Well-established business definition
All employment and salary claims must be with a well-established business operating in Tasmania.
A business is considered well-established if it has been under the same ownership for at least 12 months. Some pathways may require a longer period of operation—see the Occupational Caveats section for details.
A well-established business would normally include a combination of following characteristics:
- permanent signage
- existing, active online presence
- a registered address in Tasmania
- commercially leased office space, that is not in a residential building or corporate/co-shared offices
- permanent staff presence during publicised office opening hours.
- Additional outlets or franchises of the same business must individually meet the 12-month operational requirement (or a longer period if required by a relevant occupational caveat).
For example:
- If a business called Harvest and Hearth opens a new outlet in Kingston under the name Fresh Bites but the ABN is the same, then that outlet must operate for at least 12 months before qualifying. This is the case even if the original Harvest and Hearth has been running for five years.
Remote work is only accepted in the Subclass 190 Tasmanian Established Resident pathway if you have earned at least $57,000 a year (or $28.85 an hour) for at least 12 months.
Change of business ownership
Where an employer changes ownership, the applicant’s employment will be recognised where they have been employed for at least three months prior to the change.
Remote work for the Tasmanian Established Resident Pathway
For the subclass 190 Tasmanian Established Resident (TER) pathway, remote work refers to employment arrangements in which individuals residing in Tasmania perform work duties from within the state for a company or organisation that is located outside Tasmania, whether elsewhere in Australia or overseas. This includes roles where the worker delivers services, expertise, or digital outputs - such as IT support, software development, design, or consulting - to the external company, not to Tasmanian clients or consumers. The remote work option is only available in the 190 TER pathway, and is not available in the 491 TER pathway or any other pathway.
For example, a software engineer living in Hobart who provides backend development services to Google in California is engaged in remote work under this definition.
Individuals working for companies located outside Tasmania who deliver services to Tasmanian clients or markets are not considered remote workers under this definition. They will be classified as employees of a well-established Tasmanian business if those services are delivered at a Tasmanian worksite or worksites.
Excluded employment
The following types of employment will not be accepted in relation to minimum nomination requirements or priority attributes for any pathway:
- unpaid internships, scholarships, stipends and volunteer work
- taxi drivers and ride-share drivers
- food and alcohol delivery drivers
- massage therapists without a recognised skills assessment and a health fund provider number
Important to note:
Internships
Paid internships associated with professional registration, such as for pharmacists, are accepted as employment.
Massage therapists
From 1 December 2026, massage therapy employment will only be recognised as matching a Massage Therapist skills assessment or related to a course of study if the work is being performed in a health, allied health or aged / disability care setting.
From this date, prior employment experience outside of these settings will be acknowledged if the applicant is working in a health, allied health or aged / disability care setting at the time they submit their ROI.
Massage therapists must have a relevant skills assessment, and a health fund provider number issued to them personally, not to their business or employer. Evidence must be provided to support all claims.
Note:
- these changes do not exclude affected massage therapists from nomination, rather they change their priority for invitation to apply for nomination
- massage therapists working in a non health setting are still eligible for invitation and nomination. They may be able to claim other priority attributes that do not require a connection to skills assessment or study, including those related to salary, length of employment and length of residence in Tasmania
- realistically remedial therapists who have lived in Tasmania for a reasonable period of time, and are paid at least the priority income level (currently $57,000 per year or base rate of $28.85 per hour) may invited to apply for nomination, especially if Tasmania is the only part of Australia they have lived or worked.
Motor mechanics / service technicians
From 1 December 2026, employment as a motor mechanic will only be recognised as matching a Motor Mechanic skills assessment or related to a course of study if the employer's main business is the repairing of vehicles. This includes all skills assessments in ANZSCO Group 321 (Motor Mechanic (General), Diesel Motor Mechanic, Motorcycle Mechanic, Small Engine Mechanic).
The experience will not be recognised if the employer, or an associated business, routinely buys and sells used vehicles, unless they are a currently authorised dealer for a recognised vehicle manufacturer and the applicant’s work primarily involves diagnosing and repairing that manufacturer's vehicles for customers.
Employment as an auto service technician will not be recognised as matching skills assessments in ANZSCO Group 321 (Motor Mechanic (General), Diesel Motor Mechanic, Motorcycle Mechanic, Small Engine Mechanic) unless the employer is a currently authorised dealer for a recognised vehicle manufacturer and the role primarily involves servicing that manufacturer's vehicles for customers.
Roles in sales or new or used vehicle preparation will not be recognised.
Applicants may be asked to provide proof of the role they are performing, such as manufacturer accreditation or training certificates customer invoices / service records naming the applicant or diagnostic reports naming the applicant.
