is not applicable to visa 491 applicants.

From 1 July 2024, current employment, or a contract of employment for an occupation available through Schedule 1 may include a Contracted Medical Practitioner Agreement, a Private Practice partnership agreement, Locum Tenens agreement or similar employment contract.

You must have a contract of employment in your nominated (or closely related) occupation for full time employment in Western Australia, for at least six months from the date of your application for State nomination. Full time employment is defined as an average of at least 35 hours work per week. You are able to provide two contracts of employment to make up the 35 hours. The contract must include:

  • full names of both the employer and the employee;
  • start and end date (if permanent, only start date is required). The start date must be within three months of your application;
  • job title and related ANZSCO code;
  • job description;
  • terms and conditions of employment (such as salary, hours of work, leave entitlements and superannuation) which must be no less favourable than those that would apply to an Australian citizen or permanent resident doing equivalent work. If your contract does not describe your terms and conditions of employment, you can provide the enterprise agreement or industrial award for your occupation;
  • location of employment;
  • a statement that confirms “work specified in the employment contract must be performed by the employee and not contracted out to a third party”;
  • dated signatures from the employer and the employee; and
  • be drafted by the employer and not by the employee.
You will need to provide a copy of your contract as part of the State nomination application, and it must be provided as one document. 

We will also assess whether: 

  • an appropriate salary will be paid for the specified occupation, based on market salary rates;
  • the business employing you is genuine and operating in the location specified; and
  • as the employee, you will bear no financial risk and be provided with the relevant tools and equipment to successfully undertake the tasks required.

Independent contractors, self employment and sole traders

Employment contracts submitted by an independent contractor or for self-employment do not meet the above requirements and are not suitable to apply for WA State nomination. Employment contracts submitted by a sole trader will be considered in the following circumstances only:

  • the sole trader is not the stated applicant of the State nomination application; and
  • the employment contract meets all the above requirements.

View the Employment contracts(opens in a new tab) and Independent contractors(opens in a new tab) information available on the Fair Work Ombudsman or Austrade website(opens in a new tab).

1: Nominated occupation on the relevant occupation list 

The nominated occupation identified in your skills assessment must be:

  • listed on the:
    • WASMOL Schedule 2 occupation list.
  • eligible for your intended visa subclass.

View eligible occupations

2: Skills assessments

Your skills assessment must match the occupation you nominate in your EOI, and the occupation you are invited to apply for WA State nomination through.

A provisional skills assessment issued for a subclass 485 visa application cannot be considered.

 

3: Department of Home Affairs requirements

You must meet Home Affairs' requirements for your intended visa subclass, being:

4: English language requirement

To meet the English language requirement, you must meet the minimum score listed for all four components, in a single sitting of one of the Home Affairs approved English tests listed below. 

Competent English bands (test)ListeningReadingWritingSpeaking
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Including One Skill Retake (OSR)6666
Occupational English Test (OET)BBBB
Test of English as a foreign language internet-based test (TOEFL-iBT) 12132118
Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic)50505050
Cambridge C1 Advanced 169169169169
If you have a passport from the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, the United States of America or the Republic of Ireland, you don't need to sit an English test to be eligible for WA State nomination. 

British National (Overseas) passports are not acceptable as evidence of competent English.

5: Contract of employment 

The Contract of employment requirement is not applicable to visa 491 applicants, or applicants who are were invited through a WA building and construction industry sector occupation (as classified on the WA State nomination Occupation lists).

You must have a contract of employment in your nominated (or closely related) occupation for full time employment in Western Australia, for at least six months from the date of your application for State nomination. Full time employment is defined as an average of at least 35 hours work per week. You are able to provide two contracts of employment to make up the 35 hours. The contract must include:

  • full names of both the employer and the employee;
  • start and end date (if permanent, only start date is required). The start date must be within three months of your application;
  • job title and related ANZSCO code;
  • job description;
  • terms and conditions of employment (such as salary, hours of work, leave entitlements and superannuation) which must be no less favourable than those that would apply to an Australian citizen or permanent resident doing equivalent work. If your contract does not describe your terms and conditions of employment, you can provide the enterprise agreement or industrial award for your occupation;
  • location of employment;
  • a statement that confirms “work specified in the employment contract must be performed by the employee and not contracted out to a third party”;
  • dated signatures from the employer and the employee; and
  • be drafted by the employer and not by the employee.
You will need to provide a copy of your contract as part of the State nomination application, and it must be provided as one document. 

