From 1 December 2021, Subclass 485 Graduate Work visa and Subclass 500 Student visa holders can enter Australia directly without an exemption (for details, see:Breaking news! From 1 December this year, holders of Subclass 485/491/500 and other visas overseas can return to Australia without an exemption!). Those who planned ahead have already booked their flights! For those who had previously settled in Canberra but were stranded in China for over two years — whether international students, recent graduates, workers, or those on a working holiday — after two long years, you can finally return and prepare your Canberra state nomination application.
The ACT Governmentwasted no time, once news of the border reopening broke, in researching and announcinga compensation policy for former Canberra residents and students stranded overseas, which amounts to an“amnesty”for everyone overseas — and yes, this applies to more than just Canberra international students.
Compensation for Canberra Residence Points
Scenario 1:
RequirementsIf you were settled in Canberra before 1 February 2020 and are considered a former Canberra resident (“ you were residing in Canberra”), departed Australia before 1 February 2020, and have since been stranded overseas for an extended period, your entire time overseas may count towards Canberra residence.
The visa you held while residing in Canberra is unrestricted —it can be Subclass 500/485/462/417/407/600 or others
Definition of a Canberra resident:The state government does not impose a mandatory minimum length of time for which you must have been settled there,which means state officials retain a degree of discretion,so here are a few examples for reference:
Example: Person A studied a 3-year undergraduate degree at the Australian National University and had been living and studying in Canberra for over 2 years before 1 February 2020. During that time, they had a long-distance partner in Sydney and would visit on weekends, and returned to China before the pandemic and remained stranded —being classified as a Canberra resident in this scenario is entirely reasonable.
Example: Person B came to Australia on a Working Holiday (Subclass 462) visa, worked and lived in Sydney for over six months, then moved to Canberra just 2 months before the pandemic for a work opportunity —in this scenario, the state government would likely need to take other factors into account — such as whether the applicant owned property in Canberra, had a partner there, or continued working remotely for a Canberra employer after returning home
Example: Person C completed a postgraduate degree at the University of Sydney, living and studying there for over 2 years. Before the pandemic, having heard that Canberra had favourable policies, they relocated to Canberra to start fresh — but within less than 2 months, they went home for the Lunar New Year and could not return, remaining stranded —in this scenario, because the time spent in Canberra before departure was too short, the state government may not consider them a former Canberra resident
Scenario 2:
If you were not previously in Canberra,but enrolled in a Canberra higher education programme from 1 February 2020 onwards and attended online from overseas, your Canberra residence may be counted from the day your enrolled course commenced
Example: If Person D began a Canberra course from overseas in July 2021 and entered Australia before 1 March 2022 —they can claim Canberra residence points from July 2020 through to 31 January 2022.
Compensation for Overseas Online Study Points
If you enrolled in a Canberra higher education course from 1 February 2020 onwards but remained overseas and attended online, you can still claim points for local Canberra study.
In other words, students will not lose all or any part of their Canberra study points simply because they were overseas,and here are a few more examples for reference:
Example: If Person E returned to China in January 2020 and could not re-enter due to the pandemic, studied from overseas until graduating in July 2021, and entered Australia before 1 February 2022 —they can claim 2 years of Canberra study points, as well as Canberra residence points from 1 February 2020 to 31 January 2022.
Example: Person F began a three-year undergraduate degree at the Australian National University in August 2020. With the border remaining closed, they studied entirely online from China, had never visited Canberra, and planned to arrive in January 2022 —during the period of studying online from China,study points can still be accumulated
Both compensation policies can be applied simultaneously — no problem!
For this amnesty policy, themost important prerequisite is: youon or before 1 March 2022mustreturn to and reside in Canberra
In short!
Canberra is calling you back to apply for state nomination!
If you’d like to find out more about these compensation policies,
feel free to contact us directly.
However, former Canberra residents currently overseas who are preparing to return must still meet the mandatory language, residence, work, and skills assessment requirements for a Canberra state nomination application.
So let’s take a look at
the latest ACT state nomination policies
Compared to when Australia closed its borders in early 2020, Canberra’s state nomination policies have changed somewhat over the past two years. The Canberra occupation list no longer distinguishes between an Open List and a Closed List — it is now a unified ACT Critical List, from which applicants can apply for either Subclass 190 or Subclass 491 nomination, depending on the upfront work duration requirement and their Matrix score.