Where an employer, or an associated business, engages in the leasing of vehicles to customers, the applicant will by default be treated as a service technician, unless the applicant provides compelling evidence that their role primarily involves diagnosing and repairing vehicle faults rather than servicing or preparing leased vehicles.
This requirement will apply to all applications made on or after 1 December 2026 regardless of when the registration of interest was submitted.
From this date, prior auto-related employment experience outside of these settings may be acknowledged if the applicant was working in one of the recognised settings at the time they submitted their ROI.
Employment for the Tasmanian Skilled Graduate Pathway
Employment is not necessary to meet the minimum requirements for nomination in the Tasmanian Skilled Graduate Pathways. However, it will be used to assess an application against priority attributes where that employment is with a well-established Tasmania business. Employment must average minimum 9 hours per week during study, 20 hours after completion of study. Excluded employment or business operation will not be considered in relation to Priority Attributes.
Employment experience gained before graduation can be counted as eligible Tasmanian employment for minimum requirements and priority attribute purposes.
Leave periods – when they can be counted as work experience
Leave that is part of your normal job benefits
Paid leave taken as part of your normal job benefits, such as annual leave, sick and personal leave, or maternity leave, can usually be counted as work experience, as long as you were living in Tasmania during that period of leave.
Short paid leave taken outside Tasmania
Short periods of paid leave (up to four weeks) taken outside Tasmania can also be counted, if you have worked and lived in Tasmania for at least the last six months.
Example:
Applicant A has lived and worked in Tasmania for eight months. The applicant then takes two weeks of paid annual leave to holiday in Queensland. Because they have been in Tasmania for more than six months, those two weeks still count. However, if they had only been in Tasmania for four months, that leave would not count and they would need to work an extra two weeks to qualify.
Unpaid leave and breaks in casual employment
Other leave situations, including breaks in casual jobs with the same employer of more than two weeks, or unpaid leave (including unpaid maternity leave) will not be counted as work experience. Instead, this time must be added to the total time you need to qualify.
Examples:
Applicant B works casually and has a three-week gap between shifts. Because this break is longer than two weeks, it does not count as work experience. They will need to work for an extra three weeks on top of their normal qualifying period.
Applicant C has on ongoing full-time job. They take six weeks of unpaid leave to visit family overseas. Because this unpaid leave is longer than two weeks, it does not count as work experience. The applicant will need to work for an extra six weeks on top of their normal qualifying period.
Gaps between jobs with different employers
Breaks between separate jobs with different employers (ongoing or casual) do not count toward qualifying time. Any gap must be added to the total qualifying period.
For example, if an applicant has a three-week break between jobs, they must work an additional three weeks to meet the required qualifying time.
In the case of a break of three months or more, the qualifying time resets and must be met again from the start, unless the relevant requirement explicitly allows for cumulative periods (such as the Tasmanian Established Resident pathway minimum eligibility requirements or the two-year prior experience priority attribute).
Examples:
Applicant D finishes a job and starts a new one with a different employer three weeks later. They must work an additional three weeks to meet the qualifying time.
Applicant E has a six-week gap between jobs. They must work an additional six weeks to meet the qualifying time.
Applicant F has a four-month gap between jobs. Because this exceeds three months, the qualifying time resets completely and they can only count the last job (unless a cumulative requirement applies).
Multiple jobs
Multiple jobs can be combined to meet the minimum hours requirement. However, where an attribute requires earnings at or above the priority income level, all jobs counted toward the minimum hours must individually meet that income threshold.
All jobs being combined must meet the relevant requirements of the attribute being claimed. Lower‑paid employment cannot be used alongside higher‑paid employment to satisfy an income-based requirement.
Example:
- An applicant works:
- 15 hours per week at $27 per hour; and
- 6 hours per week at $29 per hour
Although the applicant meets the minimum hours requirement, they cannot claim a priority attribute requiring earnings at or above the priority income level ($57,000 per year or $28.85 per hour), as not all jobs meet the required threshold.
Applicants may engage in multiple forms of employment in addition to their eligible employment, including, but not limited to, rideshare services, taxi operations, and food delivery services (noting that these employment types are excluded from consideration for nomination requirements or priority attributes). Applicants should disclose all current employment arrangements and clearly identify which employment is being relied upon to satisfy the minimum requirements and priority attributes claimed in their Registration of Interest.
Minimum eligible hours of employment
To meet minimum requirements and priority attributes, employment must average at least 20 hours per week over the qualifying period.
An exception applies to the Tasmanian Skilled Graduate pathway:
Employment must average at least 9 hours per week during study, and at least 20 hours per week after completion of study.
The Tasmanian Skilled Employment pathway’s Gold priority attribute requires at least 30 hours per week in at least a single job.