We will also assess whether: 

  • an appropriate salary will be paid for the specified occupation, based on market salary rates;
  • the business employing you is genuine and operating in the location specified; and
  • as the employee, you will bear no financial risk and be provided with the relevant tools and equipment to successfully undertake the tasks required.

Independent contractors, self employment and sole traders

Employment contracts submitted by an independent contractor or for self-employment do not meet the above requirements and are not suitable to apply for WA State nomination. Employment contracts submitted by a sole trader will be considered in the following circumstances only:

  • the sole trader is not the stated applicant of the State nomination application; and
  • the employment contract meets all the above requirements.

View the Employment contracts(opens in a new tab) and Independent contractors(opens in a new tab) information available on the Fair Work Ombudsman or Austrade website(opens in a new tab).

1: Nominated occupation on the relevant occupation list 

The nominated occupation identified in your skills assessment must be listed on the Graduate stream occupation list and eligible for your intended visa subclass.

View eligible occupations(opens in a new tab)

2: Skills assessments

Your skills assessment must match the occupation you nominate in your EOI, and the occupation you are invited to apply for WA State nomination through.

A provisional skills assessment issued for a subclass 485 visa application cannot be considered.

3: Department of Home Affairs requirements

You must meet Home Affairs' requirements for your intended visa subclass, being:

4: English language requirement

To meet the English language requirement, you must meet the minimum score listed for all four components, in a single sitting of one of the Home Affairs approved English tests listed below. 

Competent English bands (test)ListeningReadingWritingSpeaking
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) including One SKill Retake (OSR)6666
Occupational English Test (OET)BBBB
Test of English as a foreign language internet-based test (TOEFL-iBT) 12132118
Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic)50505050
Cambridge C1 Advanced 169169169169
If you have a passport from the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, the United States of America or the Republic of Ireland, you don't need to sit an English test to be eligible for WA State nomination. 

British National (Overseas) passports are not acceptable as evidence of competent English.

5: Study requirements

To meet the study requirements you must be able to demonstrate that you meet the following five study components:

  • gained at least one qualification (at the levels listed below) in WA; and
  • studied in WA:
    • at an accredited WA educational institution; and
    • full time; and
    • in a face to face learning environment (on campus study); and
    • for a period of at least two academic years.

 

Qualifications

You will need to have gained at least one of the following qualifications from a WA educational institution that meets the accreditation requirements (outlined below) at the time of your study.

  • a university or higher education qualification.
    • a PhD or Masters degree;
    • higher degree (Bachelor Honours Degree, Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma); or
    • Bachelor.

and/or

  • a vocational education and training (VET) qualification at a Certificate III level or above.

You can use study from different WA qualifications to make up the two-year study requirement component.

Study gained through an English language program can be used to meet the study requirement, if you have also gained at least one of the qualifications listed above.

 

WA Educational Institution accreditation requirements

The WA Educational institution/s where you completed your studies must have:

  • been accredited at the time of your studies; and
  • a campus in WA where students study full time, on campus, through face to face delivery.

To be considered accredited, the educational institution (including providers of English language programs) must be: 

In addition: 

Please refer to our list of WA accredited educational institutions below, for further information.

 

Full time study

The educational institution determines whether a course is full time or part time based on the number of subjects a student studies per semester / trimester.

If study from your full time course was completed at a reduced study load, you will need to provide evidence demonstrating:

  • this was approved by your awarding education provider; and
  • details of the advanced standing or recognition of prior learning used to reduce your study load.

Credits, advanced standing or recognition of prior learning for study completed outside of Western Australia can not be used to meet the WA State nomination study requirements.

Face-to-Face

An environment where a teacher and class of students meet for group learning, on campus, at a set time in a set place is considered face-to-face learning.

For the purpose of WA State nomination, study used to meet the face-to-face study requirement component must be completed on campus, in WA.

