South Australia’s 2026–27 Skilled Migration Update: Who Can Apply Now, and How

On 22 October 2026, South Australia announced that it is open for Registrations of Interest (ROIs) from people living and working in South Australia whose current visa is due to expire by 31 January 2027. Skilled workers overseas do not lodge an ROI: suitable offshore candidates may be invited directly from their SkillSelect Expression of Interest (EOI).

In this guide, “onshore” means what South Australia means by it: living and working in South Australia. If you live elsewhere in Australia, the announcement does not cover you. Below: the requirements of each 2026–27 stream, how priority sectors work, the documents South Australia requires, and what everything costs.

The official announcement makes these points:

How South Australian state nomination works, based on South Australia’s How to apply page.

Onshore candidates lodge an ROI through the Skilled and Business Migration Apply Portal under one of three streams. Temporary visa holders, international graduates, self-employed applicants and sub-contractors are among the candidates South Australia lists for the Skilled Employment and Outer Regional streams. Every stream requires you to:

• have an active EOI in SkillSelect with South Australia as your first preferred state;
• have a nominated occupation eligible for your stream on the 2026–27 Skilled Occupation List;
• currently live and work in South Australia (in outer regional South Australia, for that stream);
• be under 45 when state nomination is approved;
• hold a valid, positive skills assessment;
• have at least Competent English, through an approved test or by being a citizen of, and holding a valid passport from, Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom or the United States. If you want to claim higher English points in your EOI, you still need a test result;
• score at least 65 points on the Home Affairs points test, including state nomination points; and
• work full-time (at least 30 hours a week) in a job related to, and at the same skill level as, your nominated occupation, generally in the same ANZSCO sub-major group (the first two digits of the ANZSCO code).

South Australian Graduates also requires a CRICOS-registered course of at least 46 CRICOS weeks, at the minimum qualification level listed for your occupation, with at least 75% completed in South Australia, and at least one year living in South Australia during your studies.

In ranking onshore ROIs, South Australia considers factors that may include English, years of skilled experience in your nominated occupation, skills and qualifications, salary and an assessment of your employer. ROIs are free. If an ROI receives a “Not Invited” decision, you cannot lodge a new one for 3 months.

The Outer Regional Skilled Employment stream applies only where you live and work in one of the 165 postcodes on South Australia’s outer regional postcode list, which runs from 5220 to 5734. Anywhere else in South Australia, the Skilled Employment and Graduates streams are the ones to compare.

Do not confuse this list with the federal “designated regional area”, which is a different test. Under LIN 22/022, every South Australian postcode is a designated regional area. Postcodes 5000 to 5171, 5173, 5174, 5231 to 5235, 5240 to 5252, 5351 and 5950 to 5960, which take in metropolitan Adelaide, are in its “designated city or major regional centre” category, and all others are in its “regional centre or other regional area” category. A postcode can therefore be regional for a subclass 491 visa and still not be on South Australia’s outer regional list. Postcode 5211, for example, is not on the list.

Create an EOI in SkillSelect and choose South Australia as your first preferred state. You do not lodge an ROI and do not need an Apply Portal account unless you are invited. South Australia reviews EOIs and runs invitation rounds throughout the year. Under its offshore requirements you must:

• have at least three years of skilled work experience in your nominated or a closely related occupation within the last five years;
• have an occupation on the Skilled Occupation List that is available for offshore applicants; and
• meet the Home Affairs visa requirements and South Australia’s nomination requirements.

For offshore candidates, work experience must be in a role deemed full-time, which South Australia defines as 20 hours a week according to SkillSelect. It assesses offshore EOIs on English, years and field of skilled employment, skills and qualifications, and EOI points. If invited, you have 14 days to lodge your nomination application, and it must prove every claim in your EOI as at the time of invitation. Passport holders from the five English-speaking countries above do not need a test, though South Australia notes a higher score may strengthen an application.

Construction and trades: one year of experience to be considered

For these occupations, offshore candidates need one year of skilled employment in the last three years to be considered (full-time, defined as 20 hours a week per SkillSelect):

The announcement names its priority sectors with the word “including”, so its list is not exhaustive. The 2026–27 stream pages give a slightly different list:

The lists differ by one item each: the announcement names defence, and the stream pages name trades.

What priority means, according to South Australia: candidates with skills and experience in priority industries whose occupation is eligible for subclass 190 may be invited for a subclass 190 nomination. Candidates outside priority industries, or whose occupation is not eligible for subclass 190, may be invited for subclass 491. Priority is a focus, not an entitlement, and your occupation must still be on the Skilled Occupation List for your stream.

South Australia’s 2026–27 Skilled Occupation List has 353 entries (351 ANZSCO codes, as two occupations are listed twice). For each one it states which streams it is open to, whether it can lead to a subclass 190 or only a subclass 491 nomination, and any extra condition, such as a qualification completed in South Australia for the Graduates stream.

