Tasmania State Nomination for 190 and 491: Conditions

Overview of the Tasmanian Skilled Migration program

Tasmania is Australia’s smallest island state, located about 240 km south of the mainland. Although it has the smallest area and population of the states, Tasmania is going through a period of strong economic growth, especially in tourism, agriculture, education and health services.

The Tasmanian Skilled Migration program nominates the 190 and 491 visas with the goal of attracting highly skilled workers to live and work in Tasmania long term.

The administering authority

The program is managed by the Tasmanian Department of Premier and Cabinet — Population and Migration Team. This is a fairly small unit compared with the larger states, but it is usually regarded as having a more transparent and predictable assessment process.

Tasmania’s quota characteristics

Tasmania has a significantly smaller annual quota than NSW, Victoria or Queensland. This means the number of nominations each year is limited, and when the quota runs out the program closes until the next financial year.

However, because of the small population and high real labour demand in certain specific industries, the acceptance rate for applications that meet the criteria is usually fairly good while quota remains.

Visa 190 in Tasmania

The Tasmania 190 visa grants permanent residence to people nominated by Tasmania.

Priority occupations for the Tasmania 190 visa reflect the state’s real needs:

Health and healthcare: General practitioners, registered nurses, allied health professionals, aged care workers — this is a group always in serious shortage in Tasmania
Engineering and construction: Civil and construction engineers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters — especially with the construction boom in Hobart and Launceston
Education: Primary and secondary teachers, especially for rural schools
Agriculture and food: Agricultural technicians, food scientists for the agricultural processing industry
Tourism and hospitality: Some senior management roles in tourism — an important industry for Tasmania
Information technology: Software developers, IT support for small and medium businesses

Tasmania connection requirement

Tasmania usually requires applicants to have a connection to the state, but its approach can be more flexible than NSW or WA in some cases.

Connections usually accepted:

Living and/or working in Tasmania
Graduating from the University of Tasmania (UTAS) or a Tasmanian education provider
Having a job offer from an employer in Tasmania
Having a close relative living in Tasmania

Graduate stream: Tasmania has its own stream for graduates from UTAS or education providers in Tasmania. This is a good opportunity for international students who studied in Hobart or Launceston.

Visa 491 and regional Tasmania

A distinctive feature of Tasmania is that all of Tasmania is recognised as a designated regional area under the DHA definition. This means that even Hobart (the capital) and Launceston (the second largest city) fall within the regional area for the purposes of the 491 visa.

This is a major advantage — a Tasmania 491 holder can live in the capital, Hobart (a beautiful, safe city with full amenities), while still meeting the regional condition to later move to a 191 PR visa.

Advantages of choosing Tasmania for the 491:

Being able to live in Hobart — a modern, liveable city, with lower costs than the major cities
The entire state is regional, so there is no concern about geographic boundaries
The occupation list for the Tasmania 491 is usually broader due to diverse labour demand

The registration process

Step 1: Check the current occupation list on the Tasmanian Skilled Migration website.

Step 2: Prepare an active EOI on SkillSelect.

Step 3: When Tasmania opens registration, submit your application through the Tasmania portal with evidence of connection.

Step 4: Tasmania assesses and nominates. If approved, wait for an ITA from DHA.

Special points about Tasmania

The cost of living in Hobart is significantly lower than Sydney, Melbourne, and even Adelaide in some respects
High quality of life: beautiful nature, a friendly community, low crime
The entire state is regional — an advantage not found in the larger states
Tasmania has a Welcome Stranger program and active settlement support services
A small quota means less competition, but also means a limited number of nominations
The University of Tasmania has a program linked with Skilled Migration that helps international students move to PR