Victoria Reopens State Nomination for IT Professionals

By Natalya Khodan Tuesday, 06 January 2015

Victoria has reopened state nomination for IT professionals from 5 January 2015.

IT professionals have been suspended from the Victorian State Migration Program since October 2014, so this is a great opportunity for experienced IT professionals, particularly those living in Victoria already.

Applicants can be nominated by Victoria for either of the following visas:

• Skilled Nominated Subclass 190 - a permanent state sponsored visa
• Skilled Regional Provisional Subclass 489 - a 4-year temporary visa leading to permanent residence after 2 years

Applicants must generally have work experience in their occupation and a relatively high level of English - below is a summary of the main criteria for nomination by Victoria for IT professionals:

English Requirement

IT professionals are generally required to have Proficient English (minimum 7 in each band of IELTS) for nomination by Victoria.

Exemptions to the English language requirement are available in the following circumstances:

• Applicants who have completed a PhD within the past five years.
• People who have worked in their occupation in Victoria for 6 months.

Work Experience Requirement

The work experience requirement for Victoria nomination depends on the occupation. For IT professionals, the usual requirement is 3 years of work experience in the nominated occupation, but for some occupations, a minimum of 5 years is required.

Recent PhD graduates are exempt from the work experience requirement.

Are Recent Graduates Eligible?

ICT occupations are not on the "recent graduate" list for Victoria. Apart from the above exemptions, all ICT applicants require 3 years or more of work experience to have a good chance of qualifying for nomination by Victoria.

Acacia in Melbourne

Acacia will be in Melbourne for consultations with clients on January 14, 2015.

To book for a consultation in Melbourne:

1. Go to https://www.acacia-au.com/book-immigration-consultation.php
2. Click "Schedule an Appointment" icon
3. Confirm the time zone. Melbourne falls under the Canberra time zone
4. Select "Acacia in Melbourne"
5. Click the blue arrow until the week of 12 January is on the screen
6. Select a time on 14 January that works for your schedule.

References

• Live in Victoria - Migration Agent Alert December 2014 Edition
• Live in Victoria - Temporary closure in skilled applications for ICT occupations