Online study is not eligible unless you were required to complete some of your studies online due to COVID-19 (between 1 February 2020 to 25 November 2023). In this case, you will need to show evidence that you were enrolled as an onshore WA student during this period. 

 

Two years of academic study

You must complete a minimum two year period of academic study in WA, contributing to the completion of one or more qualification/s to meet the two year study requirement component.

Credits, advanced standing or recognition of prior learning for study completed outside of Western Australia cannot be used to meet the WA State nomination study requirements.

The onus is on the applicant to provide evidence to show two years of living and studying in WA. Additionally, the awarding institution must have met the accreditation requirements.

 

Evidence required 

You will need to provide the following evidence:

  • award certificate/s;
  • a record of your results, such as transcript/s or a statement of attainment showing two years full time study in WA; and
  • a letter from your education provider confirming your study duration and study load, start and completion date. If you studied at multiple institutions, to fulfil the two-year study requirement, a letter must be provided from each education provider. 

 

If you were studying under an Australian student visa, you will also need to provide confirmation of enrolment/s (COEs) and/or student visa grant notice for the duration of your two years of WA study.

The applicant must confirm their enrolling educational institution is considered an accredited provider at the time of study.

If your institution is not listed below, you can search on the training.gov.au website(opens in a new tab) or TEQSA website(opens in a new tab) to see if it was accredited at the time of your studies.

Listed below are the current WA accredited educational institutions with a WA campus, and whether they are accredited as an English language program provider (ELP); or for vocational education and training (VET); higher education (HE); or university (U).

CRICOS
number
Institution trading name/sAccreditationWebsite
  ELPVETHEU 
02398AAcademies Australasia Institute   academies.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
00958AAlphacrucis College   ac.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03782GAMA College   amacollege.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03703MApeiro Institute   apeiro.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
02645BAustralia-International Institute of Workplace Training   aiwt.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
02813BAustralasian Academy of Cosmetic Dermal Science    aacds.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
02813BAustralian College of Beauty Therapy   nicheeducation.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03375MAustralian College of Christian Studies Ltd  ccs.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03800KAustralian College of Management and Innovation Pty Ltd   acmi.wa.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
02813BAustralian College of Specialist Makeup   nicheeducation.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
02650EAustralian College of Theology   actheology.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03402BAustralian Institute of Language and Further Education  ailfe.wa.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
02491DAustralian National Institute of Management and Commerce   imc.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03255GAustralian Professional Skills Institute    apsi.wa.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03437BAustralian Technical College Western Australia   atc.wa.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03691KAustralian Tertiary Institute    atiaus.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03522EBabel International College (WA)  bic.wa.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
00463BCanning College   canningcollege.wa.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03057CCollege of Sports & Fitness   csf.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
02042GCurtin College   curtincollege.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
00301JCurtin University  curtin.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
02899BDNA Kingston Training   dnakingstontraining.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
01312JEdith Cowan College   edithcowancollege.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
00279BEdith Cowan University   ecu.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
02925EEducation Training and Employment Australia    etea.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
01070MEF International Language Schools    ef-australia.com.au(opens in a new tab)
03275DEmpyrean Education Institute   eei.wa.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
00231GEndeavour College of Natural Health, College of Natural Beauty, FIAFitnation  endeavour.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03567CEngineering Institute of Technology Pty Ltd   eit.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
02898CEverthought College of Construction    everthought.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03564FGlobal College Australasia   globalcollege.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03407GInstitute of Health & Management Pty Ltd   ihm.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03386GInstitute of Health and Nursing Australia   ihna.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03345FInternational Institute of Business and Technology Australia    iibt.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03594MInternational Institute of Planning and Management   iipm.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
02426BKaplan Business School Pty Ltd  kbs.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03425FKeystone College of Business and Technology  kcbt.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
02543GKingston International College   kingstoncollege.wa.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
02139JLanguage Links    languagelinks.wa.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03636FLead College Pty Ltd   leadcollege.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03274ELexis English Perth   lexisenglish.com(opens in a new tab)
03459GLexis TESOL Training Centres   lexis-training.com(opens in a new tab)
03468FMacallan College Pty Ltd  macallan.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
00061JMilner International College of English   milner.wa.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03127EMurdoch College  murdochcollege.edu.au (opens in a new tab)
00125JMurdoch University   murdoch.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
00289MNavitas English    navitasenglish.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03420MNIT Australia   nitaustralia.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03733EOpen Colleges School of Health   opencolleges.edu.au/school-of-health(opens in a new tab)
03802GPal Education   majorblueair.com.au(opens in a new tab)
00986GPerth Bible College    pbc.wa.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03282EPerth College of Beauty Therapy   perthcollege.com.au(opens in a new tab)
03051JPerth College Of Business and Technology Pty Ltd  pcbt.wa.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
02368GPerth International College of English   pice.com.au(opens in a new tab)
00066DPhoenix Academy  phoenix.wa.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
00312FSAE Creative Media Institute  sae.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03391MSheridan College Inc   sheridan.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03548FSkills Australia Institute   skillsaustralia.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03328GSkills Institute Australia  skills.qld.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
01241GSouthern Cross University    scu.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03047EStanley College stanleycollege.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
01701GSterling Business College    gillscollege.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
00197DStott's Colleges, Australian Surf Industry Training School, Front Cooking School, Melbourne Language Centre, Affectors Academy acknowledgeeducation.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03376KSwan Institute Australia  swan.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
02948JSydney College of Divinity    scd.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
00020GTAFE International Western Australia  tafeinternational.wa.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03016ATaylor Weir School of Hairdressing   taylorweir.com.au(opens in a new tab)
01032FThe University of Notre Dame Australia  nd.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
00126GThe University of Western Australia  uwa.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03721JTi Education and Training Pty Ltd   tieducation.com.au(opens in a new tab)
02200JVictory Life International Bible Training Centre   vlibtc.wa.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
02471GWestern Australian Aviation College   waaviationcollege.com.au(opens in a new tab)
03548FWestern Australia College international   skillsaustralia.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
03997CWestin College   westincollege.com.au(opens in a new tab)
03188CWest Australian Institute of Further Studies   waifs.wa.edu.au(opens in a new tab)
02123FYWAM Training Perth   ywamperth.org.au(opens in a new tab)

