Important considerations for state nomination

For all visa applicants

Nomination and approval

Applying for nomination correctly does not guarantee that you will receive Queensland nomination or be granted an Australian visa. Nomination is granted at the discretion of Migration Queensland and is subject to quotas.

Migration Queensland reserves the right to withdraw or cancel the nomination under certain mitigating circumstances. The final decision and time frame on granting a visa is made by the Department of Home Affairs. Migration Queensland takes no responsibility if your visa application is not approved by the Department of Home Affairs.

Transfer of nomination

You are not permitted to transfer your Queensland nomination to another state or territory. If you are seeking a release from another territory, you must contact them before approaching Migration Queensland.

Processing times – Migration Queensland

The processing time of each application varies, depending on the quality of your application documents, timely payment of application fee, and volume of applications submitted to Migration Queensland.

Periodically, due to quota limitations or peak demand, processing times may be longer than anticipated.

Processing times – Department of Home Affairs

You can find processing times for relevant visa subclasses on the Department of Home Affairs website.

Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT)

Migration Queensland will not, under any circumstances, appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) against decisions made by the Department of Home Affairs to decline a visa to any skilled or business applicant nominated by Queensland.

After moving to Queensland

You must supply your residential address and contact details to Migration Queensland upon receiving your visa and settling in Queensland, or after securing a permanent place of residence. You must also advise Migration Queensland of any change to your circumstances within the first 2–3 years of living in Queensland – including changes of address, investment, business, or employment.

For skilled visa applicants

Expression of interest (EOI)

Preference will be given to applicants who select “Queensland” as their nominating state of choice over applicants who select “Any” state. If a suspension period is in place, do not submitting an EOI until processing has reopened.

Occupation ceilings

Occupations on Queensland Skilled Occupation Lists (QSOL) may be subject to caps. This means that Migration Queensland will accept a maximum number of nominations for those occupations within a given period. When program targets are met, the occupation will be closed and further applications will not be accepted.

Program targets are opened and closed at Migration Queensland’s discretion. The status of occupations will be regularly updated to indicate whether applications are being accepted. Regularly review the Migration Queensland website to check the status of your occupation. Migration Queensland will not contact you if your occupation is later closed or opened.

Queensland Skilled Occupation Lists (QSOL)

QSOLs reflect the current labour demand, change regularly, and may do so without notice.

For Business visa applicants

Business migration advice

Migration Queensland recommends that you seek professional migration, legal, and financial advice before making an investment or starting a business – to ensure compliance with all eligibility requirements. Migration Queensland takes no responsibility if your investment or business is not successful.

Complying investments or business investment may carry risk. It is your responsibility to evaluate and determine the merit, viability, and risk of a proposed investment or business and to verify the reliability, accuracy, and completeness of the information that you have gathered.

By granting nomination, the state of Queensland makes no endorsement or representation regarding the:

• business proposal or complying investments,
• viability or otherwise of the proposed business or complying investments, or
• origin, validity, accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in your business proposal.

The State of Queensland disclaims and excludes to the full extent permitted by law any liability for losses of whatsoever nature that arise in any way from, or in connection with, the applicant’s business proposal or by reason of reliance thereon by any person.