Current mandatory preconditions for Canberra state nomination
190 Nomination:
– 6 months of Canberra residence
– 6 months of full-time work in Canberra (35 hours per week); job-relevant work experience is not mandatory
– ANZSCO Skill Level 1–2 occupations: IELTS 7 in each band or PTE 65 in each communicative skill (except cooks)
– Occupation skills assessment must be on the ACT Critical List
– EOI score of at least 65 points
491 Nomination:
– 3 months of Canberra residence
– 3 months of part-time work in Canberra (20 hours per week); job-relevant work experience is not mandatory
– ANZSCO Skill Level 1–2 occupations: IELTS 7 in each band or PTE 65 in each communicative skill (except cooks)
– Occupation skills assessment must be on the ACT Critical List
– EOI score of at least 65 points
Recent Invitation Rounds
Once the state nomination preconditions are met, the state government invites applicants in order of Matrix submission score from highest to lowest — the followinginvitation scores from the past three monthsare shown in the chart below (click to enlarge if unclear):
Although Canberra has issued invitations by occupation category since August 2020 — with different cap allocations per occupation meaning that the number of invitees and the invitation scores vary each round —since August 2021, the invitation scores for all occupations other than accounting have converged to roughly the same level.
Currently, because Subclass 190 allocation places are limited, Subclass 190 scores are comparatively high — over the past three months, the minimum invitation score for non-accounting occupations has been 90 points.
Subclass 491 places are in good supply, with invitation scores for non-accounting occupations consistently at 65 points — highly recommended for those seeking a faster pathway. For accounting, the Subclass 190 invitation score is typically around 110 points, and Subclass 491 is typically around 95 points, with a minimum of 90 in one round.
The overall Canberra state nomination allocation for the 2022 financial year has increased from 1,400 to 2,000 places. However, Subclass 190 places have dropped from 800 to 600 compared to the previous financial year, while Subclass 491 places have grown from 600 to 1,400 — more than doubling. The resulting rise in Subclass 190 scores is therefore unsurprising.
Based on the above policies, what you need to prepare now is:
1. Arrange your visa and enter Australia
2. Find work (does not need to be related to your assessed occupation — but relevant experience is a bonus)
3. Sit your English test and complete your skills assessment
Below, we outline a forward-looking plan for different circumstances.
For those about to graduate or who have recently graduated while overseas — meaning you already hold a Subclass 485 with 2–3 years of validity remaining, or are about to be eligible to apply for one — you can plan ahead for a Subclass 190 Nomination application ⇓⇓⇓
Common ways to accumulate 190 Matrix points:
If your Subclass 485 is about to expire or has already expired, you maychoose to continue studying, or apply for the one-year Subclass 408 COVID-19 Long Stay stream.
Australia is experiencing a labour shortage due to the pandemic, making it considerably easier than before to find casual or formal employment within the country. Occupations on the following list are classified as critically short-supply roles; with a job offer in hand, you can apply for a one-year Subclass 408 work visa.
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agriculture
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food processing
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health care
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aged care
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disability care
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child care, and
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tourism and hospitality
Using Tourism and Hospitality as an example: if your Subclass 485 is running short, secure a waiter position at a restaurant and, with a job offer in hand, you can lodge a one-year Subclass 408 visa application.
As an additional reminder, the Subclass 408 COVID-19 stream requires you to be onshore at the time of application — it is a special pandemic-period policy,and as Australia gradually returns to normal, even though there has been no announcement about when these special measures will end, it is advisable to apply as early as possible.
If you hold a student visa, it is advisable to apply for a Subclass 491 or a Subclass 190 under the small business stream as soon as possible.
Common ways to accumulate 491 Matrix points:
In other words, ifyou have been enrolled at a Canberra school for two years during the pandemic, you can enter Australia, achieve IELTS 7 in all four bands, and take any job for three months at 20 hours per week to obtain a Subclass 491 nomination.
Other Circumstances
If you have not yet applied for a Subclass 485 but have missed the lodgement window within 6 months of completing your studies, you may choose to pursue further study — such as a Graduate Diploma, Master’s, or PhD — and select between the Subclass 491 or Subclass 190 stream based on your individual circumstances.
For more information about Canberra state nomination and the
latest small business stream,
please contact or follow us
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Tips & Insights
Videos
Past Articles
From 1 December this year, holders of Subclass 485/491/500 and other visas overseas can return to Australia without an exemption!
From 1 December this year, holders of Subclass 485/491/500 and other visas overseas can return to Australia without an exemption!
Teachers, engineers and more receive Victorian ROI invitations! New South Wales tightens Subclass 491 lodgement requirements.
Top study and migration fields dominate Australia’s shortage lists — state nomination invitations keep rolling in!
These overseas “direct pathway” migration streams are now open for applications, with hundreds of invitation places reserved!
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New South Wales issues frequent Subclass 190/491 invitations — understand where the real opportunities lie!Click ‘Original Article’to watch the video explanation in detail!
