Today, NSW state nomination has two pieces of news: NSW 190 has added interpreter back onto its list, and the popular NSW regional area of Hunter has announced that its allocated 491 quota for this financial year is almost used up and it will no longer accept new applications.

NSW 190 occupation list updated 8 March 2023

Most occupations are unchanged, and the ones everyone is most concerned about — accounting, auditing and computing — are all safe。

The new changes are ——

-The 2724 Social professionals occupation group has returned, which also means interpreter can once again be used to apply for NSW 190.When it was on the list previously, NSW did issue invitations, although more applicants came away disappointed。So if you have an interpreter skills assessment, it can serve as a Plan B option.

–2335 Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers has also been added to the list, meaning occupations including mechanical engineering can now apply for NSW 190

–Electronics engineering has been removed from the list

NSW Hunter region no longer accepting new 491 applications

On the same day, the NSW Hunter RDA region announced that the 491 quota it received for this financial year is essentially used up, so, with more than three months still left in the financial year, it has announced it will no longer accept new 491 applications

Of course, there are still around 10 other RDA regions to choose from, and you can also choose Pathway 2, which is to lodge your application directly with the state government.

This financial year, all NSW 491 RDA regions use the same list, so in theory applicants in Sydney and overseas can choose any RDA region.On the whole, NSW still has a very large 491 quota overall.But among the applications already lodged, they do appear to be concentrated in a few popular regions.

Hunter is where Newcastle is located, about two hours’ drive from Sydney — a fairly convenient and bustling “regional area” — so the number of people choosing it is naturally higher.A similar region is Illawarra, where Wollongong is located, which is even closer to Sydney.

So no matter how big the window of opportunity, you still need to seize the chance early!

Combine this with Tuesday’s news that the Northern Territory (NT) suddenly and substantially relaxed its pathway for overseas applicants

For details, see:Another state nomination has substantially lowered its requirements and welcomes overseas applicants! A new relative-sponsorship pathway, ultra-low work-experience requirements, and a large number of eligible occupations!

and that in the last round WA (Western Australia) did not issue any 491 invitations…

For details, see:[Australia Migration Weekly Issue 272] Accounting, IT, engineering and more — secure WA 190 with 70 points!

The opportunity in state nomination

is to be well prepared so you can seize it at any moment

Indeed, one major feature of state nomination is that it can be affected by policy changes at any time, sometimes opening up an opportunity, sometimes suddenly closing one off. While 189 also carries some uncertainty, unlike 189 — which is mainly decided by a single federal government — Australia has eight state/territory governments, all of which can adjust their own state-nomination policies according to real-time needs and circumstances, and state nomination also has different pathways and even different lists, so changes are even more frequent.

For applicants — especially overseas applicants — the two most important steps are first to prepare your skills assessment, and, while preparing for and awaiting the skills assessment, to also focus on achieving at least the minimum requirement of IELTS 6 in all four bands, so that with both ready at the same time you can lodge as quickly as possible, or lodge immediately when a good opportunity arises.

Right now, apart from accounting and auditing, skills assessments are taking quite a while to process, and some applicants in China are slower still because of additional procedures.

VETASSESS, the assessing authority for most overseas applicants’ occupations, has 55 priority-processing places a day, with results in 10 business days; without priority processing it takes two months or longer.So it is very important to contact us early to prepare your skills assessment!

If you need help, contact us as soon as possible to assess and prepare your application!

Skills assessment success stories

VETASSESS

→This occupation covers fields such as financial risk control and data analysis — a hidden but common migration-eligible occupation!

→Finance and investment manager

→Finance broker (loan broker)

→University lecturer

→This occupation suits applicants in China with extensive social-work / community-work experience

→Contract projectadministrator

ACS computing occupations

EA engineering occupations

Get your skills assessment and English ready so you have the “capital” to take a different approach via a different pathway!

Past articles

Migration Stories | Giving up an “iron rice bowl” job — what did they come to Australia for?

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February processing across all visa types! The latest on state-nomination quota usage

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Department of Home Affairs internal document revealed → 189 will still issue invitations in the second half of the financial year

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NSW state nomination adjusts again → interpreter and mechanical return to 190! Is a pathway closing early? Whatever the policy changes, the first thing to do is…

Migration Stories | Giving up an “iron rice bowl” job — what did they come to Australia for?

February processing across all visa types! The latest on state-nomination quota usage

Department of Home Affairs internal document revealed → 189 will still issue invitations in the second half of the financial year

Department of Home Affairs internal document revealed → 189 will still issue invitations in the second half of the financial year

Department of Home Affairs internal document revealed → 189 will still issue invitations in the second half of the financial year

Department of Home Affairs internal document revealed → 189 will still issue invitations in the second half of the financial year

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