The Federal Government of Australia has reduced the skilled visa allocations in all the states by more than 50 per cent. Take for example, Western Australia’s skilled migration allocation for the 2022-23 year was just over 8,000 places; this number is now just 2,350 places in 2023-24.
Several aspiring candidates depend on an Australian state to sponsor them. In order to receive a state nominated visa, such as the subclass 190 Skilled Nominated visa or the subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa, applicants must be invited by the state or territory they wish to live and work in. Applicants must have an occupation on the relevant state or territory’s skilled occupation list and satisfy the requirements of a skills assessment.
The subclass 190 visa allows migrants to live permanently in Australia and apply for Australian citizenship. The subclass 491 visa allows successful applicants to live in Australia for 5 years, work in a designated regional area with no restrictions on the number of hours worked and then be eligible to live permanently in the country.
It is unclear whether this reduced allocation of places is a preliminary allocation, or if more places should be expected later in the year.
Stay tuned in for more information and updates.