Tasmania skilled nomination: choosing the right 190 or 491 pathway

The basic skilled-visa checks include being under 45, an eligible occupation, a valid positive skills assessment, at least Competent English and at least 65 points, including nomination points, on the Home Affairs points test. You then need to satisfy the chosen Tasmanian pathway.

The usual sequence is SkillSelect EOI, Tasmanian Registration of Interest (ROI), invitation to apply for nomination, nomination assessment and a separate visa application. An EOI or ROI is not a visa application. Make sure the EOI identifies Tasmania as a state of interest.

• Priority occupation: nine months of matching work, reduced to six months for eligible school-teaching, health or allied-health applicants. The priority list and its caveats apply.
• Long-term employment: 15 months immediately before applying, in matching work and an occupation eligible for 190.

Both require an average 20 hours weekly and pay of at least $57,000 yearly or a base $28.85 hourly, excluding overtime, penalties, bonuses and casual loading. Matching work means the same three-digit ANZSCO group as the assessment.

For 491 employees, work meeting that income threshold requires nine months immediately before applying, averaging 20 hours weekly. Below that threshold, but at least the National Minimum Wage, the period is 12 months, averaging 20 hours; the employer must document severe recruitment difficulty and career advancement opportunities. Work need not match the assessment, but relevant qualifications or experience must meet the role's OSCA definition.

The employment period is only part of the check. For these employee routes, also check:

• The employer has operated in Tasmania for at least 12 months, with any occupation-specific conditions satisfied.
• Your contract covers at least 12 months, with at least three months remaining when you apply.
• You currently live in Tasmania. Dependants may live overseas, but cannot remain in another Australian state or territory; dependants relocating from interstate must have lived in Tasmania for at least three months.
• You genuinely intend to stay in your current industry for at least two years after nomination.

Pay, genuine employment and other pathway conditions still apply. Contractor and self-employed rules require a separate assessment.

For the standard 190 graduate route, the published requirements include eligible study with a Tasmanian CRICOS institution, a course listed for at least 92 weeks, and at least two calendar years living in Tasmania from the course start and throughout study. Study must meet the full-time, on-site rules.

The standard 491 graduate route instead requires an eligible CRICOS course of at least 40 weeks and at least one calendar year of Tasmanian residence from the course start and throughout study. Full-time, on-site study still applies. For both standard graduate routes, the qualification must be an AQF Diploma (level 5) or higher, or an eligible Certificate III related to OSCA groups 3 or 4. Full-time study means at least 75% of a full-time load each semester; online or distance study does not meet the on-site requirement. Vocational study generally requires at least 15 contact hours a week, unless an ASQA exception applies.

Course length alone is therefore insufficient. Check credit transfers, current Tasmanian residence and the family-location rules as well. PhD arrangements require separate attention.

Employer operation, genuine need, wages and conditions must meet the published requirements. Neither the applicant nor dependants may have lived in another Australian state or territory in the preceding 12 months.

This is not a general job-offer route for all occupations. ROIs through this dedicated health or education pathway receive a Gold Pass, allowing an immediate nomination application. That access does not guarantee nomination or visa approval. The published rules allow possible 491 nomination where the applicant's occupation or points do not support 190; that is distinct from the closed overseas invitation-only pathway.

For example, TSE Gold has a specific qualifying teaching or health employment category, with its own matching-work, pay and six-month employment requirements. Its 30-hour weekly minimum must be met in at least one job, rather than averaged or assembled across jobs. Working 30 hours alone does not earn Gold. Other pathways have their own priority conditions.