Migrating to South Australia (SA) — why Adelaide is the friendliest place to start

Ask ten Vietnamese people planning a move to Australia and nine will name Sydney or Melbourne. But if your goal is permanent residency rather than an Opera House photo, another city deserves the top of your list: Adelaide.

The short answer: Adelaide is one of the few major Australian cities that still counts as regional for migration purposes — meaning you collect the full set of regional points and visa benefits while living in a capital city with universities, major hospitals and an international airport. Add South Australia’s comparatively friendly nomination trends and lower living costs, and SA is often the most rational starting point for anyone playing the long game.

Adelaide is a big city — yet still “regional” for migration

Under the current migration definition, regional Australia is the whole country except Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Adelaide sits squarely inside the regional zone, which unlocks three concrete benefits:

• The 491 visa adds 15 points with state nomination or sponsorship by an eligible relative in a regional area — the single largest boost on the SkillSelect points table.
• Regional study adds 5 points if you complete at least 2 years of study while living there — covered in detail in our post on regional study points.
• The 485 visa for regional graduates can run longer than for graduates of the three big cities (the exact extra years depend on the regional category — check the official page).

In other words: same degree, same occupation, but the person who chose Adelaide starts the PR race with more capital than the person who chose Sydney.

South Australia’s nomination trends — friendly, but re-read them every year

Watching recent program years, two SA patterns stand out:

• A clear preference for SA graduates: streams for people who studied and work in the state typically carry noticeably softer conditions than those for applicants moving in from other states.
• A door still open to some offshore applicants: unlike many states that only consider people already on the ground, SA has in recent years kept selected pathways for applicants outside Australia in occupations the state needs — a rare and valuable feature.

Beyond the 190/491 nomination program, South Australia also runs DAMA arrangements (Designated Area Migration Agreements) that let local employers sponsor a wider range of occupations with certain concessions — see our explainer on what a DAMA is.

One important caveat: these are trends, not fixed criteria. Every state’s nomination requirements change with the financial year (usually republished from July) — always check South Australia’s official migration site before deciding. For how to read any state’s nomination page, see our state-by-industry strategy guide.

The occupations South Australia needs

SA’s economic structure generates fairly steady demand in four clusters:

The specific occupation list is published and adjusted by the state each year — look up your ANZSCO code on SA’s official migration site rather than trusting lists floating around social media.

Life in Adelaide: costs, community, the “20-minute city”

• Living costs are clearly lower than Sydney/Melbourne, especially rent — and the gap compounds meaningfully over 2–3 years of study or work.
• A Vietnamese community that is “just warm enough”: enough Vietnamese grocers, restaurants and groups that you never feel stranded, but not so large that you live entirely inside a Vietnamese-language bubble — many see that as a plus for their English.
• The “20-minute city”: Adelaide is compact with little congestion; the beach, the hills and the airport are all roughly 20 minutes from the centre. Quality of life per dollar is among the best in the country.

The real trade-off: a smaller job market

To be fair, Adelaide is not perfect. SA’s labour market is distinctly smaller than Sydney’s or Melbourne’s — fewer employers, fewer advertised roles, especially in narrow office professions. The classic mistake: flying over with a “sort it out later” mindset, then discovering your occupation gets only a handful of postings a month.

The right strategy is job first, suitcase second:

1. Open Seek, filter to Adelaide/SA, and count postings in your exact occupation over the past 30 days — before paying any deposit.
2. If your occupation is in a state-demand cluster (health, trades, engineering), contact employers remotely — online interviews before you fly are entirely realistic.
3. If you are a student, choose a course that intersects with the state’s occupation list from day one — don’t pick the course first and check the list later.
4. Time your move around the start of the financial year (July–September), when the state publishes new criteria and reopens applications.

Summary

South Australia offers a rare combination: full city living, the complete regional benefits package, and nomination trends that favour people with genuine ties. In exchange, the smaller job market demands that you do your employment homework before you fly, not after. For anyone planning their PR pathway on numbers rather than vibes, Adelaide deserves to be the first option on the table.

Want to know where your occupation and points sit in the South Australian picture? Book a free assessment with VisaAffairs.

References

• Move to South Australia — the state’s nomination program — nomination criteria and occupation lists updated each program year.
• Department of Home Affairs — Regional migration — the definition of regional areas and the incentives.
• Department of Home Affairs — Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) — 491 visa requirements.

This article is general information current at publication. Australian migration rules change regularly — check the date and contact VisaAffairs before relying on it for your own case. Book a consultation for advice on your specific circumstances.