Tasmania is the first state to announce its state nomination arrangements for the new financial year. Among all Australian states, Tasmania has confirmed its state nomination quotas, policy details, ROI opening timeline and invitation schedule. Other states have remained relatively quiet with limited information released so far. Tasmanian state nomination is well known for detailed rules, a wide range of bonus points, as well as its own priority criteria and points framework. This article summarises the key policy changes in this round. Feel free to contact us if you require full eligibility criteria for each stream or a personal points assessment.

1. State Nomination Quotas for the New Financial Year

Tasmania has been allocated a total of 2,050 state nomination places for the new financial year:

190 State Nomination: 1,250 places
491 Regional State Nomination: 800 places

Comparison with the previous financial year:

190: an increase of 50 places
491: an increase of 150 places

Quotas for both visa subclasses have risen, with a more substantial increase for the 491 stream.

2. ROI Opening and Invitation Timetable

17 August: New round of ROI submissions opens. From 20 August: Weekly state nomination invitations commence

Applicants who have lodged an ROI within the past six months may consider withdrawing and resubmitting if the new rules improve their points competitiveness. Nevertheless, you should calculate the points difference under the old and new frameworks before withdrawing. Avoid premature withdrawal without a clear competitive advantage.

3. New Metric: Average Invitation Cut-off Over the Past Three Months

Tasmania regularly publishes invitation volumes, minimum invitation points and remaining quotas. From the new financial year, an additional metric will be released: the average minimum invitation cut-off over the previous three months. This figure helps applicants gauge their competitiveness and will also be referenced during nomination assessment. If the State Government determines a claimed bonus point is invalid during assessment, the corresponding points will be deducted. A nomination will only be refused on this basis if both conditions below apply:

1. Some claimed bonus points are disallowed;
2. The adjusted total points fall below the three-month average invitation cut-off.

In other words, if certain points are removed at assessment stage but your remaining total is still above the average threshold, your nomination may still be approved. Do not overstate eligibility to boost your ROI ranking. Every claimed point must be backed by genuine, complete and compliant supporting documentation.

4. Core Changes to All Nomination Streams

The overall policy direction is clear: Tasmania places greater emphasis on applicants’ long-term ties to the state, sustained employment capacity and genuine local contribution.

1. 4.1 Tasmanian Work Stream

Higher threshold for Gold Priority status

Applicants must have maintained continuous employment in Tasmania for the preceding six months, with at least one single role offering a minimum of 30 hours per week. Crucially, multiple part-time jobs can no longer be combined to meet the 30-hour weekly requirement. Even with two or more concurrent positions, you cannot satisfy Gold Priority unless one individual role alone meets the 30-hour weekly threshold.

Restructured employment tenure points

Points differentiation for varying lengths of local employment has been widened:

15–18 months employment: 40 points
12–15 months employment: 30 points
9–12 months employment: increased from 6 points to 25 points

Previously, 12–18 months fell under a single points bracket; this has now been split into two tiers. Longer continuous employment delivers a stronger competitive edge.

1.4.2 TSE 491 Stream

A new bonus point category is introduced: applicants with two years of relevant Australian work experience who meet the priority income threshold will receive 15 points. Two further key adjustments apply:For the TSE 190 stream, the bonus for two years relevant experience meeting priority income drops from 30 points to 15 points. The bonus for 18 months non-relevant employment reduces from 35 points to 15 points. This means securing high points purely through long-term non-relevant work will become far more difficult. Employment experience aligned with your skills-assessed occupation, combined with satisfactory income, will carry greater weight.

3. 4.3 Tasmanian Graduate Stream

New bonus: No residence, study or employment in other states/territories

Applicants who have never lived, studied or worked in any other Australian state or territory gain an additional 15 points. This rule clearly favours graduates intending to establish long-term residency and careers within Tasmania.

Increased points for post-graduation relevant employment meeting priority income

If the job after graduation is related to the courses studied and meets the priority income criteria, the following benefits will be granted:

Points still available for non-relevant long-term employment

If work is not directly related to your qualification but has continued for a minimum of 18 months:

20 points for 190 nominations
18 points for 491 nominations

Overall scoring confirms Tasmania continues to recognise stable long-term employment, yet relevant work meeting income benchmarks is distinctly prioritised.

4. 4.4 Long-Term Resident Stream

Higher income threshold

The minimum qualifying income for eligible business activity rises to match the relevant income benchmark:

AUD 79,423 per annum.

New work experience bonus

Applicants meeting the income threshold with two years experience in their skills-assessed occupation qualify for:

23 points for 190 nominations
20 points for 491 nominations

This reinforces the link between income, occupational background and sustained employment. Simply residing in Tasmania for an extended period no longer guarantees a competitive advantage.

5. 4.5 Small Business Owner Stream

The minimum qualifying business income threshold for small business operators is lifted to 85% of the relevant income benchmark:

AUD 67,509 per annum.

Operators must demonstrate genuine ongoing business operations and ensure turnover, personal drawings, business sustainability and taxation records fully satisfy requirements.

