Skilled migration
Skilled and business migrants make an important contribution to the New South Wales economy.
Skilled migrants and business migrants
The migration to Australia of skilled people with the qualifications and attributes to succeed helps address specific skill shortages and enhances the size and skill level of the Australian labour force.
Skilled migrants bring a variety of individual abilities and experiences to their new home, and are an invaluable resource in terms of their knowledge of business practices, protocols, networks and cultures in overseas markets.
Additionally, business migrants bring with them skills, entrepreneurial talent, capital and international market connections to NSW and can also be job creators.
Migration program
The Australian migration program is designed to meet Australia's economic and social needs and is managed by the Commonwealth Government.
Under State and Territory Business and Skilled Migration Agreements with the Australian Government, State and Territory Governments may nominate applicants for skilled, business and investor visas.
The NSW state-nominated migration program targets people who are highly skilled or have an outstanding talent, and who will quickly make a contribution to the economy, as well as successful business people that want to settle in NSW and use their proven skills to develop business activity and create jobs in NSW.
In 2015-16, NSW nominated 4,000 applicants to the Commonwealth under the state Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa, 1,300 under the Skilled Regional Nominated (subclass 489) visa and more than 400 applicants under the Business Innovation and Investment (subclass 188) program.
The NSW Government continues to deliver on the NSW Strategy for Business Migration & Attracting International Students, released in March 2012. The strategy aims to boost the state's share of skilled and business migrants and ensure that migration supports the economy and the needs of regional NSW.
The state has significantly increased the number of skilled and business migrants it has nominated under the strategy. The NSW Government provides sponsorship for business, investor and skilled worker visas, including visas to specifically support migration to regional areas according to local needs.
More information
For more information on NSW Business & Skilled Migration, visit the Visas and Migration section.