Business and Skilled Migration
Building the skills base of the Northern Territory is a priority of the Northern Territory Government. In addition to providing training and employment opportunities, the government has implemented initiatives under its Jobs NT Strategy to increase the number of national and international skilled migrants who choose the Northern Territory as a place to live, work and establish businesses.
The whole of the Northern Territory has ‘regional’ status for migration purposes, which allows it to participate in regional migration programs under which concessions are available.
The Department of Business’ Business and Skilled Migration Service:
- provides information and support to Northern Territory employers in relation to business and skilled migration issues
- certifies nominations for sponsorship from Northern Territory employers, business people and potential migrants under regional and state/territory specific schemes
- raises awareness within the Northern Territory of business and skilled migration schemes
- promotes the Northern Territory as a migration destination
- provides settlement information to migrants to the Northern Territory
- works with the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship to profile the Northern Territory’s needs in relation to business and skilled migration policy.
The Business and Skilled Migration Service also offers:
- briefings to visiting overseas delegates on business and skilled migration schemes and their eligibility
- provision of invitations/letters of support for overseas business people/potential investors seeking visas to undertake exploratory business visits to the Northern Territory
- facilitation on visa issues with overseas posts of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship
- referrals to other departmental or government services.
Key Facts
Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme
The Department of Business certifies all nominations from Northern Territory employers for the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme. This is a concessional visa scheme that allows employers in regional Australia to sponsor overseas skilled workers for permanent residence to fill skill shortages that cannot be met from within the local labour market.
Northern Territory Government Sponsorship
Sponsorship from the Northern Territory enable applicants for visas under the General Migration Program to access from lower eligibility criteria under all state/territory visa subclasses.
Skilled – Regional Sponsored (SRS) Visas (Subclass 475 and Subclass 487) are for eligible overseas skilled people, who have a positive assessment for an occupation on the State and Territory Skilled Occupation List, and who can achieve 100 points on the General Skilled Migration (GSM) point test. To be eligible to apply for a this visa applicants must be sponsored by an Australian state or territory government. Successful applicants are granted three year provisional visas by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. The Northern Territory can invoke concessional English provisions for this visa.
To be eligible to apply for permanent residency the SRS visa holder must satisfy the 24 month regional Australia residency/12 month employment criteria.
Skilled Sponsored (SS) Visas (Subclass 176 and Subclass 886) are for eligible overseas skilled people, who have a positive assessment for an occupation on the State and Territory Skilled Occupation List, and who can achieve 100 points on the GSM point test. To eligible to apply for a SS visa applicants must be sponsored by an Australian state or territory government. Successful applicants are granted a permanent residence visa by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
The Business Skills Entry program provides successful overseas business owners, senior executives and investors to apply for provisional business migration visas. To apply for permanent residency a provisional business skills visa holder must demonstrate that they have met the relevant eligibility business activity/investment criteria.
The Business Talent (Business Skills Entry) Visa provides outright permanent residency and requires sponsorship by an Australian state or territory government. Northern Territory sponsorship targets high calibre overseas business people who demonstrate an intention to undertake significant or strategic business investment in the Northern Territory.
The Investor Retirement Visa is for self-funded overseas retirees who have the capacity to invest not less than A$500 000 in Territory Bonds and have additional assets and an income stream to enable them to comfortably settle and live in the Northern Territory.
Department of Immigration and Citizenship
Further Information
Business and Skilled Migration
GPO Box 9988
Darwin NT 0801
Tel: +61 8 8999 5264
Fax: +61 8 8999 6096
E-mail: migration@nt.gov.au
Web: www.migration.nt.gov.au
Content current at 17 August 2010.
