Australian State Sponsored Migration visas provides a great way to immigrate to Australia. This article does not deal with Investor visas but only deal with General Skills pointed tested immigration visas. The options available to you include permanent and temporary Visa options. main Visa subclasses are:
Visa 489 - Skilled — Regional (Provisional) - This visa is closed to new applications
Each state and territory government have their own processes for nomination in addition to the criterian under the Migration Act, the process is complicated and if you do not approach it the correct way the first time, the consequences may be devastating and include possible entry/visa bars to Australia. We recommend that you book an appointment for an assessment.
UPDATE 02/10/2025
NT General Skilled Migration nomination applications for 2025-26
The NT Government is yet to receive its full nomination allocation for the 2025-26 program year from the Australian Government.
The Australian Government has released a small interim allocation while State and Territory governments await the full allocation for this program year. The NT Government has a limited number of subclass 491 nominations available for eligible onshore applicants with certain visa deadlines falling before 31 December 2025.
Until the interim allocation is exhausted, new subclass 491 nomination applications will be accepted by exception for onshore applicants who meet the NT Graduate or NT Resident eligibility criteria and have the following visa deadlines falling before 31 December 2025:
- those who have visas expiring before 31 December 2025 and are not eligible for a Temporary Graduate Visa;
- those who are due to become ineligible for the GSM program due to turning 45 years of age before 31 December 2025;
- those who have birthdays falling before 31 December 2025, resulting in their skilled migration points for subclass 491 falling below 65
Onshore applicants with such visa deadlines should lodge subclass 491 nomination applications without delay and must also meet all relevant criteria for the stream they are applying for as published on this website at present.
The 2025-26 program remains closed for other applicants at this time and will open once the full allocation is received from the Australian Government.
Please note that we cannot guarantee nominations before visa deadlines. Those who are onshore and have visas expiring should seek professional advice from a Registered Migration Agent (RMA) or legal practitioner on their visa options and ensure that they remain lawful in Australia.
NT 2025-26 State Sponsored Migration
To check your eligibility, please fill out the assessment form now.
A summary of key changes to eligibility criteria are as follows:
- NT Residents who have not worked in their nominated or related occupation for at least 6 months in the NT will only be considered for nomination if they have been working in the NT for 6 months in a critical sector (health, aged and disabled care, education and childcare, hospitality).
- The Priority Occupation Stream for offshore applications will be limited to 54 occupations listed on the new NT Offshore Migration Occupation List.
On this page
- NT nomination step-by-step guide
- Full eligibility criteria
- Age
- Skills assessments
- English language requirement
- Points test
- If you already live in Australia
- If you apply from outside Australia
- Commitment to the NT
- Occupation
- Financial capacity
NT nomination step-by-step guide
- Assess your visa eligibility against migration law criteria. (for example, age, English level, skills assessment and migration points test).
- Assess your eligibility for NT nomination
- Submitting an expression of interest.
- Submitting an application for NT nomination.
- If successfully nominated, receive an invitation to apply for your visa.
- Submitting the visa application
- The Department visa decision on your visa application.
- If your visa is granted, you will be required to meet long-term commitments to live in the NT.
Full eligibility criteria.
The topics of key minimum requirements are:
Age
You must be under aged 45 years at the time of nomination.
Skills assessments
You will need a full skills assessment. A skills assessment is an independent assessment of whether you have the skills and / or experience to undertake an occupation in Australia.
English language requirement
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.
Points test
Meet the skilled migration points test of 6.5 or higher.
In addition to the above, you must also meet the Northern Territory (NT) Government requirements.
These requirements can be changed at any time by the NT Government. NT nominations are issued at the discretion of the NT Government, and meeting these requirements does not guarantee a nomination.
If you already live in Australia
You must meet specific additional requirements.
Please also 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 have not completed studies 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 apply from outside Australia
Offshore applicants will generally only be nominated for a subclass 491 visa.
Offshore applicants must meet the minimum requirements above and meet the following NT nomination criteria:
- have post-qualification work experience of at least 2 years in your nominated occupation in the last 5 years (note: additional work experience may be required for some occupations under the priority occupations stream)
- demonstrate a genuine commitment to live and work in the NT on a long-term basis
- declare that they have the financial capacity to settle in the NT
- meet criteria against one of the 3 streams below.
Please note: Those applying under the NT family stream or the NT job offer stream can nominate any occupation on the national eligibility list.
Meet criteria against one of the 3 streams below.
- Priority occupation stream
- NT Family Stream
- NT Job Offer Stream
Commitment to the 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 3 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).
Occupation
All applicants must have a skilled occupation that is on the Australian Government's current list of eligible skilled occupations.
Offshore applicants applying under the Priority Occupation Stream must have an occupation on the NTOMOL.
Financial capacity (only for offshore applicants)
Moving to a new place can be expensive. Skilled migrants to the NT are responsible for supporting themselves when they arrive in the NT, and the NT Government does not provide financial assistance.
It is important that you undertake research into the cost of living in the NT, and ensure that you have the financial capacity to successfully settle.
The participating State or Territories are:
— Australia's migration system is complex — Minister [22 Feb 2023]
Each state and territory government have their own processes for nomination in addition to the criterian under the Migration Act, the process is complicated and if you do not approach it the correct way the first time, the consequences may be devastating and include possible entry/visa bars to Australia. We recommend that you book an appointment for an assessment.
