Registered Migration Australia

Licensing and/or Professional Associations

In many occupations you must be registered with or obtain a license from a local authority in the state or territory where you want to practise your occupation. Contact the local authority in your relevant state or territory to enquire about the licensing or registration requirements. It may benefit to become a member of a relevant industry association for your occupation which could help with your employment and visa application prospects.

Legal Disclaimer

This website is a public resource of general information which is intended, but not promised or guaranteed, to be complete, accurate, and up-to-date. This website is not intended to provide legal advice, and therefore, does not invite or create an attorney-client relationship. Visitors to this website should not act, or refrain from acting, based upon any information available via this website, and should always seek the advice of competent counsel in the relevant jurisdiction. Nothing in this website is to be considered as either creating an attorney-client relationship between the reader and Registered Migration Australia or as rendering legal advice for any specific matter. Readers are responsible for obtaining such advice from their own legal counsel. Registered Migration Australia expressly disclaims any and all liability with regard to actions taken or not taken based upon the content of this website.

State nomination

Question: "Why has State nomination finished in the place I wanted to work?"

State and Territory governments may nominate people who have an occupation that is in demand in their particular State or Territory. These occupations are found in Lists which are usually called State and Territory Migration Plans. Under these plans, the States/Territories must specify the occupations and planning levels for approval by the Department, and substantiate these with job market research. These plans change on a regular basis and may specify minimum requirements for work experience, English language ability and funds available for settlement. In particular, it is common for the quota for certain occupations to be filled quite quickly. Due to a large number of applications, processing times for State/Territory nomination applications have been increasing.

Each State/Territory has a different application process. The following websites provide further information:

NSW: see http://www.business.nsw.gov.au/live-and-work-in-nsw;
Victoria: see http://www.liveinvictoria.vic.gov.au;
WA: see http://www.migration.wa.gov.au;
Queensland: see http://migration.qld.gov.au;
NT: see http://www.migration.nt.gov.au;
SA: see http://www.migration.sa.gov.au;
Tasmania: see http://www.migration.tas.gov.au;
ACT: see http://www.business.act.gov.au.

STATE NOMINATION

Question: "Is it possible to change my preferred work location during the State nomination process?"

No, it is not possible to change from one State or Territory to another during visa processing. Separately, it is not possible to swap from a subclass 189 to a subclass 190 visa or 885 to 886 visa during processing by providing a State nomination after lodgement.

It is however not necessary for a person to be nominated by a State or Territory government before they lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) under SkillSelect. Once nomination is obtained, the person may specify the nomination by updating their details in the EOI. This is likely to lead to an invitation to apply for a subclass 190 or 489 visa.

Bridging visa Work rights

Question:"Can I work on my bridging visa?"

Generally if the substantive visa you held at the time of application had work restrictions on it, the bridging visa will have the same restrictions. However:

conditions 8106, 8109 and 8110 cannot be applied to a BVA, even if those conditions were on the substantive visa;
applicants for a Graduate–Skilled (Temporary) visa, a Skilled-Independent Overseas Student visa and a Skilled-Australian-sponsored Overseas Student visa, will have full work rights even if their substantive visa had work restrictions attached to it, as will certain applicants for a Skilled–Independent Regional (Provisional) visa, a Skilled (Provisional) visa and a Skilled (Residence) visa; and
a BVA granted without application will not have any work restrictions.

The holder of a BVA granted on the basis of a substantive visa application made when they held a substantive visa can obtain the right to work (or right to work without restriction) but they will have to apply for a new bridging visa with work rights and show a ‘compelling need to work’.

ANZSCO Occupation List Downloads (opens in a new window)

work visa q&a

Due to the nature of Migration Law, Policy and Regulations it is advised to contact us first before proceeding with any of the following advice.

Information provided on this page was accurate at the time of publishing.