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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

Skilled employment in South Australia

Skilled migrants holding a temporary visa who are currently living in South Australia and working in their nominated occupation may be eligible for state nomination through the Skilled Employment in South Australia 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 if 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 if 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 can submit a Registration of Interest (ROI) via Skilled and Business Migration portal and wait to be invited to apply for South Australian state nomination.

Skilled and Business Migration portal

Eligibility guidelines

  1. Have an active Expression of Interest (EOI) on the Department of Home Affairs’ SkillSelect system with South Australia as your first preferred State or Territory.
  2. Check if your nominated occupation is eligible under the Skilled Employment in South Australia stream on South Australia’s Skilled Occupation List
  3. Currently live and work in South Australia
  4. Be under 45 years of age at time of state nomination is approved
  5. Have a valid and positive skills assessment for your nominated occupation
  6. Have at least  Competent English. To prove you have Competent English, you need to show evidence of an English approved test and score, or be a citizen of, and 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. Note that if you hold a valid passport from any of these countries and would like to claim higher levels of English proficiency on your EOI, you must show evidence of an English approved test and score.
  7. Score at least 65 points in the Department of Home Affairs’ points test (including state nomination points)
  8. Have been residing in South Australia for at least the last 12 months
  9. Have been working for the last 12 months, and be currently employed, in a full-time (at least 30 hours per week) job. Your job must be related to, and at the same skill level as, your nominated occupation. For South Australian nomination, this is generally defined as being in the same  Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations  (ANZSCO) Sub Major Group (represented by the first two digits of the ANZSCO code).

Nomination process

The Australian Government provides South Australia with a quota of nomination places each year, limiting the number of applicants that can be nominated. As a result, the nomination process is highly competitive, and meeting the minimum eligibility requirements does not guarantee that you will be invited to apply for nomination.

Invitations to apply for South Australian nomination will be sent on an ongoing basis throughout 2025-26. Only the most competitive Registrations of Interest (ROIs) will be selected and invited to apply for state nomination. In addition to the minimum nomination requirements, South Australia considers a combination of factors when determining which candidates are invited to apply to state nomination.

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

  • English language proficiency
  • Years of skilled experience in your nominated occupation
  • Skills and qualifications level
  • Salary
  • Assessment of employer.