Canberra Matrix calculator

How long have you lived in Canberra in the last eight years? Your claimed period of ACT residence does not have to be continuous. To claim points, you must meet these minimum criteria:

• Your bank statements prove your claimed date of arrival and the claimed period of residence in Canberra.
• You must record any period away from Canberra (seven days or more) in the ‘Summary of ACT residence’ at Attachment D.
• You cannot be away from Canberra for more than six weeks in any year (e.g. for a holiday or to visit family) unless you are claiming two or more years residency and you were not away from Canberra for more than twelve weeks in any given year. You must provide evidence that the ACT continued to be your primary place of residence for these twelve weeks, such as rent or other housing payments. These payments need to be highlighted in your bank statements.
• You cannot live, study, or work interstate for any period of claimed ACT residence, unless:
  • You studied interstate for no more than one night (or two days) per week;
  • You worked in regional NSW while living in the ACT, provided you worked within a 30-minute commute of your Canberra-based home; or,
  • You lived in regional NSW while working in Canberra, provided you lived within a 30-minute commute of your Canberra-based work.
• Places in the Canberra commuter region include: Jerrabomberra, Googong, and Queanbeyan.

The ACT’s texts do not say which band holds a boundary value, such as exactly the number of years that ends one option and begins the next.

What is your English proficiency level as defined by Home Affairs?

You meet the Home Affairs requirement for the level of English claimed. You must have a valid English test result.

The same guidelines’ list of key documents says: “For competent English only: a valid passport issued by the United Kingdom; Canada; New Zealand; United States of America; or Republic of Ireland.” The ACT’s texts say both.

What is your spouse/partner’s English proficiency as defined by Home Affairs?

They meet the Home Affairs requirement for the level of English claimed or hold an Australian passport.

Note: an Australian passport only equates to ‘competent’ English. If you wish to claim point in this category, your spouse/partner must meet the Home Affairs requirements for the level of English claimed.

Is your nominated occupation on the ACT Nominated Migration Program Occupation List?

Are you the majority owner (at least 51%) of a registered business actively operating in the ACT? You must meet the following minimum criteria:

• The business activity is in the ACT. Interstate / overseas business activity is not accepted.
• Your business is profitable.
• Your business is paying you the following taxable income:
  • 190 nomination: at least $32,000 in the last six months.
  • 491 nomination: at least $16,000 in the last three months.
• At date of Canberra Matrix submission, you are employing at least one Australian citizen, permanent resident, or New Zealand citizen. Additionally, one employee must have been employed for at least 13 weeks at a minimum of 20 hours per week.
  • The employee’s employment does not have to be continuous.
  • The employment is in accordance with Australian legislation.
  • The employee is a resident in Canberra. You MUST provide a statutory declaration confirming the employment and citizenship details for each employee.

The following business types are not eligible: sub tenancy, ride-share, taxi, delivery, courier services, or an on-sold business previously used to qualify for ACT nomination.

The second option names two periods, “annual turnover” and “the last six months”, as printed.

The ACT says it reviews its income thresholds each year and may adjust them in line with inflation.

How long have you worked in Canberra in the last two years? You can work in any occupation, your employment does not need to be continuous, and you can work for more than one ACT employer (or be self-employed on an ABN). You must meet the following minimum criteria:

• You worked a minimum 20 hours per week for each week claimed towards the period of employment.
• If you are claiming any period of self-employment:
  • Your gross (taxable) weekly income must exceed $610 for each week of employment claimed; and
  • Your business must have been operating in Canberra for at least 12 months.

The ACT’s texts do not say which band holds a boundary value, such as exactly the number of years that ends one option and begins the next.

The ACT says it reviews its income thresholds each year and may adjust them in line with inflation.

