Tasmanian State has announced flexible nomination requirements for applicants affected by COVID-19 restrictions
The arrangement may change in response to decisions made by the Australian Government in relation to the Skilled Migration Program COVID-19 response. The Tasmanian Government may change the arrangements or introduce further changes to the state nomination program in response to COVID-19
Current agreements are:
Students in Tasmania completing online study
Will accept online study with a Tasmanian CRICOS provider completed during the period courses were not able to be delivered on campus. Applicants must have been living in Tasmania during this period and must have completed all of their study in Tasmania.
Graduates how have completed study in Tasmania but are unable to return after travelling overseas
Eligible for consideration if able to provide evidence course was completed in Tasmania, have temporarily left Tasmania and are unable to return due to the COVID-19 restrictions. Students must show that they were genuinely affected by travel restrictions and intend to return to Tasmania. These applicants must meet all other published requirements for subclass 190 or 491 nomination, including the minimum Tasmanian residence period.
Currently overseas – partially completed course
Remote/online study for applicants who commenced their courses in Tasmania departed temporarily and have been unable to return to Tasmania due to COVID 19 travel restrictions will be accepted where they have genuinely been unable to return to Tasmania. Applicants must have commenced courses in Tasmania, lived in Tasmania for a minimum of 12 months and completed a minimum total of 12 months of study on campus.
New enrollments – course commenced outside Tasmania
Applicants who commenced study with a Tasmanian institution, but were unable to arrive in Tasmania due to COVID-19 restrictions and commenced their studies remotely while waiting for restrictions to be lifted will be eligible for consideration if they:
- completed a two academic year course and arrived in Tasmania soon after restrictions were lifted; and
- have been living and studying in Tasmania for a period of at least 12 months
Courses of one academic year must be completed solely in Tasmania – no period of remote study will be accepted. This includes students who enrolled in one year courses but did not arrive in Tasmania before entry restrictions.
Example:
- I have enrolled in a one-year course but cannot yet move to Tasmania due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Will a period of online study completed interstate or overseas be accepted for Tasmanian nomination
- No. Applicants for subclass 491 nomination in Category 1 – Tasmanian Graduate must have completed one academic year (40 weeks) of study in Tasmania and lived in Tasmania for at least 12 months. While applications will be considered on a case by case basis, in general we will only accept online study where applicants had already commenced in Tasmania or the course is longer than 1 academic year. All applicants will be expected to have lived in Tasmania for 12 months to be eligible for nomination.
Graduates who have completed their qualification online or in another jurisdiction may also seek to meet one of Tasmania’s other nomination categories after moving to Tasmania and demonstrating their capacity to settle in and contribute to Tasmania in the long term, such as working in Tasmania or small business owner categories.
Each application will be considered individually on its merits and considering the applicant’s skills, background and demonstrated capacity to contribute to and settle in Tasmania. However, completing a prior short period of study online, or in Tasmania once travel restrictions are lifted, will not necessarily give a graduate an advantage in nomination assessment.
Category 2 – Working in Tasmania
To be considered for this category, you must meet all of the following criteria:
- you must have been working in Tasmania for six months immediately prior to your application for state nomination. (You do not have to be working in your nominated occupation.)
- you and your dependents must currently be living in Tasmania and can provide evidence of genuine commitment to continue to live in Tasmania (please refer to disclaimer at the bottom of this page for indicators as to how to meet this requirement)
Your employment needs to:
- be at least 35 hours per week in one full-time job or in two or more part-time jobs and you are able to provide evidence of your employment claims
- fill a genuine, ongoing skill shortage in Tasmania
- your employer must have a well-established business that has been actively operating in Tasmania for the past 12 months
- there must be a genuine need for your position within the business.
- If your employment is for a position at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5, your employer must also provide evidence that no local person was able to fill the position; internships, stipends, scholarships and volunteer positions are not considered employment for the purpose of this category.
Sole traders/subcontractors may be eligible for nomination under Category 5 – Small Business Owner.
There are areas of non-skill shortage in Tasmania that are not supported for visa state nomination under the ‘Working in Tasmania’ category. This includes employment relating to:
- Supermarkets
- service stations
- limited service restaurants** (cooks, chefs and café / restaurant managers)
- massage clinics
- taxi/uber driving
A limited service restaurant includes the following:
- fast food or takeaway food services
- fast casual restaurants
- drinking establishments that offer only a limited food service
- limited service cafes including, but not limited to, coffee shops or mall cafes
- limited service pizza restaurants.
Flexibility will be applied to applicants genuinely affected by COVID-19 employment stand-downs before or after meeting the mandatory 6 month full-time employment.
Each application will be considered on its merits according to the particular industry, the skills of the applicant, and the likelihood of being able to return to and maintain full time in the future.
In general we will consider the following factors:
- A minimum 3 months full time employment up to the closure or business / reduction in hours.
- Full-time employment ceased directly due to a COVID-19 related closedown or restriction.
- There is a reasonable likelihood of being able to return to employment (full or part-time) after the workplace restrictions have been lifted – (i.e a written evidence from employer).
- Reduction in hours from full-time to part-time as a result of COVID-19 restrictions will be considered with leniency.
