SKILLED REGIONAL VISA – SUBCLASS 491 AND 494 -AUSTRALIA

Skilled Regional Visas

Two Skilled Regional Provisional Visas were introduced in November 2019:

1. 1. Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) 494 visa – for people sponsored by an employer in regional Australia.
2. 2. Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) 491 visa – for people who are nominated by a State or Territory government or sponsored by an eligible family member to live and work in regional Australia.

Holders of the above Skilled regional provisional visas will need to live and work in regional Australia. Visas will be granted with a validity period of up to five years.

To be eligible for permanent residence, holders of the Skilled regional provisional visas will need to demonstrate they have lived and worked in regional Australia while holding one of the new Skilled Regional Provisional
visa.

Benefits of the Skilled Regional, Subclass 491 and 494 Visas

Outlined below are the Benefits of the Skilled Regional, Subclass 491 and 494 Visas:

• Regional employers will have access to additional regional occupations to sponsor migrants and priority processing of regional visa applications. There will also be additional points for certain points-tested migrants who are sponsored to settle in regional Australia.
• Employers in regional Australia, as well as State and Territory governments, who sponsor regional skilled migrants will have access to more occupations than equivalent non-regional visas.
• Based on current occupation lists, the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa will have access to over 450 more occupations than closest non-regional equivalent visa, and the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa will have access to over 70 more occupations than the closest non-regional equivalent visa.
• Priority processing arrangements will be expanded to include all visa applications sponsored by regional employers as well as other visa applicants who will live and work in regional Australia.
• Five additional points for regional nomination or sponsorship provide an extra incentive for potential migrants to consider settling in regional Australia.

Contact our Migration Consultants for advice and assistance with your 491 or 494 Regional Visa application to live and work in Australia!

See our web page:

https://www.visaconnect.com/skilled-migration-australia