How to apply for 2024-25 WA State nomination

Please note that to be eligible for an invitation in the WA State Nominated Migration Program, you must meet both: 

Before starting your application, you will need to check whether your occupation is available on either the WA Skilled migration occupation list (WASMOL) Schedule 1 or 2, or the Graduate occupation list.

 

Current processing time for applications is 28 working days.

State Nomination Migration Program

SkillSelect is Home Affairs online platform that enables skilled workers to express interest in applying for a skilled migration visa, to live and work in Australia. Lodging an expression of interest (EOI) through SkillSelect is the first step. Your EOI must include the following details.

Please check the accuracy of the information entered in your EOI on SkillSelect. The information provided in your EOI will be examined and verified by WA Migration Services. If you provide false or misleading information as part of your State nomination application, your application may be declined. Read the Terms and conditions for more information

If your EOI is amended during the application process, resulting in a reduction of your points score, evidence must be provided to substantiate the points claimed in your EOI.

You will need to provide documents to support your WA State nomination application, to show you meet the WA State nomination criteria.

WA residency evidence

Applicants receiving a prioritised invitation based on residing in Western Australia must be able to substantiate this claim by providing evidence such as a residential property lease agreement, bank or mortgage statement, insurance policies, registration or driver's licence renewal notice.

 

Document verification

Verification checks will be undertaken for the documents provided by applicants during the application and assessment process. This includes contacting employers and institutions directly to confirm information and documents provided are genuine.

 

Applicants who provide false or misleading information may have their application declined. The Department of Training and Workforce Development may also report false and misleading information to the Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs.

The documents you provide must be valid at the time you lodge your WA State nomination application. Read the Terms and conditions for more information.

Documents that have passed their expiry date are not valid.    

 

The onus is on the applicant to ensure their documents meet Home Affairs requirements for the Visa application process.

Any documents you submit should be high quality copies of the original.

Once the assessment of your application begins, you may be asked to provide further information by email.

WA Migration Services reviews EOIs that have been submitted through SkillSelect, and invites eligible applicants to apply for State nomination based on the WA State nomination criteria(PDF document - opens in a new tab)[PDF 316 KB]

If you are eligible for an invitation through multiple streams, you will receive an invitation for each stream you are eligible for. However, you will only be able to lodge one application for State nomination through your chosen stream. If multiple EOIs are ranked at the same level, invitations will be issued based on the EOI submission date.

