This morning we attended the Tasmania 25-26 financial-year new-policy briefing. The focus was on filling in the detail.
New-financial-year quota
As of 14 October, the final quota has still not been confirmed. Only a small amount of interim quota is available, and the interim quota has already been used up (header image).
Yesterday WA announced that its quota this year has been cut from 5k to 3.4k. The WA Premier’s letter to the Prime Minister went further, stating that the total state-nomination quota across all states will be cut from 26,260 to 20,350 — an overall reduction of 5,910.
At today’s meeting, Tasmania also indicated that they expect this year’s allocation to be lower than last year’s, although the reduction should not be as large as WA’s. The final figure is expected to be locked in over the next few weeks.
Whether to re-submit your ROI
Today’s consolidated response to ROIs submitted last year: because there are significant changes this financial year, we recommend considering re-submitting, otherwise the chance of an invitation is slim.
Probability of invitation (Image 2)
- Different application channels at the same priority level may have different ROI scores
- Green and Orange Plus are still expected to have a high probability of invitation this financial year
- Orange will depend on ROI score and remaining quota
Why the Critical occupation list has been cut significantly
- Over the past year a number of people have come in from interstate to do short-term work, aiming to secure PR quickly — including leaving after obtaining their visa. This runs contrary to the original intent of the pathway. They still want to nominate applicants with a long-term commitment to Tasmania
- ECT has clarified that CC (childcare) and kindergarten roles cannot claim gold — only school-based roles can
Key FAQ
- ROI invitations are no longer issued by colour or channel — they are issued based on score, highest to lowest.
- ROIs have different priority levels tied to prior residence or work requirements over different time periods. You need to choose the priority level that matches your own circumstances for the relevant time period — you cannot select multiple.
- Will it affect my state-nomination application if I cannot meet the 12 months of ongoing employment because my contract ended or my company went under? If there is a legitimate reason, an exemption may be granted.
- Will my application be prioritised if my visa is about to expire? If your ROI has not been invited, the chance of priority processing is very low. If your state-nomination application has already been lodged, you can flag it and priority processing may be possible.
- For Individual Support roles in Aged Care, is the qualification and work relevant? It depends on the relevance between the course and the role. If you work at an aged-care facility as a maintenance worker, kitchen hand or cleaner, it will not be considered relevant.
- Is back-pay accepted? It must start from new pay — it cannot be backdated.
More submission details can be found in Image 6
Tasmania also noted that they will rigorously investigate breaches such as receiving a pay rise to secure nomination and then having it reduced afterwards — if detected, the nomination will be cancelled. After nomination is issued, they will continue to spot-check work and residence in Tasmania. In previous years they have cancelled both granted sponsorships and nominations. A reminder to everyone: once you receive nomination, honour your commitment and continue to work and live in Tasmania!
