NT State Sponsorship

You can be nominated if you have an occupation on the NT Migration Occupation List, or if you can use any occupation on the Medium and Long Term Strategic Skills List or Short Term Skilled Occupation List but you would need to demonstrate strong evidence of positive employment prospects in the NT either in your skilled occupation or a closely related skilled occupation if your occupation is not on the NT Migration Occupation List.

The NT Government will consider your application for nomination if any one of the following applies:

• your skilled occupation is on the NT Migration Occupation List, including satisfying the additional requirements that apply to particular occupations. For example, if you are applying under the occupation of occupation of 221111 Accountant (General), then you need to satisfy: ‘Offshore applicants must provide evidence of having received an offer of employment by a NT employer in their nominated occupation or a closely related occupation
• you have a skilled occupation that is on the Medium and Long Term Strategic Skills List, Short Term Skilled Occupation List, but not on the NT Migration Occupation List, and you provide strong evidence of good employment prospects in the NT in your skilled occupation or a closely related skilled occupation
• you have successfully completed an eligible enrolled course – full-time and for at least two years at a college or university in the NT
• you have a skilled occupation on the Australian Government’s current list of eligible skilled occupations and you can demonstrate strong, well established family connections in the NT
• you meet the NT residency and work requirements if you are living in Australia

Already in Australia – NT residency & work

If you are already in Australia, then you must satisfy the NT residency and work requirements:

• lived in the NT for at least six months
• worked in your skilled occupation or closely related field in the NT for at least six months
• this requirement applies even if your occupation is on the NT Migration Occupation List

Graduate 485 visa and student visa holders who didn’t study in NT

You fall into this group if any one of the following applies:

• You hold a Skilled Graduate (Subclass 485) visa and you have not completed at least two years of study at a college or university in the Northern Territory
• International student graduates
• You are a former international student graduate who have completed his or her eligible studies at a college or university that is not in the Northern Territory (NT)

If you are in this group, then you must satisfy the all following additional requirements:

• completed the course of study for which your student visa was granted
• lived in the NT for at least six months
• worked full time in the nominated skilled occupation or a closely related skilled occupation for six months in the NT immediately before applying for NT nomination
• been paid at the NT market rate for the skilled occupation in which you have been employed in the NT for six months
• demonstrated a genuine intention to live and work in the NT for at least two years after your visa is granted

Applicants in this group will generally only be considered for Subclass 489 visa nomination however, the NT Government will decide on applications for Subclass 190 nominations on a case-by-case basis.

NT graduates with 2 years of study in NT

You fall into this group if you successfully completed the study course for which you received your student visa. The study period must have been full-time and over at least two years at any NT college or university.

You must provide:

• a letter showing your commitment to the NT
• six months of bank statements showing transactions as evidence of living in the NT.

Evidence of financial capacity and research on the NT is not required as you already live in the NT.

Working holiday 417 or 462 visa

You must satisfy the all following additional requirements if you hold a 417 or 462 visa:

• have had your visa for at least six months
• have lived and worked full time in the Northern Territory (NT) in the nominated skilled occupation or a closely related skilled occupation in the NT for at least six months immediately before applying for NT nomination
• have been paid at the NT market rate for your work in the occupation in which you are employed
• show ongoing employment prospects in the NT
• show a genuine intention to live and work in the NT for at least two years after your visa is granted.

Evidence of financial capacity and research on the NT are not required as you are already living in the NT.

482 & 457 visa holders

To apply for Northern Territory (NT)  Government nomination, you must provide evidence that you have:

• lived in the NT for at least six months before applying for nomination
• worked for a Subclass 457 or Subclass 482 (Medium-term Stream) sponsoring business in the NT for at least six months before applying – exceptions can apply
• support from your current Subclass 457 or Subclass 482 (Medium-term stream) sponsoring business through a letter stating that they:
  • support your visa application
  • understand that you will not be tied to their business once the Subclass 489 / Subclass 190 visa is granted.

The NT Government may contact your employer. There may be circumstances where the need for support from your current employer can be waived.

If you are applying from outside of Australia

You must provide:

• verifiable evidence of full-time employment in your nominated occupation for at least 12 months out of the last 24 months or evidence that you have Australian qualifications
• evidence that you have done detailed research into living and working in the NT to show that you have a realistic knowledge of the NT including climate, relocation costs and living expenses – parts of websites copied and pasted into your submission are not accepted.

If you are living in the Northern Territory

You must also provide:

• bank statements for the six month before applying that clearly show your day-to-day spending in the NT as evidence you have been living in the NT, and
• payslips for six months from a NT employer – this is not required for applicants who have completed their eligible studies in the NT.

Financial capacity if you are not an NT resident

You must also provide:

• evidence of your financial capacity to settle in the NT including net assets
• information about any support networks you have in the NT, as these may be considered.

The table below gives you detail on the assets you need and the summary you have to provide.

You must provide a list of all your financial assets in Australian dollars. You must provide evidence of those assets. For example, clear colour copies of bank statements, share certificates, property valuations and jewellery evaluations.

Documents & Forms

You must provide:

• a completed online application for the Northern Territory (NT) Government Subclass 489 and 190 nomination
• a clear colour copy of your skills assessment, from the relevant Australian skills assessment and assessing authority, for the skilled occupation you have nominated
• a detailed current copy of your curriculum vitae or resume
• evidence of recent employment in the occupation for which you provided an assessment
• clear colour copies of your qualifications, technical certificates and academic transcripts
• clear colour copies of the identity page from your passport and those of any dependent family members you have included in your application – if you are now in Australia or have previously worked or studied in Australia you need to also include evidence of your visa
• where required, verifiable evidence of your English proficiency – the NT Government accepts all English tests approved by Australian Government’s Department of Home Affairs
• copies of documents showing strong evidence that you can be easily employed in the NT, examples of which could include:
  • a statement describing your understanding of the NT employment market for your occupation / industry and how your skills and experience are in line with NT employer needs (a generic statement is insufficient on its own)
  • evidence your occupation has been advertised in the NT multiple times and explanations of how your qualifications and experience match the selection criteria for real job examples (simple one or two sentence generic statements are insufficient)
  • real feedback from NT employers on your skills and experience (auto-generated responses from job websites and employer HR departments are insufficient)
  • a letter of offer of employment and / or signed employment contract from an NT employer (job offers are investigated and verified – bogus documents will result an application being deemed fraudulent)
• a written statement about your commitment to the NT
• additional documents outlined below, depending on your location and history within the NT.

Processing times for NT nomination applications

Processing times for general skilled migration applications are as follows:

• offshore applicants approximately six to eight months
• NT student / NT resident applicants approximately one month.

Please do not send emails asking for updates on our processing times and timeframes for processing specific applications as we are unable respond.

Your commitments for state sponsorship

When you accept a nomination from Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) Government you are agreeing to do all of the following:

• live and work in the NT in your skilled occupation or a closely related skilled occupation for at least two years from when your visa is granted or from when you arrive in the NT
• let the NT Government know the status of your visa application – you need to do this when your visa is granted or when you arrive
• give your current contact details to the NT Government for a two year period
• participate in surveys conducted by the NT Government to allow outcomes to be assessed.

If the NT Government approves your nomination application we will send you a declaration to sign and return. This is where you agree to all the obligations that are part of the nomination.