Northern Territory State Sponsorship requirements have been changed for the year of 2020, new eligibility criteria for Northern Territory nomination under the General Skilled Migration Program come into effect from 1 July 2020.
The General Skilled Migration Program of Northern Territory Immigration covers Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491) visa and Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa. Therefore, these recent changes will be valid for both subclasses of the Skilled Immigration of Australia.
Contents
Key Requirements of the Department of Home Affairs
- Age: You must be under aged 45 years at the time of nomination.
Skills Assessment: You will need a full skills assessment from a relevant Australian skills assessment and assessing authority, for the skilled occupation that you have nominated.
A skills assessment is an independent assessment of whether you have the skills and / or experience to undertake an occupation in Australia. For information about which skills assessment body provides an assessment for your occupation, go to the Department of Home Affairs website.
English Language: The minimum English language requirement is an outcome of competent unless otherwise specified by assessing/licensing or registration body or on the Northern Territory (NT) Migration Occupation List. Competent means the equivalent of at least IELTS 6.0 in each band level.
NT Government accepts all English tests approved by Australian Government’s Department of Home Affairs.
For a list of language tests accepted and the comparison of test scores go to the Department of Home Affairs website.
Points Test: Meet the skilled migration points test of 65 or higher.
Northern Territory State Sponsorship Requirements
In addition to the above, you must also meet the Northern Territory (NT) Government requirements.
If you already live in Australia
For specific guidelines on eligibility read important information if you live in Australia.
Please note the following general information:
- if you or any of your migrating dependants are currently living interstate, you will not be eligible for the Northern Territory (NT) nomination
- if you or any of your migrating dependants are currently on a student visa and are currently studying in an NT institution, you will not be eligible for NT nomination
- if you have already been nominated for a subclass 489 or 491 visa by the NT, you will not be eligible for a subclass 190 nomination.
If you are apply from outside Australia
If you are currently living outside Australia, you will generally only be offered a subclass 491 nomination.
Offshore applicants must have been employed in their nominated occupation for at least 12 months out of the last 24 months prior to your application, or have relevant Australian qualifications.
Offshore applicants must have an offer of full-time relevant employment in the NT, if the NT Migration Occupation List requires it.
Please note, that the NT has limited places for nomination, which means that applications must be of a very high standard to be nominated. Meeting the above requirements does not guarantee a nomination.
Commitment to NT
Accepting a nomination from Australia’s NT Government means that you are agreeing to the following conditions:
- live and work in the NT in your skilled occupation or a closely related skilled occupation for at least three years from visa grant
- let the NT Government know the status of your visa application – you need to do this when your visa is granted and when you arrive
- regularly provide your current contact details to the NT Government
- participate in surveys conducted by the NT Government.
If you are offered an NT Government nomination, a declaration form will be issued which will outline these obligations and you will be required to acknowledge, sign and return.
MigrationNT considers a number of factors in assessing commitment to the NT, including:
- length of residency in the NT
- previous travel to the NT
- connections to the NT (for example, close family members being long-term residents of the NT).
Northern Territory Migration Occupation List
You must have a skilled occupation that is on the Australian Government’s current list of eligible skilled occupations.
The Northern Territory Migration Occupation List (NTMOL) provides an indication as to which of the eligible skilled occupations are in demand in the NT. Offshore applicants must read the NTMOL to determine their eligibility.
Employability
You must provide strong evidence of good employment prospects in the NT either in your skilled occupation or a closely related skilled occupation.
You can show you have good employment prospects by providing:
- an offer of employment letter from an NT employer
- a statement describing how your skills and experience meet NT employer needs
- evidence that your occupation has been advertised in the NT multiple times and detailed explanations of how your qualifications and experience match the job vacancies
- evidence of positive feedback from potential NT employers.
Please see specific information on the required evidence on employability for onshore and offshore applicants.
Financial Capacity (If applicants outside the NT)
You must provide a list of all your financial assets in Australian dollars. You must provide verifiable documents evidence of those assets. For example, clear colour copies of bank statements, share certificates, property valuations and jewellery evaluations.
The table below gives you detail on the assets you need and the summary you have to provide.
| Family composition | Minimum value of net assets |
|---|---|
| Individual applicant | AU$35 000 |
| Applicant and spouse | AU$50 000 |
| Applicant and spouse plus one child | AU$60 000 |
| Applicant and spouse plus two children | AU$65 000 |