Are you currently working in Canberra in a highly skilled position? You may work for more than one ACT employer, operate a small business and / or be self-employed though you must be working in the same occupation and at the same skill level. You must meet the following minimum criteria:

• You worked a minimum 20 hours per week for the 13 weeks before Canberra Matrix submission.
• The employment was continuous unless you were on unpaid leave with a valid medical certificate. Any period of unpaid leave cannot be counted towards the 13 weeks employment.
• Gross Taxable income:
  • Employee: no less than $31 per hour (excluding casual loading).
  • Small Business owner: minimum $16,000 income for last three months.
  • Self-employment on an ABN: minimum $610 per week.
• Any employment claimed must be recorded on your SkillSelect EOI.

The ACT says it reviews its income thresholds each year and may adjust them in line with inflation.

Is your spouse / partner currently working in the ACT or surrounding ‘commuter’ region? They can work for more than one employer and / or be self-employed. However, they must meet the following minimum criteria:

• They are working a minimum of 20 hours per week for the 13 weeks before Canberra Matrix submission.
• Their employment must be continuous unless they were on unpaid leave with a valid medical certificate. Any period of unpaid leave without a valid medical certificate cannot be counted towards the 13 weeks employment.
• They meet the Home Affairs requirement for ‘competent’ English or hold an Australian passport.
• Their employer must provide a Statutory Declaration confirming their employment. See Attachment E.
• If they are self-employed on an ABN:
  • Their taxable weekly income exceeds $610 for each week of employment claimed; and
  • Their business has been actively operating in Canberra for at least 12 months.

The ACT says it reviews its income thresholds each year and may adjust them in line with inflation.

A definition the ACT’s score-check page attaches to “trade certificate”: “A trade certificate is completed through an apprenticeship combining employment and formal training and should result in a nationally recognised trade qualification that has a nominal duration of 36 month[s].”

What tertiary qualification do you hold from an Australian

or international educational institution?

• Your selected qualification must be recorded on your Home Affairs SkillSelect EOI.
• If the skill assessing body has assessed your selected qualification and it is not equivalent to the same Australian Qualification Framework level, you can only claim the level at which it has been assessed

A definition the ACT’s score-check page attaches to “trade certificate”: “A trade certificate is completed through an apprenticeship combining employment and formal training and should result in a nationally recognised trade qualification that has a nominal duration of 36 month[s].”

How many years did you study fulltime to complete a tertiary qualification that is CRICOS* registered and / or a Professional Year (PY) program at an ACT institution in the last eight years? A PY undertaken in the ACT meets the one-year study criteria.

• You are resident in Canberra during your claimed period of study.
• You attended education in person. Distance education or online attendance is not accepted.
• Two or more courses, including a PY, may be counted to prove the period of ACT study if the courses are not concurrent. The courses do not have to be continuous.

*CRICOS - Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students.

The ACT’s texts print whole years only and do not say what a part-year earns.

Do you have a close family member who has lived in Canberra for the last two years? They must be an Australian citizen/permanent resident.

A close family member is defined as a spouse/ partner, child, parent, brother, sister, aunt, uncle or grandparent of the main applicant or their spouse/ partner.

You (and a spouse/partner if applicable) have invested at least $250,000 cash to purchase a residential or commercial property in Canberra (purchase of land only does not meet this criteria). You hold the Certificate of Title and / or rates notice to prove ownership.

How long did you previously live in Canberra? Your bank statements and International Movement Record from Home Affairs must evidence your claimed date of arrival and previous residence in Canberra.

A visit to Canberra is defined as having stayed for at least seven consecutive nights.

The ACT’s texts do not say which band holds a boundary value, such as exactly the number of years that ends one option and begins the next.

They do not say what a stay longer than a visit and shorter than a year earns.

Is your nominated occupation on the ACT Nominated Migration Program Occupation List?

What is your English proficiency level as defined by Home Affairs?

You meet the Home Affairs requirement for the level of English claimed. You must [have] a valid English test result.

The same guidelines’ list of key documents says: “For competent English only: a valid passport issued by the United Kingdom; Canada; New Zealand; United States of America; or Republic of Ireland.” The ACT’s texts say both.

What is your spouse/partner’s English proficiency as defined by Home Affairs?

They meet the Home Affairs requirement for the level of English claimed or hold an Australian passport.

