Northern Territory MINT Programme
A direct pathway to Australian PR for overseas applicants
Currently one of the fastest and most straightforward routes available
Possibly without equal
Australia has long been one of the world’s most popular traditional migration destinations — a country built on migration, with strong cultural inclusivity where people from all walks of life can settle comfortably.
So for those who have never studied or worked in Australia and are considering migration from overseas, what practical pathways are currently available?
Many people first consider skilled migration for its lower cost and straightforward process — a pathway that attracted many middle-class applicants. Before 2019, the Subclass 189 combined with the Subclass 190/489 (now 190/491) state nomination helped many overseas applicants realise their Australian dream.
However, with the Subclass 189 effectively “abandoned” by the government,and the pandemic causingmost states and territories to temporarily close their overseas application channels,from the second half of 2021, as borders gradually reopened, some states and territories began reopening to overseas applicants. However, state nomination still involves competing with onshore applicants, and the channels currently open to overseas applicants generally eitherimpose high language requirements, specific nominated occupation work experience requirements, or even very high prerequisite conditions,or offer onlyvery limited invitation numbers.
With a skills assessment and language results in hand,
yet feeling like there is no way forward?
However, the
Northern Territory MINT Programme
— before the pandemic, during the pandemic, and in the post-pandemic period —
has continuously issued invitations to overseas applicants
and has done so generously with Subclass 190 invitations.
This is a pathway thatrequires no points competition and no passive waiting for invitations,and isprimarily available to overseas applicants,with the basic requirement that your occupation appears on the designated list and you meet the fundamental requirements for federal skilled migration.
The head of Newstars’ Beijing officeSimon Wuis a Panel Agent for the Northern Territory MINT Programmeandis one of the first MARA-registered migration agents in Australia to obtain this accreditationPanel Agent— also the only one currently within the group —with multiple applicants having received formal invitations over the past two years, and many clients subsequently being granted their visas and settling successfully in Australia.
Today, Simon Wu and Kirk, also a MARA-registered migration agent, attended theMINT new financial year briefingin the Northern Territory and brought backmultiple pieces of positive news!
(The 22–23 new financial year will run from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023)
(Simon and Kirk pictured with the head of the MINT Programme’s fund management company)
Good news #1: From 1 July, eligibility expands to approximately 500 occupations, including a large number of finance, IT and engineering roles
The occupations currently eligible for the MINT Programme must appear on the Northern Territory occupation list.From the new financial year starting 1 July, this will expand to include any occupation on any of the federal Department of Home Affairs’ occupation lists — including the MLTSSL, STSOL and ROL lists —all will be eligible. The three lists combined cover approximately500 occupations.
Currently,the occupations on the Northern Territory list are primarily those on the federalMLTSSL list. The newly addedoccupations on the ROL list are mainly agriculture-related and can only be used for a Subclass 491 application,so the key focus is on the STSOL list,which includes a large number of finance, engineering and IT occupations (the following is a partial list):
Multiple finance occupations:
finance manager
finance broker
insurance broker
financial brokers (nec)
financial market dealer
financial investment adviser
financial investment manager
Multiple IT occupations:
ICT project manager
ICT managers (nec)
ICT business development manager
ICT sales representative
web designer
database administrator
systems administrator
network administrator
network analyst
ICT support engineer
ICT customer support officer
ICT support technicians (nec)
Multiple engineering and construction occupations:
urban and regional planner
architectural draftsperson
building inspector
architectural, building and surveying technicians (nec)
mechanical engineering technician
interior designer
Other common occupations
225111 Advertising Specialist
225113 Marketing Specialist
232411 Graphic Designer
131112 Sales and Marketing Manager
132311 Human Resources Manager
141111 Cafe or Restaurant Manager
149212 Customer Service Manager
212411 Copywriter
272412 Interpreter
351411 Cook
Currentlyalready eligible common occupations
(primarily on the MLTSSL list)
Good news #2:Actively considering establishing in the near futurea start-up graduate programme for international graduates (not yet finalised)
The state government has indicated it is considering opening an application channel for international graduates;specific details are not yet finalised,but the programme outlined at the briefing may be structured as:
Category 1 — Offshore graduates
1. Have been outside Australia for more than 2 years
2. Do not have animmediate family member (spouse or children) currently residing in another state
Category 2 — Onshore graduates:
1. At the time of entering thestart-up graduate programme,hold a Subclass 485 visa with at least 13 months of remaining validity (may be a graduate from another state)
2. Onshore participants in the programme must reside in the Northern Territory for at least 12 months before receiving a formal state nomination invitation
The state government hopes that participants in the start-up graduate programme can demonstrate competitiveness in the following areas:
– Management experience
– Particular intelligence or skills (creative works, intellectual property, etc.)
