Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa - Live and work in regional Australia

The Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) allows skilled workers to come to Australia and work in the country's designated regional areas for up to five years.

skilled work regional provisional visa

WHO CAN APPLY FOR THE SKILLED WORK REGIONAL (PROVISIONAL) VISA?

The Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa is a points-based visa. To apply you must:

  • Be under the age of 45.
  • Have nomination by an Australian state or territory government agency OR you are sponsored by an eligible family member residing in a designated regional area.
  • Have a relevant occupation on a skilled occupation list.
  • Achieve a score of at least 65 in a skills assessment for your nominated occupation.
  • Have competent English.
  • Meet the health and character requirements.

WHAT ARE YOU ALLOWED TO DO ON A SKILLED WORK REGIONAL (PROVISIONAL) VISA?

The Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) allows you and your family to:

  • Stay in Australia for up to five years.
  • Live, work and study in designated regional areas of Australia.
  • Travel in and out of Australia while the visa is valid.
  • Apply for permanent residence after three years, if eligible.

Designated regional areas includes all of Australia except for Sydney, Melbourne Perth, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

SPONSORSHIP BY A RELATIVE

The Skilled Work 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 regional 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.

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.

The Skilled Regional (Provisional) Visa application process

The application process must comply with the skill select process and can be broken down into four steps:

01

Pre-expression of interest assessment

This step judges your potential application against a points-based assessment. You must get a minimum of 65 points to move on to the next stage.

As you will see from the information below, it is imperative that the assessment is carried out thoroughly by an expert, so that you can explore every avenue and make an informed choice.

02

Expression of Interest

This is when you demonstrate your interest in a specific Australian visa. It is essentially an application which details:

  • The visa subclass and stream you intend to apply for;
  • Whether you're seeking sponsorship from a state or territory government; and
  • If you are open to residing in specific states or territories.

The Expression of Interest also judges your application on a points basis and against other Expressions of Interests received. A decision is then made whether or not to invite you to make a visa application.

It is therefore essential you know exactly what the best visa option is for you or you may face a negative response as well as wasted application fees if you apply for the incorrect visa.

03

Invitation to apply

If your Expression of Interest is selected, you will receive an invitation to apply for a Skilled Independent visa. Invitations are issued during most months. It will details who is being invited as well as the time frame within which the application must be made.
04

Making an application

This is a time-driven process, as per the details within the Invitation to Apply. Your application itself, in essence, now provides all the required materials facts and supporting documentation to validate the information given on the Expression of Interest (including the assessment).

GETTING HELP WITH YOUR SKILLED REGIONAL (PROVISIONAL) VISA (SUBCLASS 491)

You should only deal with licensed immigration agents! Intergate Emigration’s agents are all licensed and registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA).

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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