Counts are list entries. The Graduates figure includes 6 occupations that list subclasses for that stream but carry South Australia’s note that candidates can apply under the Skilled Employment in South Australia stream; 6 others with the same note list no Graduates subclass and are not counted. No occupation on the list is open to subclass 190 only. Two points the list does not give you:

• Invitation points. South Australia sets a minimum of 65 points for every occupation and stream, and publishes no invitation cut-off or average score for 2026–27. Treat 65 as the floor, not a target: for onshore ROIs South Australia considers factors that may include English, skilled experience, qualifications, salary and an assessment of your employer, and for offshore EOIs English, experience, qualifications and EOI points.
• Priority sectors. The list groups occupations by ANZSCO category, not by priority sector, and South Australia does not say which occupations count towards each sector. Whether your skills and experience are in a priority industry is part of how South Australia assesses you.

South Australia uses the same streams for both visas. Your occupation and industry decide which nomination you may be invited for, and the visa you end up on changes your points, where you can live and your path to permanent residence.

Sources: South Australia’s subclass 190 and subclass 491 pages and stream pages; nomination points under Schedule 6D and the visa period and condition 8579 under clauses 491.511 and 491.612 and Schedule 8 of the Migration Regulations 1994; designated regional areas under LIN 22/022. Subclass 191 has its own criteria, which you must meet when you apply.

Your EOI must reach the 65-point pass mark set by LIN 19/210, counting the 5 or 15 nomination points shown in the comparison above.

• Fees: ROI free. State nomination application $394 for subclass 190 or 491. Fees are not refundable, including if you withdraw (by online enquiry). The federal visa application charge is separate: see our guide to 189, 190 and 491 visa costs for 2026.
• Processing: South Australia lists a current average of 2–8 weeks for subclass 190 and 491 nomination applications, and does not publish a processing time for ROIs.

For an ROI (onshore)

• Your Home Affairs visa approval letter.
• Your CV.
• A current employment reference letter giving your job title, duties, salary, weekly hours, duration and location, on company letterhead, dated and signed by the manager or HR.

For a nomination application (after an invitation)

Under South Australia’s documents rules, upload everything with the application: later documents are accepted only if requested, missing mandatory documents can lead to refusal, and documents must be in English or translated by a qualified translator.

• Identity and skills: passport bio page (and your partner’s, if included); all pages of your skills assessment (Medical Practitioners, General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers can provide current full AHPRA registration instead); an English test result less than three years old when the application is decided; and graduation certificates or transcripts for the qualifications you rely on.
• Employer letters: from current and previous employers, covering the work period your stream requires, giving job title, duties, salary, weekly hours, duration and location, on letterhead, signed and dated, with the signer’s contact details and any changes to your role or hours. South Australia warns that claims in a letter missing these details may not be assessed, leading to refusal.
• Pay and super: payslips for the period as one PDF per employer in date order, superannuation statements for the period, and bank statements showing salary and daily expenses.
• Self-employed or sub-contractor: an invoice summary on South Australia’s proforma, the invoices (showing debtor, hours and rate) and your tax returns. Offshore self-employed applicants also provide an accountant’s letter. If your employer sub-contracts you to another business in South Australia, you also need a letter with the same details from that business.
• Residence: a current lease with proof of rent payments. Statutory declarations, mobile phone statements and driver’s licences are not accepted as proof of residence.
• Employer consent: 457, 482 or 494 visa holders with more than 12 months left on their visa need a letter from their current employer consenting to the nomination application.
• RPL: qualifications gained partly or wholly through Recognition of Prior Learning are generally not accepted, and are only considered case by case.

What is not on the list

South Australia asks applicants not to upload documents that are not on its list unless it requests them. Utility bills and ATO income statements are not on the list (tax returns are listed, for self-employed applicants and sub-contractors): residence is shown with a lease and proof of rent, and pay with payslips, superannuation and bank statements. The skills assessment must be positive and valid; unlike the English test, the list sets no age limit for it.

• Subclass 190 visa requirements, from eligibility to grant
• The 491 visa application charge and dependant fees explained
• How to score 65 points for subclasses 189, 190 and 491
• Victoria’s 2026–27 skilled nomination program, for comparison with another state
• Adelaide City and Regional SA DAMAs extended to 2027, for employer-sponsored options

Not sure which stream fits, or whether your experience counts? Our Adelaide migration team can review your EOI and evidence before you lodge.

This is general information, not personal migration advice. Whether a particular rule applies to your situation depends on your own circumstances. Global Migrations is the trading name of Global Migration & Education Solutions (ABN 22 998 014 414); our registered migration agent is Ranbir Singh, MARN 1069570. We are not part of the South Australian Government.