International Students
On completion of their Australian studies, students may be eligible for State Sponsorship under either the Skilled Sponsored or Skilled Regional Sponsored Visa categories. To be eligible for these visas, applicants must have an Australian degree, diploma or trade qualification as a result of at least two years of full-time study at one or more educational institutions in Australia.
Please note that the Government of Western Australia no longer accepts applications for State sponsorship from students who have completed their studies at an Australian Education Institution outside of Western Australia. Applications from students who have completed their studies (minimum 12 months) in Western Australia will continue to be accepted.
Graduate students of Australian Educational Institutions outside Western Australia may apply for State sponsorship once they have gained a minimum of 12 months recent work experience in Western Australia, in a skilled occupation.
Making an application
In order for your application to be processed by the SMC, you must lodge a valid online application which MUST include the following documents to be processed:
- Skills Assessment
- Current CV
- Letter of completion from your educational institution indicating start and finish dates of your study
- IELTS results
If you completed your studies more than 6 months prior to applying you will need to provide
- Evidence of either 485 visa grant or 885 visa lodgement.
If you completed your studies at an Australian Education Institution outside Western Australia you will also need to provide
- Evidence of at least 12 months skilled work experience in Western Australia post qualification.
If these documents are not attached to your application it will be deemed as invalid and State Sponsorship will not be granted.
Non WA Graduate Students
This only applies to non Western Australia Graduate Students who applied for State sponsorship between 1 December 2008 and 25 February 2009
The sponsorship offered by the Western Australian Government to graduate students will be valid for a period of three (3) months from date of issue. For sponsorship to be confirmed with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) via Form 1100, applicants must register in-person at the office of the State Migration Centre (SMC), Perth within this three month period. Sponsorship approval, when granted, will be valid for the duration of the processing period.
How to Register:
Registrations can only be made in person at the State Migration Centre
| Where: | State Migration Centre Small Business Development Corporation 553 Hay Street (Cnr Pier Street) Perth Western Australia (08) 9220 0279 or (08) 9220 0254 |
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| When: | Mondays between 2pm and 3pm (Registrations cannot be made outside of these times) |
At the time of registration graduates will be required to provide:
- confirmation of a job offer in Western Australia in a skilled occupation;
- SMC approval letter and agreement;
- passport for validation of identity;
- completed registration form; and
- evidence of local address.
If you do not register in person, sponsorship will not be confirmed and DIAC will be unable to process your visa application
Please note the Government of Western Australia does not participate in the 'concessional competent' English option.
Please take the time to visit the Skilled Regional Sponsored Visa and Skilled Sponsored Visa pages to see if you meet eligibility requirements.
Full details of the visa criteria can be found in the DIAC publication Booklet 6: General Skilled Migration .
