No further applications for state sponsorship of  ICT occupations will be accepted after 30 January 2011, in line with the State Migration Plan. 

All applications currently in process, and received prior to this date, will be assessed against current guidelines and the availability of places under the annual occupational quotas.  An outcome will be provided in due course. 

Visa applications based on Victorian Government sponsorship will not be affected by this closure.  Applications for all other occupations eligible for Victorian Government sponsorship remain open, unless otherwise indicated on the State Sponsorship Eligibility Lists.

State Migration Plan

The Victorian Government now has a formal agreement with the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship, concerning the state sponsorship of skilled migrants to Victoria under the Skilled - Sponsored (176 and 886) and Skilled - Regional Sponsored (475 and 487) visas. This agreement is called the State Migration Plan.

Under the agreement, the number of skilled migrants that the Victorian Government can sponsor against each occupation listed on the State Sponsorship Eligibility Lists is limited by a quota, and by an overall cap on the total number of applications that can be sponsored each year. This limit is set by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

For 2010-11 Victoria’s cap is 4,500 visa grants, which includes primary and secondary applicants.

To inform you when the limit has been reached for an occupation, advice will be placed against the relevant occupation/s on the State Sponsorship Eligibility Lists stating that applications are not currently being accepted for that occupation.