I’m working in Queensland (Subclass 190 And Subclass 491)

This stream is for migrants who are currently living and working in Queensland in their skilled occupation (or closely related), and have an occupation that has been identified as a shortage in Queensland. Applicants under this stream must not be currently studying.

Nominations are offered under the following visa subclasses:

Skilled Nominated (Permanent) visa (subclass 190)

This visa is for skilled workers and postgraduate alumni who wish to live and work in Queensland permanently.

Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)

This visa is a provisional visa that allows nominated skilled workers to work and live in REGIONAL Queensland for five years, and is a pathway to permanent residency. Employment can be undertaken in the following ways: Work for one or more employers Two part-time jobs Work in own business as an owner/operator Applicable regions Includes locations outside of Brisbane: 4124 to 4125, 4133, 4183 to 4184, 4207 to 4275, 4280 to 4287, 4306 to 4498, 4507, 4517 to 4519, 4550 to 4575, 4580 to 4895.

If you have received a nomination for, or have applied for, or are a current holder of a Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) or the Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489) visa you will not be eligible for nomination for the Skilled Nominated (Permanent) visa (subclass 190). This includes those who have received their 491 or 489 visa from interstate.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for Queensland nomination, you must meet both the Australian Department of Home Affairs (HA)  criteria and Business and Skilled Migration Queensland (BSMQ) criteria for your chosen visa category.

The HA criteria requires you to:

• have a points test result of 65 or higher, inclusive of state nomination points
• have a positive skills assessment in your nominated occupation
• be under 45 years of age
• meet the minimum English language requirement of COMPETENT, unless a higher level is required by your assessing authority
• submit additional documents if invited to lodge an application for a subclass 190 or subclass 491 visa.

BSMQ criteria requires you to:

• have an occupation on the QSOL ‘Working in Queensland’ list
• provide evidence of full-time post-qualification employment (minimum of 35 hours per week) in your nominated occupation for the past 6 months in Queensland (190 visa) IMMEDIATELY prior to EOI submission. If you are lodging an EOI for a 491 visa you must be LIVING and WORKING (full-time post qualification, minimum 35 hours per week) in REGIONAL Queensland in your nominated occupation for the past 3 months IMMEDIATELY prior to EOI submission.
• provide evidence of ongoing employment with a Queensland employer registered in Australia for a further 12 months (minimum of 35 hours per week). For the 491 it must be a ongoing employment in a REGIONAL area for a further 12 months (minimum 35 hours per week).
• commit to living and working in Queensland for 2 years for the 190 visa and 3 years for the 491 from visa grant.

Labour hire employment

If you are employed through a Labour Hire company please make sure that they are registered in Queensland.  All labour hire providers operating in Queensland need to be licensed under the new Labour Hire Licencing Act 2017 – including, those based interstate or overseas who supply workers in Queensland.

All existing labour hire companies operating in Queensland had until 15 June 2018 to comply with new registration requirements. Evidence that companies comply with these registration requirements will be required.

Application process

Step 1: Review your eligibility criteria, visa conditions and document checklist on the HA website and the BSMQ website. Ensure you meet both the HA criteria and BSMQ criteria, and have all your documentation (including proof of registration if required for your particular occupation) ready before you apply.

Step 2: For Queensland State nomination, submit an EOI with SkillSelect. Please ensure all information, such as work experience, is included in your EOI. Preference will be given to applicants who select “Queensland” as their nominating state of choice over applicants who select ‘ANY’ state.

Step 3: BSMQ assesses all EOIs that meet the HA and BSMQ criteria. If you are successful, will receive an email invitation to lodge an application and be requested to provide the BSMQ required documents. Documents are to be uploaded electronically, through the Document Portal link provided in your invitation email. We no longer accept attachments sent to us by email. You can only upload one document per file. If you have multiple documents, please merge and save as one file.

Step 4: When you have received your invitation:

1. Upload required documents
2. Pay the non-refundable application fee to BSMQ in order to finalise your application. Do not pay the fee until you have been invited to apply and all documents have been uploaded.

BSMQ will review your application and may request further information.

Please note: you will be given 14 days to finalise your application from the date of invitation. If you are unable to provide the relevant information within this time frame, you must seek an extension from BSMQ. Applications not finalised within time frames will be closed and applicants will need to submit a new EOI if they wish to re-seek Queensland nomination.

Step 5: Once your completed BSMQ application is received and approved, you will receive an invitation from the HA to lodge your visa application. You will be given 60 days to lodge your application with HA.

https://migration.qld.gov.au/skilled-visa-options/im-working-queensland/