The Department of Home Affairs has issued an interim allocation of subclass 491, 190, 188 and 132 visa nomination places to states and territories. These allocations will be updated after the 2020-21 Federal Budget is handed down in October 2020

The Department of Home Affairs has directed that until this time, all nominations must be justifiable in relation to their likely contribution to Australia’s economic recovery, and follow three priorities:

1.            High quality subclass 188 and 132 (Business Innovation and Investment Program) nomination applications.

2.            Applicants critical to supporting Tasmania’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including individuals providing critical or specialist medical services, critical skills required to maintain the supply of essential goods and services, or delivering services in sectors critical to Australia’s economic recovery.

3.            Applicants currently in Australia who can demonstrate their capacity to meaningfully contribute to economic recovery.

Existing applicants who are not in critical roles will be considered only after priority applications for critical roles have been processed.

Migration Tasmania will email all applicants who lodged their application, offering them an opportunity to either:

  • request priority consideration on the basis that they are engaged in a critical role supporting the health system or the Tasmanian economy, or
  • withdraw their application for nomination and receive a full refund of the application fee, or
  • continue with their application in respect of a requirement to demonstrate that their nomination will lead to a genuine ongoing and meaningful contribution to Tasmania’s economic recovery.

Applicants who request their application continue to be considered for nomination will not receive a refund regardless of the outcome.

What is a genuine, ongoing and meaningful contribution to the Tasmanian economy?

Every nomination must be justified in terms of an applicant’s potential to contribute to economic recovery in Tasmania. The onus is on the applicant to demonstrate how they meet this requirement.

Supporting claims may include:

  • employment in highly skilled, hard to fill roles
  • high value skills or experience not readily found in the local community
  • long-term high-value financial contribution to the local economy leading to additional employment outcomes for locals
  • involvement in Tasmanian business or enterprise that is significantly reliant on the applicant’s ongoing presence in Tasmania
  • a clear, plausible potential to live in Tasmania and contribute to the development of skills which are needed

Further information is available on Tasmanian government website.