last weekWestern Australiawas the first to announce its state nomination policy for the new financial year.The WA Graduate Occupation Listwilladd 194 occupationsto the current 130+ occupations, bringing the total number of eligible occupations to331 in total, as an incentive to attract more international students to choose WA for their studies.

In recent financial years, the Graduate stream has consistently receivedstrong priority and a large volume of invitationsfrom the state government, particularly for those enrolled inhigher education programmes.

The number of pre-invitations issued for Graduate stream Subclass 190 and 491 in this financial year ↓

This week, the WA state government again announceda marketing strategy to attract international students from around the world, committing tens of millions of Australian dollars to this initiative,Chinabeing one of the primary target markets.

– Nominated occupation must be on the Graduate Occupation List (GOL)

– Education requirements:completion of at least a Certificate III qualification over 2 years in Western Australia

– Work experience requirements:at least 6 months of paid work experience in the nominated occupation or a closely related occupation within Australia(within the past 5 years)

-Job offer: a full-time job offer/contract in WA for at least 6 months in the nominated occupation or a closely related occupation

– English language requirements: if the nominated occupation falls under ANZSCO Group 1 (Managers) orGroup 2 (Professionals), applicants must achieve IELTS 7 in all four bands (equivalent PTE accepted)with all other occupations requiring IELTS 6 in all four bands

Previously, nursing was only available under Schedule 1. The new financial year adds a Graduate stream pathway, covering most registered nurses, offering a stronger advantage to local graduates.

The following Bachelor of Nursing programmes at three universities are accredited by AHPRA, the nursing skills assessment authority:

– Curtin University

Bachelor of Science (Nursing)——

3.5-year programme, annual tuition AU$33,866

Entry requirements: English proficiency equivalent toIELTS 7 in all four bandsof language proficiency,domestic Gaokao school leavers only need to achieve 67% of the total Gaokao score to meet entry requirements

– Edith Cowan University

Bachelor of Science (Nursing)——

3-year programme, annual tuition AUD$36,650

Entry requirements: English proficiency equivalent toIELTS 7 in all four bandsof language proficiency,domestic Gaokao school leavers only need to achieve 65.6% of the total Gaokao score to meet entry requirements

– Murdoch University

Bachelor of Nursing——

3-year programme, annual tuition AU$33,120 per year

Entry requirements: English proficiency equivalent toIELTS 7 in all four bandsof language proficiency,domestic Gaokao school leavers only need to achieve 63% of the total Gaokao score to meet entry requirements

The only challenge with nursing is that both admission and skills assessment require English proficiency equivalent to IELTS 7 in all four bands,but post-graduation employment and state nomination prospects are as solid as they come.A search on Seek forregistered nurse positions in the WA region shows minimum annual salaries consistently above $70,000+.

If you have completed an undergraduate degree in Australia and are interested in a nursing master’s programme at a WA university, or would like to find out more about postgraduate courses, feel free to contact us directly!

WA is rich in mineral resources, making engineering one of the most popular study choices for WA students. With the new financial year also addingANZSCO 233999 Engineering Professionals nec and 233914 Engineering Technologist — two broadly applicable engineering occupations —virtually all engineering disciplines are now covered.

As the ‘flagship of flagships’ in WA —Mining Engineering, here are some WA mining engineering programmes accredited by Engineers Australia (EA):

– The University of Western Australia –

Master of Professional Engineering (Mining Engineering)——

2–3 year programme, annual tuition AU$42,200

Entry requirements: undergraduate background in engineering, or undergraduate studiesincluding engineering, physics or mathematics with a credit average of 65%;English language requirement equivalent toIELTS overall 6.5, no band below 6.0

Curtin University –

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)(Mining Engineering)——

4-year programme, annual tuition AU$35,700

Entry requirements: English proficiency equivalent to onlyIELTS 6 in all four bandsof language proficiency,domestic Gaokao school leavers need to achieve 67% of the total Gaokao score to meet entry requirements

Master of Professional Engineering (Mining Engineering)——

2-year programme, annual tuition AU$38,500

Entry requirements: English language requirement equivalent toIELTS 6 in all four bandswitha completed four-year undergraduate engineering degree in the same discipline, or completion of Curtin University’s one-year Graduate Diploma in Professional Engineering programme

One important note for engineering students: not every engineering major is necessarily accredited by Engineers Australia. If a major is not accredited or only partially accredited, a CDR (Competency Demonstration Report) will be required after graduation to pass the skills assessment, which is considerably more involved than applying through an accredited major.

So if you’re considering an engineering degree, feel free to add our consultant on WeChat for specific advice on which majors are accredited and eligible for WA state nomination.

The new financial year’s Graduate stream adds several IT-related occupations:26ANZSCO 2111 Database Administrator, 261111 ICT Business Analyst, 261399 Software and Applications Programmers nec, and 261112 Systems Analyst. In the modern world, software developers are indispensable.

Here are some ACS-accredited IT programmes —

– The University of Western Australia

Bachelor of Science (Computer Science)——

3-year programme, annual tuition AU$41,500

Entry requirements: English language requirement equivalent toIELTS overall 6.5, no band below 6.0, domestic Gaokao school leavers need toachieve 70% of the total Gaokao score to meet entry requirements

Master of Information Technology——

2-year programme, annual tuition AU$42,100

Entry requirements: English language requirement equivalent toIELTS overall 6.5, no band below 6.0,undergraduate GPA of 65%,no undergraduate IT background required

– Curtin University

Bachelor of Information Technology——

[X]-year programme, annual tuition AU$32,700

Entry requirements: English proficiency equivalent to IELTS 6 in all four bands; domestic Gaokao school leavers need to achieve 67% of the total Gaokao score to meet entry requirements

Compared to nursing’s IELTS 7 entry requirement,engineering and IT entry requirements only call for 6.0–6.5, significantly lowering the entry barrier,allowing many recent graduates to enter their core coursework more quickly.

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