5. Other Significant Rule Revisions

1. 5.1 190 ROI may be converted to a 491 nomination

Some applicants may satisfy Tasmanian state-level criteria for the 190 stream but fail federal visa requirements. Examples include: nominated occupation not on the applicable 190 occupation list; EOI base points below 60, unable to reach 65 even after adding the 5 state nomination points for 190. Such applicants may still lodge a 190 ROI with supporting explanatory information. If the Tasmanian Government considers you suitable for state nomination yet ineligible for 190, it may offer a direct 491 nomination instead. This creates an alternative pathway for applicants with strong Tasmanian ties who cannot meet federal 190 criteria.

2. 5.2 Stricter calculation of wages and working hours

Annual salary is assessed based on a standard 38-hour working week. Where employment contracts specify hours exceeding 38 per week, the State Government will recalculate earnings using the base hourly rate. Overtime income cannot be counted to inflate annual earnings. The minimum base hourly wage required is AUD 28.85 per hour. A contract salary meeting the threshold does not automatically guarantee compliance. Base hourly rates, standard working hours and payslips must align consistently.

3. 5.3 Employment break exceeding three months may reset tenure calculation

Approved paid leave does not interrupt continuous employment counting. However, if there is a gap of more than three months between consecutive roles, previously accumulated employment tenure will be reset, and counting restarts from the new job. This is critical for applicants relying on length of work to claim bonus points.

4. 5.4 Pre-graduation employment may count towards relevant experience

Work undertaken prior to graduation can be recognised as relevant experience if both conditions apply: the duties align with your completed qualification and meet the requirements of your skills assessment. This benefits Tasmanian graduates who secured relevant employment during their studies. You will still need to prove alignment between job duties, working hours and your course.

5. 5.5 New workplace restrictions for selected occupations

(effective 1 December)

Massage Therapist

Employment must be undertaken within one of the following facility types:

Medical clinics
Aged care facilities
Disability support services

Careful assessment is required to confirm eligibility for other workplace types.

Motor Mechanic & Automotive Tradesperson

Applicants must be employed by:

Businesses whose primary activity is automotive repair; OR
Authorised motor vehicle dealers.

Experience will not be recognised if the employer’s core business is used-car sales, or your primary duties focus on vehicle sales rather than mechanical work.

6. 5.6 Tighter evidence requirements for superannuation

Superannuation fund statements alone will no longer be accepted as primary evidence.

Applicants must

provide superannuation records accessible via the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

Payslips, bank deposits, tax returns and superannuation contributions must be consistent. Material discrepancies may trigger further investigation.

7. 5.7 Crackdown on sham employment and purchased work arrangements

Tasmania has introduced additional audit indicators to verify position authenticity, including red flags such as:

include:

Small retail businesses hiring full-time IT maintenance staff inconsistent with business scale and operational needs
Unusual financial transactions between employers and employees
Employees transferring salary payments back to employers via private transfers
Job titles inconsistent with actual daily duties
Business turnover and size mismatching advertised roles and wage levels

Cases raising these concerns will face intensive scrutiny and may result in nomination refusal.

Assessors do not merely check whether an applicant holds a job; they verify whether the role is a genuine business requirement, wages are actually disbursed, and the applicant fulfils the stated position responsibilities.

8. 5.8 Updated State Nomination Application Fee

For the new financial year, the state nomination application fee is adjusted to:

387AUD

ROI submissions remain free of charge. Payment is only required once you receive an invitation and lodge a formal nomination application.

6. Key Guidance for Overseas Applicants

Tasmania will pause general invitations to most offshore applicants in the new financial year. However, offshore candidates who obtain a compliant job offer from the following Tasmanian employers may still be eligible for a 190 nomination: Tasmanian healthcare institutions, Tasmanian schools.For overseas applicants, improving EOI points alone is insufficient. Securing genuine employment offers from high-need Tasmanian employers will be the priority.

7. Key Policy Takeaways

Four core priorities define Tasmania’s new financial year nomination framework:

Greater weight on genuine long-term commitment to live in Tasmania

The new bonus for applicants with no history of residence/study/work in other states demonstrates preference for candidates targeting Tasmania as their permanent home.

Stronger recognition of qualification-relevant employment

Relevant work aligned with your degree or skills-assessed occupation receives enhanced points across the Graduate, Long-Term Resident and TSE streams.

Emphasis on verifiable income and continuous employment

Higher income thresholds, stricter hour calculations and potential reset of tenure after long employment gaps make invitations harder to obtain via short-term or unstable work.

Heightened scrutiny of genuine roles and employment relationships

Audits now extend to superannuation documentation, unusual money transfers and alignment between business activity and advertised positions. Assessment standards have become significantly more rigorous.

While Tasmania’s policy framework is complex, it offers the advantage of transparency. Applicants can reference published priority criteria, points tables and invitation data to evaluate competitiveness.

Nevertheless, a high ROI score does not guarantee nomination approval. All claimed bonus points will be re-verified during formal assessment. If supporting documentation cannot substantiate your claimed points, deductions may apply and could jeopardise your nomination outcome.