If your EOI indicates you are seeking State nomination for both the subclass 190 and subclass 491 visa, you will generally be invited for the subclass 491 visa in the first instance. This is because you will generally have a higher EOI points score for this visa. 

You will not receive multiple invitations for WA State Nomination through the same EOI. If you receive an invitation that then lapses, is withdraw or declined, you must lodge a new EOI to be considered for a future invitation.

Read more about our invitation rounds

If you are invited by WA Migration Services to apply for State nomination, you will receive an email with a link to the application form. 

To submit your application, you must read and agree to the terms and conditions.

If you lodge an application for WA State nomination, you are agreeing to work, live and settle in Western Australia.

You have 28 days to complete your application.

To be approved, your application must meet the WA State nomination criteria, which includes additional requirements depending on your intended stream. You will be notified of the outcome of your application via email.

View the criteria for WA State nomination here

If an applicant has been nominated for any skilled subclass (either 190 or 491), they cannot be nominated again in the same program year.

If your State nomination application is approved, WA Migration Services will nominate you in SkillSelect and you will then receive an invitation from Home Affairs to lodge an application for your intended visa.

Please note that State nomination does not guarantee your visa application will be granted.

If you are invited to apply for your intended visa, you can lodge your application through Home Affairs' online service IMMI.

Find out more about IMMI here(opens in a new tab)

You have 60 days to complete your visa application.

Home Affairs will assess your visa application against specific requirements.

Your visa application will only be granted if all requirements are met.

If your visa is granted, you will then be required to meet your long term commitments to living and working in WA. For people not yet residing in WA, this includes:

  • moving to WA within three months of receiving your visa, and complying with applicable border rules at the time;
  • registering your arrival with WA Migration Services;
  • living and working in WA for two years upon arrival; and
  • completing surveys upon request, for this two year period.

For people already residing in WA, this includes:

  • registering your visa grant date with WA Migration Services;
  • living and working in WA for two years following your visa grant; and 
  • completing surveys upon request, for this two year period.
     

Applicants have the opportunity to request a review of their WA State nomination outcome.

To request a review, please complete the Request for Review of Decision​​ form below and email it to migration@dtwd.wa.gov.au

All review requests must be submitted to WA Migration Services within 14 calendar days of the date of the email advising your WA State nomination outcome.

2024-25 Eligible occupations

Here you can check whether your occupation is listed and eligible for your intended visa subclass and stream.

For the purpose of WA State nomination, occupations have been classified into ‘WA Industry sectors’.

 

2024-25 Invitation rounds

Invitations for WA State nomination are anticipated to be issued each month. The number of invitations issued each month may vary depending on the number of applications being processed by WA Migration Services. If you are invited, WA Migration Services will contact you via email with a link to the State nomination application form. 

Future invitations

Having an eligible EOI does not guarantee you will receive an invitation for State nomination. To receive an invitation in a future round, please ensure that:

Please note that WA Migration Services does not provide feedback on individual EOIs that have not received an invitation.

Information for Authorised Migration Representatives

Authorised Migration Representatives must include their full contact details in applications for State nomination. 

An email address is not sufficient. Full contact details are required. 

WA Migration Services is unable to discuss the details of an application with representatives who are not listed on an application.

Yes. Applicants must meet all the additional criteria for State nomination.

Please ensure applicants read and understand the criteria for State nomination prior to lodging an application.

Authorised Migration Representatives are able to amend their existing contact details on an application.

However, if no representative details were provided at the time of application lodgement, they cannot be added at a later date.

You should upload relevant documents when completing the State nomination application form. Your client’s information is available through their expression of interest in SkillSelect

If you have completed the application but wish to submit additional documents, these can be emailed to WA Migration Services: migration@dtwd.wa.gov.au.

SNMP Frequently asked questions

Yes. If you receive an invitation to apply for State nomination and you are affected by a Section 48 bar, you can proceed with an application.

State Nominated Migration Program

If your expression of interest (EOI) is amended during the application process, resulting in a reduction of your points score and/or ranking, evidence must be provided to substantiate the points claimed in your EOI.

