Today the Tasmanian government released a migration program update in regards to its nominations for the Skilled Nomination 190 and Skilled Work Regional 491 visas.
The Tasmanian government announced that all new and existing applications for the 190 and 491 visas would be considered according to new priorities, that take effect from today, 25 August, at 1 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time. In light of the COVID pandemic, critical and essential occupations take precedence and applicants applying under these occupations will be processed first. Applicants who are not in critical roles will only be considered only after prioritised processing concludes.
The government says that no decisions will be made on applications for non-critical occupations until October or later, and only those applicants with the most compelling claims will be selected. They have specified that the expiry of your visa will not be considered as a compelling reason and will not grant your application priority.
To be considered as having a critical role, the applicant must demonstrate that their nomination would generally benefit economic recovery in Tasmania. To name a few, critical roles include those that:
- Directly assist Tasmania’s COVID-19 response and are directly engaged by the Tasmanian Government
- Provide critical or specialist medical services or delivering medical supplies associated with the COVID-19 response
- Directly involve in the supply of essential goods and services such as medical technology, critical infrastructure, telecommunications, engineering and mining, supply chain logistics, agricultural technology, food production, and the maritime industry
Applicants must provide a letter from their employer clearly explaining how their role is critical
In addition, Tasmania will accept new applications from people employed in health and allied health occupations including in private or non-profit sectors. Senior support workers enrolled nurse has registered nurses in age disability and community care for people who are minimum diploma qualified.
- Applicants must also show that their roles are genuine, ongoing and has a meaningful contribution to the Tasmanian economy. Supporting claims for this may include:
- Employment in highly-skilled, hard to fill roles
- High-value skills or experience not readily found in the local community
- Long-term high-value financial contribution to the local economy leading to additional employment outcomes for locals
- Involvement in Tasmanian business or enterprise that is significantly reliant on the applicant’s ongoing presence in Tasmania
- A clear, plausible potential to live in Tasmania and contribute to the development of skills which are needed in Tasmania.
The government is offering a refund to those who have already applied but do not think they will be covered by these new priorities. Applicants who do not meet these new requirements may apply after October when the allocations have been made in the Federal budget.
This news will be heartbreaking for most International students studying in Tasmania and we can only hope things will get back to normal after October.
We are open and here for you! If you need advice, we offer Skype, Zoom and phone consultations. Call +(02) 8054 2537, 0434 890 199 or book online today to speak to our migration specialists.
