For TYPE 1 applicants, let us first say congratulations,as a true graduate of South Australia, the state nomination scheme has some exclusive hidden pathways tailor-made just for you,which we will analyse in detail below.

For TYPE 2 applicants,we want to say: ‘Thank you — South Australia is a better place because of you!’ Yes!!As an adopted son or daughter of South Australia, the state government has already mapped out a way forward for you — whether you knuckle down and work hard, or boldly strike out and start your own business.

For applicants in TYPE 3,pursuing SA state nomination will be relatively more challenging.

TYPE 3 applicants left South Australia after graduating and, under the strict official definition, would no longer qualify as SA graduates — but don’t think that’s the end of the road, because it’s not.

【Definition of an SA Graduate】An SA graduate is defined as someone who has completed a course of at least 46 weeks’ registered duration in South Australia. To meet this requirement again, some students may consider enrolling in a further one-year course. There are three benefits: 1. it provides a longer visa period for students without a current visa; 2. it allows time to fulfil the relevant work requirements; and 3. the work rights on a student visa align precisely with the 20-hours-per-week work requirement for SA state nomination.

For TYPE 4 applicants,due to the impacts of COVID-19, only a small number of occupations on the SA nomination list are currently open to overseas applicants, so we will not elaborate further here.

The diagram above outlines the four main SA state nomination pathways available to TYPE 1 applicants. Check which pathway applies to your situation. To help illustrate this more clearly,we will use Social Worker as an example:

A Stream:If your GPA is 5.0 or above and you meet the English requirement (IELTS or an equivalent test with an overall score of 7), you may be exempt from the work experience requirement and apply for state nomination

B stream: Applicants who hold a skills assessment for Social Work, have resided in South Australia for 3 years or more, and have held skilled occupation employment for the 12 months prior to lodging their SA state nomination application may apply through the long-term residency pathway.

C/D Stream:This diagram clearly shows the advantage of working in a regional area. If you are working in the Greater Adelaide region, you will need up to 12 months of work experience to be eligible to apply for state nomination,but if you are fortunate enough to secure a position in a regional area of South Australia, your required work period is halved — just 6 months, which is remarkably fast.

For clarity,we will again use social worker as an example:

Option A/B:For applicants already working in South Australia, these two options cover the same type of work but have different time requirements.

Option C:This is a new programme introduced by South Australia within the past year or two, covering five specific categories. It aims to attract applicants from high-value industries or those with entrepreneurial ambitions who can generate economic benefits for SA. In brief,if you currently run your own business in South Australia, work in a highly specialised or advanced field, or have a very high EOI score (95 points as stated on the official website),feel free to add us on WeChat for a one-on-one consultation.We will not elaborate further here.

In general,for applicants already in South Australia, you simply need an EOI score of 65 points or above and to meet the relevant work experience requirements before you can start your application.

Finally, let us discuss applicants who are not currently in South Australia but wish to pursue SA state nomination: TYPE 3 and TYPE 4 applicants

It must be said that SA state nomination has always placed great emphasis on applicants’ ‘commitment’ to South Australia — cases of someone not physically in South Australia receiving an SA state nomination invitation are almost unheard of, but SA state nomination has long been renowned for its ‘stable and proactive’ migration policy, and even during the height of the pandemic, South Australia still kept 400+ occupations open on its nomination list.Social Workis one of the occupations currently open directly to overseas applicants; however, as shown in the diagram below, the focus remains on industries experiencing critical shortages in Australia during the pandemic.

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