State Nominated Migration Program

If, due to COVID-19, you were required to complete some of your studies online, you will need to show evidence that you were still enrolled as an onshore Western Australian student during this period.

State Nominated Migration Program

You may be eligible for the graduate stream if you gained a Certificate III level or above VET qualification in Western Australia and have completed two years study in Western Australia at an accredited Western Australian educational institution.

For further details, view our Graduate stream requirements information

State Nominated Migration Program

You will need to provide the following:

  • award certificate/s;
  • a record of your results, such as transcript/s or a statement of attainment showing two years full time study in Western Australia; and
  • a letter from your education provider confirming your study duration, study load, and your start and completion date. If you studied at multiple education providers to fulfil the two year study requirement, a letter must be provided from each education provider.

If you were studying under an Australian student visa, you will also need to provide:

  • confirmation of enrolment/s (COEs) and/or student visa grant notice for the duration of your two years of Western Australian study; and
  • if any study from your full-time course was completed at a reduced study load, evidence demonstrating this was approved by your awarding education provider. Study completed at a reduced study load due to credits for study completed outside of Western Australia is not eligible.

The education provider determines whether a course is full time or part time. The onus is on the applicant to provide evidence to show two years of living and studying in Western Australia.

State Nominated Migration Program

We can provide you with information about the State nomination application process and criteria, but we cannot help you with your application or provide migration advice.

To find an Authorised Migration Representative, visit the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) website(opens in a new tab).​ or the Law Council of Australia's website(opens in a new tab).

State Nominated Migration Program

The processing time is for a 'decision ready' application. Decision ready means that you have provided all the documentation required for WA Migration Services to complete an assessment.

If WA Migration Services asks for more information, then your application is not decision ready until all information is provided. This may delay the processing of your application.

Once your application is decision ready, it will be assessed and a final outcome will be issued within the advertised processing time.

State Nominated Migration Program

You will need to provide a scanned copy of your employment contract when you lodge your State nomination application. It must be for full time employment in your nominated (or closely related) occupation for the required duration. If applicable through the General stream, the contract must be for at least six (6) months.

Full time employment is an average of at least 35 hours per week and you can provide two contracts to meet this requirement.

The contract must include:

  1. full names of ​both the employer and the employee;
  2. job title and related ANZSCO code;
  3. contract start date and end date (if permanent, only start date is required). It must state either 'full time permanency' or 'full time fixed term contract' with an end date. The start date must be within three months of your application date, if you have not yet started working;
  4. job description of the work to be performed by the employee;
  5. the terms and conditions of employment (include the position's salary, hours of work, leave entitlements, superannuation, among other things) that are no less favourable than those that would apply to an Australian citizen or permanent resident doing equivalent work;
  6. location of employment;
  7. a statement that the work specified in the employment contract must be perform​ed by the employee and not contracted out to a third party;
  8. a signed and dated employment contract by the employer and employee and provided as one document; and
  9. must be drafted by the employer and not by the employee.
State Nominated Migration Program

You will need a contract of full time employment in Western Australia with a minimum of six months remaining on your contract at the time you apply for State nomination. This contract must be in your nominated (or closely related) occupation. 

For example, if you apply for State nomination through the General stream (and require a six month contract) on 1 January 2023, your employment contract end date must not be before 1 July 2023

State Nominated Migration Program

The employment contract must show an agreement between the employer and employee and set out the terms and conditions of employment. Factors taken into consideration may include: 

  • a minimum salary is being paid;
  • the business employing you is genuine and operational in the location specified;
  • the job will be completed by you and not contracted out to a third party; and
  • as the employee you will bear no financial risk and be provided with the relevant tools and equipment to successfully undertake the tasks required.

Employment contracts submitted by an Independent contractor or those which demonstrate self employment do not meet the above requirements and are not suitable to be submitted when applying for WA State nomination.

Employment contracts submitted by a sole trader will be considered in the following circumstances only:

  • the sole trader is not the stated applicant of the State nomination application; and
  • the employment contract meets all the State's employment contract requirements.

