The Northern Territory’s Offshore General Stream has just updated its list, with no major changes.
From what I can see, the occupation that was lodged most often last year but has been removed this year is FIA. Contract Administrator, Project Administrator, and Marketing Specialist are all still on the list — though there are no additional additions either.
In image two, I’ve highlighted the occupations with the larger application volumes.
For these occupations, state nomination is almost a dead end elsewhere — you can’t even lodge. This year, only Victoria’s full list allows lodgement; Canberra has also removed quite a few, and whether an invitation follows is another matter. The NT, by contrast, took everyone last year — if you lodged, you waited and got invited. That’s why I say the NT offshore 491 is the village’s only hope.
I won’t go on about engineering, medical, education, and the trades — there are opportunities for those everywhere.
This year’s NT offshore 491 General Stream policy is unchanged — it’s straightforward:
- 2 years of relevant experience in the past 5 years (post-qualification)
- A skills assessment
- English at four 6s
- 50 points on your own (EOI becomes 50+15)
and you can lodge.
For the NT, you pay the application fee at the time of lodgement — whether you’re invited or not, it is non-refundable. Last year, everyone we lodged for was invited; some DIY applicants were refused and asked me whether they could argue their case, but I couldn’t help — a real pity.
Last year, this NT stream closed completely within less than a week of opening, and was even briefly shut after just 24 or 48 hours because of the flood of applicants. This year, a lot of people are watching this stream — it’s bound to be even more intense than last year. If you have your skills assessment and English in hand, get ready fast.