Tasmanian Skilled Employment Pathway (Gold priority attribute)
Jobs cannot be combined to meet the 30-hour per week minimum requirement. The required hours must be met in a single role.
To claim the Gold priority attribute in the Tasmanian Skilled Employment (TSE) pathways, you must:
- Work at least 30 hours per week in a single job.
- Not combine hours from multiple casual or part-time jobs to reach 30 hours.
- Not average hours across weeks—each week must meet the 30-hour minimum.
You can have more than one job, but in one of those jobs you must have consistently worked more than 30 hours every week.
If you work less than 30 hours in any week, that week does not count.* You must complete an additional week of at least 30 hours to make up for it. Any shortfall weeks must be added to your overall qualifying employment period.
Example
An applicant is engaged as a casual Registered Nurse at Launceston General Hospital. They worked 30 hours per week over six months but had three weeks under 30 hours. To qualify, the applicant worked three additional weeks at 30+ hours each week. After this, they met the minimum requirement to submit a Registration of Interest for subclass 190 TSE nomination and claim the Gold priority attribute.
* The only exception is for employees on a structured and consistent fortnightly roster that totals a minimum of 60 hours over the fortnight. In these circumstances, weekly hours do not need to be evenly distributed, provided the total hours worked across the fortnight are at least 60.
Migration industry related employment
Employment that depends heavily on the Tasmanian Skilled Migration State Nomination Program is not a priority for nomination. This includes registered training organisations (RTOs) that rely upon the program for their business. The main test is whether the business or job would continue if the State Nomination Program no longer existed. While this does not automatically exclude an applicant, current employment in these industries will not count toward priority attributes — except for those that ask for a base salary received for the last 12 weeks.
Spouses
The employment of spouses can be claimed for priority attributes where it averages over 15 hours per week.
Indicators of concern – genuine employment / business operation
Tasmania’s Skilled Migration State Nomination Program supports the local economy by prioritising skilled migrants whose abilities align with Tasmania’s long-term needs. It complements other visa pathways and is not intended as the primary method for businesses to secure skilled migrants.
To ensure effective use of limited nomination places, Migration Tasmania conducts due diligence on applications. This includes verifying that the business is genuinely operating, the employment is authentic (not created solely for nomination), and the applicant receives fair pay and conditions comparable to local workers. Nomination decisions focus on supporting genuine, ongoing skills needs.
Migration Tasmania considers a range of indicators that may raise concerns about the authenticity of employment or the legitimacy of a business. These indicators do not automatically determine the outcome of an application but may prompt further investigation or requests for additional evidence. All available information is considered, and decisions are made based on the balance of evidence, which may result in an application being declined.
The indicators outlined are based on assessments since 2018 but are not exhaustive. Other relevant factors may also be considered during the assessment process.
Indicators of concern for an employer include
- The business does not appear to be a well-established operation because it may be newly registered, have a limited trading history, or have a minimal physical presence such as an office space without signage or a shop front.
- The applicant’s claimed employment role is not consistent with the nature of the business, or it is highly unusual for such a business to have such a role (for example, a small retailer employing an in-house website developer or IT support officer).
- There is a heavy reliance on temporary visa holder workforce.
- There are payments between an employee and employer that fall outside usual business arrangements, such as loans, gifts or purchases made for the business that cannot reasonably be considered standard or routine transactions.
- There is a lack of genuine local recruitment efforts, which might include advertisements on mainstream platforms such as Seek or Indeed, or through recruitment agencies.
- There is a sole reliance primarily on social media for recruitment, particularly when targeting specific ethnic or community groups.
- There are direct or indirect links to migration or education agents, including shared office space or ownership structures.
- There is a high staff turnover, especially among previous employees who also sought or secured Tasmanian nomination.
- Inadequate or poorly maintained online presence, such as business websites that are incomplete, non-functional, or contain outdated or unprofessional content.
- The applicant lacks a relevant migration skills assessment, despite claiming extensive experience or qualifications directly aligned with the nominated skilled role.
- There are pay inconsistencies, such as discrepancies between payslips submitted in the application and bank statement evidence of salary deposits, or wages falling significantly below industry standards.
- Unusual or unexplained financial transactions between the employer and employee, including money transfers that fall outside standard payroll processes (for example, employees transferring funds to the employer, circular payments, or payments that do not align with employment conditions). Such arrangements may indicate non‑genuine employment, wage recycling, or attempts to artificially meet income thresholds.
Mitigating factors may include
- A known and verifiable history of genuine business operation, including consistent trading activity and established reputation.
- Prior positive interactions with Migration Tasmania, where the business has demonstrated compliance and transparency.
- A broader history of positive engagement with Building Tasmania or other Tasmanian government agencies.