View the Employment contracts(opens in a new tab) and Independent contractors(opens in a new tab) information available on the Fair Work Ombudsman or Austrade website(opens in a new tab)

State Nominated Migration Program

WA Migration Services will consider evidence that demonstrates the stated salary was determined in accordance with:

  • a relevant industrial award; or
  • relevant enterprise agreement.

The evidence provided must clearly specify the relevant salary level, occupation and entitlements that apply to your employment contract.

State Nominated Migration Program

To be considered an accredited university or higher education provider, it must have met the below requirements at the time of your studies:

Current approved universities with a Western Australian campus are:

  • Central Queensland University;
  • Curtin University;
  • Edith Cowan University;
  • Murdoch University;
  • Southern Cross University;
  • University of Notre Dame Australia; and
  • University of Western Australia.

To be considered an accredited VET provider it must have met the below requirements at the time of your studies:

To be considered an accredited provider of English language programs, it must have met the below requirements at the time of your studies:

Your expression of interest must include the suburb and post code of your Western Australian educational institution campus where you completed your study. 

For a list of all currently accredited educational institutions please view the information about SNMP eligibility requirements here

 

State Nominated Migration Program

All students studying in Australia with an Australian training organisation will be able to access their Unique Student Identifier (USI)(opens in a new tab)

You will be able to access your WA study results through USI.

State Nominated Migration Program

You must have:

  • at least one year of Australian work experience in the nominated (or closely related) occupation over the last 10 years; or
  • at least one year of overseas work experience in the nominated (or closely related) occupation over the last 10 years.

Closely related means that the occupation shares the first four digits of the ANZSCO code.
You can only count work experience gained post qualification, in paid employment, where you have worked at least 20 hours per week. 

A professional year or work placement will not be considered for the purposes of State nomination, unless it meets the above requirements.
Further evidence of work experience may be requested during the application process, such as a skills assessment, employment contract or payslips may be requested during the State nomination application process.

If you are providing payslips, please enter the details into the payslip template (PDF document - opens in a new tab)[PDF 1 MB]and provide this as part of your application. 

State Nominated Migration Program

Invitations are issued to those with the highest ranking expression of interest, which includes ranking based on highest points score.

If you are eligible for an invitation for both visa subclasses, you generally receive an invitation for the subclass 491 visa in the first instance, as you receive more points for State nomination for this visa.

State Nominated Migration Program

As there are only a few invitations issued for 'under review' occupations, you may not be invited to apply for State nomination.

To keep yourself informed of your occupation's status, visit our WA State nomination page

State Nominated Migration Program

If your occupation is listed as 'available' and you meet the relevant criteria, you may be invited to lodge an application for State nomination.    

State Nominated Migration Program

If an occupation becomes available, this information will be published on the Migration WA website

State Nominated Migration Program

State nominated visa holders who intend to relocate to another state or territory should email WA Migration Services​.

You are required to complete and return a short questionnaire stating your reasons for leaving Western Australia.

Following relocation, you are required to advise WA Migration Services of your new contact details so that you can continue to be included in our post-arrival survey.

State Nominated Migration Program

All required documents must be submitted before your application has been finalised. You cannot submit additional documents after your application has been declined.

State Nominated Migration Program

Yes. To be granted State nomination, you signed an agreement with the Government of Western Australia and as part of this agreement you agreed to complete a survey every six months for a period of 24 months.

State Nominated Migration Program

If you are having problems with the online application system you can call WA Migration Services during office hours, Monday to Friday 8.30 am – 4.00 pm (WST).

Our contact details are here

Please state your name, reference number (if applicable) and the problem you encountered while trying to lodge your application.
State Nominated Migration Program

You are free to apply for the subclass 189 visa. 

If you do so, your application for State nomination will be declined, as we are no longer able to assess your application, because the Department of Home Affairs has locked access to your expression of interest in the SkillSelect database.

State Nominated Migration Program

No. Applicants with an occupation requiring licensing or registration are advised to contact the relevant occupational licensing or registering body to verify their suitability for licensing or registration.

Further information is available on our State nomination page

State Nominated Migration Program

WA Migration Services may consider re-inviting applicants for WA State nomination. 

Please email WA Migration Services(opens in a new tab) if you would like further information regarding this process. 
State Nominated Migration Program