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Government of South Australia - Department of Industry, Innovation and ScienceGovernment of South Australia - Department of Industry, Innovation and ScienceGovernment of South Australia - Move to South Australia

Outer regional skilled employment

Skilled migration pathways for outer regional South Australia

Skilled migrants who are currently living and working in an outer regional area of South Australia in their nominated occupation may be eligible for state nomination through the Outer Regional Skilled Employment stream.

For the 2025–26 GSM program, South Australia will prioritise candidates in the following sectors:

  • Building and construction
  • Defence
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Health
  • Manufacturing

High-ranking candidates in non-priority sectors may also be considered.

If you have skills and experience in South Australia’s priority sectors and your nominated occupation is eligible for subclass 190, you may receive an invitation to apply for state nomination under visa subclass 190. If you have skills and experience in non-priority sectors, or your nominated occupation is not eligible for subclass 190, you may be invited to apply for state nomination under visa subclass 491.

Prospective applicants who meet the requirements below may submit a Registration of Interest (ROI) via the Skilled and Business Migration portal to be considered for an invitation to apply for South Australian state nomination.

Eligibility guidelines

To be eligible under the Outer Regional Skilled Employment stream, you must:

  • Have an active Expression of Interest (EOI) in the Department of Home Affairs SkillSelect system, with South Australia selected as your first preferred state or territory.
  • Be under 45 years of age at the time state nomination is approved.
  • Score at least 65 points in the Department of Home Affairs points test, including state nomination points.
  • You must have at least Competent English, you must provide evidence of an approved English test and score, or hold a valid passport from Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or the United States of America. If you hold a passport from one of these countries and wish to claim a higher level of English proficiency in your EOI, you must provide evidence of an approved English test and score.
  • Have lived and worked in Outer Regional South Australia for the past nine months and be currently employed in a full-time role of at least 30 hours per week.
  • Your employment must be related to, and at the same skill level as, your nominated occupation. For South Australian nomination, this is generally defined as being within the same Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) Sub Major Group, represented by the first two digits of the ANZSCO code.

The Australian Government provides South Australia with a limited number of nomination places each year. As a result, the nomination process is competitive, and meeting the minimum eligibility requirements does not guarantee an invitation to apply.

Invitations to apply for South Australian nomination will be issued on an ongoing basis throughout 2025–26. Only the most competitive Registrations of Interest will be selected. In addition to meeting minimum requirements, South Australia considers a range of factors when determining which candidates are invited to apply for state nomination.

For onshore candidates, these factors are based on the information provided in your ROI and may include, in no particular order:

  • English language proficiency
  • Years of skilled experience in your nominated occupation
  • Skills and qualification level
  • Salary
  • Assessment of employer
Learn More

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