WA STATE GOVERNMENT RELEASES GRADUATE OCCUPATION LIST

Further to our article posted on 22nd August 2018, we are delighted to announce that the State government has released their new “Graduate Occupation List (GOL)” alongside the existing Western Australian Skilled Migration Occupation List (WASMOL), opening up further opportunities for migration for WA’s ‘Best and Brightest’ international students.

This now allows for two streams to the 190 and 489 visa subclasses in obtaining sponsorship from the State government:

General stream

You may be recognised as one of up to 18 healthcare professionals under the original pathway, which now incorporates the following requirements:

• IELTS 7.0 or equivalent across all bands
• At least 12 months’ Australian post-qualification work experience (or 36 months’ overseas work experience) in the nominated occupation in the last ten years – part-time is also accepted as you must demonstrate a minimum 20 hours a week
• A contract of employment for a minimum of 12 months in the nominated occupation (for 489 nominations, this must be located in regional WA)
• If applications are made from overseas or interstate, financial capacity for initial settlement must be demonstrated as per the following table:

Single applicant	Couple	Additional dependent
$20,000AUD	$30,000AUD	+ $5,000AUD per dependent to existing single applicant or couple costs

Graduate stream

If you have obtained at least an Australian qualification at the Bachelor (Honours) Degree (AQF 8), you may also be eligible to apply under a much wider range of occupations – up to 112 – with up to 209 for those who have completed a Masters Degree or above (AQF 9 and 10).

• All of the above criteria for the General stream apply (although the work experience requirement is exempted for Masters and PhD graduates).
• In addition, study must have been a minimum two years full-time.
• Any qualification must have been obtained in Western Australia, at a Western Australian university.

The net effect of these changes is most attractive to a larger scope of WA graduates who are finishing up on their 485 visas. If these candidates are able to meet the criteria for state nomination, this naturally allows them to claim a minimum threshold of points in an Expression of Interest as follows:

Criterion	Min. requirement	Min. points awarded
English	IELTS 7.0 or equivalent	10
Work experience	Australia: 12 months and/or overseas: 3 years	5
Qualification	AQF 8	15
Australian study requirement	Completed	5
State nomination	Approved	5
MINIMUM TOTAL (not accounting for specific situations)	40

We hope the above information comes as a relief to many of you, and would be happy to address any questions you might have over your own circumstances by contacting our office today.