Note: an Australian passport only equates to ‘competent’ English. If you wish to claim point in this category, your spouse/partner must meet the Home Affairs requirements for the level of English claimed.

Proof of the relationship, from the ACT’s eligibility criteria: “You must have proof of the relationship: either a marriage certificate or civil partnership/union certificate. For ACT nomination purposes, we do not accept a de facto relationship without a relationship certificate unless you cannot legally obtain a relationship certificate in your country of residence.” The same guidelines’ list of key documents also names VEVO secondary applicant status, and a waiver where a certificate cannot legally be obtained.

Do you have a full-time genuine ACT job offer in your nominated occupation? The position must be in Canberra and be available for at least six months. The terms of employment must be in accordance with Australian legislation. The employer:

• cannot be trading from a home, online or serviced office.
• must explain how the position is relevant to the business.
• must demonstrate that the position has been advertised within the last three months and cannot be filled from the local labour market.

The same guidelines’ list of key documents says of the employer’s declaration: “the minimum period of employment is for at least two years.” The ACT’s texts give both periods and this page does not choose between them.

How long have you worked in your nominated occupation at date of Matrix submission?

• Your work experience must be relevant to the ACT economy.
• You must have a valid skills assessment with points advice showing dates of the relevant work experience assessed. The assessment must substantiate the number of years of relevant overseas work experience claimed in this category.
• Your relevant work experience must be recorded on your SkillSelect EOI

The guidelines print these three options and no others: none below three years and none above ten.

The ACT’s texts do not say which band holds a boundary value, such as exactly the number of years that ends one option and begins the next.

A definition the ACT’s score-check page attaches to “relevant overseas work experience”: “Overseas experience in heavy industry, manufacturing, production, mining, shipping, gas and oil, head office banking and railways are not generally considered relevant industries given the structure of the ACT economy, which is primarily knowledge-based.”

Your spouse/partner must:

• have worked fulltime for at least six in the last 12 months; and [as printed] The same guidelines’ list of key documents asks for “Evidence of six months full time employment e.g., payslips and employer statement of service.”
• meet the Home Affairs requirement for ‘competent’ English or have an Australian passport.

Proof of the relationship, from the ACT’s eligibility criteria: “You must have proof of the relationship: either a marriage certificate or civil partnership/union certificate. For ACT nomination purposes, we do not accept a de facto relationship without a relationship certificate unless you cannot legally obtain a relationship certificate in your country of residence.” The same guidelines’ list of key documents also names VEVO secondary applicant status, and a waiver where a certificate cannot legally be obtained.

What tertiary qualification do you hold from an Australian

or international educational institution?

• Your selected qualification must be recorded on your Home Affairs SkillSelect EOI.
• If the skill assessing body has assessed your selected qualification and it is not equivalent to the same Australian Qualification Framework level, you can only claim the level at which it has been assessed

A definition the ACT’s score-check page attaches to “trade certificate”: “A trade certificate is completed through an apprenticeship combining employment and formal training and should result in a nationally recognised trade qualification that has a nominal duration of 36 month[s].”

How many years did you study fulltime to complete a tertiary qualification that is CRICOS* registered and / or a Professional Year (PY) program at an ACT institution in the last eight years? A PY undertaken in the ACT meets the one-year study criteria.

• You are resident in Canberra during your claimed period of study.
• You attended education in person. Distance education or online attendance is not accepted.
• Two or more courses, including a PY, may be counted to prove the period of ACT study if the courses are not concurrent. The courses do not have to be continuous.

*CRICOS - Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students.

The ACT’s texts print whole years only and do not say what a part-year earns.

Do you have a close family member who has lived in Canberra for the last two years?

A close family member is defined as a spouse/ partner, child, parent, brother, sister, aunt, uncle or grandparent of the main applicant or their spouse/ partner.

Have you made a personal cash investment in Canberra to purchase a residential or commercial property (purchase of land only does not meet this criteria)? You must have a Certificate of Title or rates notice to evidence ownership.

Have you owned a business in Canberra for the last six months? You are the majority owner (at least 51%) and the business is profitable.