– How the business model will be implemented
– Marketing capability
– Financial capacity
The above requirements are still subject to further discussion and confirmation. We will keep everyone informed as more details on the opening timeline become available.Those in urgent need are welcome to contact Simon now for a preliminary assessment and to begin preparing in advance.
Act now and make the most of this prime application window!
Because the MINT Programme requires submission through a designated panel agent, and most people (particularly overseas applicants) have limited knowledge of the Northern Territory, demand has not yet outpaced supply —it remains in a relatively balanced supply-and-demand phase with stable invitations. So forboth overseas and onshore applicants, this is still a prime window. A step-by-step approach is a viable and steady pathway to Australia!
This programme has much to offer — butis it the right fit for you?
Let’s look ata few successful applicant profiles
to help you see whether you fit!
Scenario 1: Facing an EOI points reduction and wanting to secure PR quickly
Many applicants, after more than two years of waiting, are about to face an age-related points reduction. Fewer points means reduced competitiveness. Skills assessments and language results are about to expire, requiring fresh materials for a renewed skills assessment and another round of PTE or IELTS — all of which demands significant additional time and effort.
Mr Hwas about to receive an age-related points reduction at the end of April this year,we helped the client use the priority channeland from successfully securing a position to receiving the formal Subclass 190 state nomination invitation took less than five months.
Ms X,whose skills assessment was due to expire at the end of June 2022,to avoid the renewal process, we actively liaised with the fund management company and the state government on the client’s behalf, and ultimately secured the formal state nomination invitation on 17 June 2022.
Mr J,whose PTE scores (4 x 8) were due to expire in August 2022,given the difficulty of retaking and achieving 4 x 8 in PTE, we coordinated with the state government on the client’s behalf and reduced the state nomination processing time from two months to one week. The client has completed the transfer and submitted anti-money laundering investigation materials.
MINT application timeline:
26 May 2022 — Position successfully secured
31 May 2022 — State nomination application submitted
7 June 2022 — State nomination pre-approved, payment notification issued
Scenario 2: Limited competitiveness, having exhausted multiple overseas channels in Australia without success
Many applicants have their skills assessment and language results ready, but do not have a significant advantage in points, work experience, or language scores. Frustrated by the high thresholds and limited invitations available through state nomination overseas channels — particularly for the Subclass 190 — they have been waiting for an extended period.
Mr M has had his skills assessment completed for a long time,but the occupation of architectural draughtsman has not been openand after assessment was found to meet the requirements for the MINT Programme,the minimum threshold of 60 + 5 points is sufficientand the client has now submitted their visa application and is awaiting the Subclass 190 grant.
Scenario 3: Wanting to settle in a traditional migration destination in the short term, or have children receive a Commonwealth education as soon as possible
Currently, for purely overseas applicants (without a long-term onshore education or work background) seeking PR in Australia, Canada or the United States, the timelines are generally lengthy. Australia’s business and investor migration, for example, typically takes two years or more; Canada and the United States take even longer. But work, business and children’s education cannot wait — or applicants prefer not to wait — making the Northern Territory MINT Programme one of the few express pathways available.
Newstars’ Beijing office, during the period when Australia’s skilled migration from overseas was nearly at a standstill due to the pandemic,helped MINT Programme clients obtain their Subclass 190 PR in as little as 10 months.
Interested in a personalised assessment tailored to your situation?
You are welcome to contact Simon Wu directly
Basic requirements for the Northern Territory MINT Programme
Invest AUD 515,000into a fund management company designated by the Northern Territory government, of which 80% is invested in NT government bonds (AAA-rated, capital guaranteed),redeemable after 5 years; 20% is invested in venture capital,redeemable in 8–10 years.
Thesource of fundsfor the investment can be proceeds from a property sale, a gift from parents, a mortgage loan, or salary income — as long as reasonable supporting documentation is provided.
Don’t want to miss theprime application window?
Want to find outmore application details?
Want to see moresuccess stories?
Today! First release — new policy briefing!
Today, 23 June, from 2 pm Northern Territory time
(2:30 pm Sydney time 2:30 / 12:30 pm Beijing time)
Panel Agent Simon Wu + MARA-registered migration agent Kirk Yan
will walk you through everything in detail!
To attend the webinar please add the customer service contact below
and note NT,and the livestream link will be sent to you before it begins!
This week’s Feifan English updates
Click the image to read the full article
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The Prime Minister personally “fast-tracked” approvals, ordering extra staff to process applications!
Gaokao numbers up by 1.15 million this year? New thinking on studying in Australia
How to prepare in advance and deliberately gather regional residence materials
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