Why choose Northern Territory as a student? Advantages in NT

As you might know, Regional Areas are the next big thing when it comes to migration possibilities in Australia and this post will focus on the Northern Territory.

The Northern Territory is full of opportunities from a visa perspective, either for skilled visas such as Subclass 190 and 491, Graduate visas with special conditions or Sponsorship under the DAMA.

Advantages for International Students in the Northern Territory
The whole Territory is a Designated Regional Area, which in visa lingo means:

• If you study there for at least 2 years, and complete a minimum Diploma course, you will be able to claim 5 extra points in the Points Test, if applying for one of the visas that are points-tested. Those visas are: Subclass 189 Permanent Skilled Independent Visa, Subclass 190 Permanent Skilled State/Territory Nominated Visa and the new Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa.
• If the 2-year course you complete is a Higher-Education course (a Bachelor, a Master or a PhD), then you can apply for a Graduate 485 visa under the Post Study Work Rights Stream and get a 4-year visa with full work rights (instead of a 2 -year visa if you studied in Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne).
• By studying a minimum of 2 years in the NT, in a course that leads to a Diploma at least, you may be able to obtain nomination for the Skilled Permanent State/Territory Nominated 190 Visa or the Skilled Work Regional Temporary Visa 491.
• By studying in the NT you may find a job offer in your field leading to a Regional Employer visa 494 or a Sponsorship Work Visa 482 TSS under a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) of which the NT is part.