Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489) - Temporary work visa through sponsorship or nomination
Please note: This visa closed for applications in 2019, and was replaced by the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491).
The Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489) is a four-year provisional visa. It allows for temporary residency and you are permitted to apply if you are either:
- Sponsored by an eligible relative who would normally be a resident in a designated area in Australia; or
- Nominated by a state or territory government.
This visa has two pathways:
- The Invited pathway.
- The Extend
Who can apply for a Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489)?
You can make an application for this visa if you meet the following criteria:
Applications are also considered from those who hold provisional visas in subclass 496, 495, 487 or 475 under the extended pathway scheme.
What are you allowed to do on a Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa?
The Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489) allows you and your family to:
- Stay in Australia for up to four years.
- Live, work and study in the specified regional area of Australia.
- Travel in and out of Australia while the visa is valid.
You may also use this visa as a pathway to permanent residency via the Skilled Regional (Residence) visa (subclass 887).
Sponsorship by a relative
The Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa permits sponsorship by certain relatives and under certain conditions:
- The sponsor must be at least 18 years old.
- They must live in a designated area of Australia.
- They are either an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen.
Further to this, sponsorship is allowed where you are related in one of the following ways:
- Child or stepchild.
- Parent or step-parent.
- Brother, sister, adoptive brother, adoptive sister, stepbrother, step sister, niece, nephew, adoptive niece, adoptive nephew, step niece, step nephew, aunt, uncle, adoptive aunt, adoptive uncle.
- Grandparent or first cousin.
Nomination by a state or territory
Australian migration laws allow each state or territory to legislate their own immigration needs. As such, nomination by a state or territory is permitted.
Each state and territory has its own list of occupations as well as their own criteria and processes. For instance, some states will make selections from Expressions of Interest, while others invite applicants to apply directly for nomination.
Getting help with your Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489)
You should only deal with licensed immigration agents! Intergate Emigration has three agents who are licensed and registered with MARA. You can view their details on our website.
Please proceed with caution when you deal with immigration agents outside of Australia. These agents often show an Australian DIBP Offshore ID, but this ID is not an official number. DIBP numbers are issued for administrative purposes.
Agents outside of Australia do not have to be registered with the Office of MARA. To check the credentials of any agent, look for the on the MARA website. If the agent does not appear on the site, it means they are not licensed.
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