One of the important Australia permanent residency pathways, the Skilled Regional visa (subclass 489), has been replaced by the newly launched subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa. This visa category was introduced by the Australian Department of Home Affairs and commenced from 16 November 2019.
This is a points-tested visa, especially for skilled workers who wish to live and work in a regional area of Australia. With this visa you are sponsored by an Australian State or Territory Government or an eligible family member residing in a designated regional area of Australia.
With this visa you can stay in Australia for up to a duration of 5 years. A designated area of Australia is any part of the country except Sydney, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Perth and Melbourne. Similar to the subclass 489 Skilled Regional visa, the regions of Newcastle, Wollongong and the NSW Central Coast are regarded as designated regional areas.
Since the subclass 491 is a points-tested visa, once you submit your EOI in SkillSelect you will be granted an indicative points score based on the claims you have made. In case you can obtain 65 points or more, you will be granted an Invitation to Apply for this visa type. Even if you are invited to apply, your invitation will state the number of points you will be required to score when your application is evaluated for the granting of the said visa.
Benefits of the Skilled Regional Visa
- You will be allowed to stay in any regional or designated area of Australia for a period of 5 years.
- With this visa you can live, work and study in a designated regional area of Australia.
- You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want while the visa is valid.
- You can include eligible members of your family in your visa application.
- If you fulfil the eligibility requirements, you can transition to permanent residency in Australia.
- There is priority visa processing time granted to regional visa applications.
- Incentives are granted to newcomer immigrants for staying in these regional or designated areas for a longer term.
- Additional points are granted to regional visa applicants.
Order of Preference for Applicants
You will be given preference by the Australian Department of Immigration in the following order of hierarchy:
- First priority will be granted to candidates who have a partner who is skilled (in terms of work experience and educational qualifications) or an applicant without a partner.
- Second priority will be given to a prospective candidate who has a partner having proficiency or competency in the English language.
- Final preference will be given to candidates who have a partner who is neither eligible for proficient English nor has skilled partner points.
Conditions and the Regional Objective
The holders of the 491 visa will not be able to lodge under certain visas until they have held a 491 visa and have fulfilled its conditions for a period of 3 years. This includes skilled permanent residency visas such as subclass 189 and subclass 190, business visas (124, 132 and 188), the Employer Nominated PR visa (186) as well as the onshore partner visa (820). The need for immigrants to live and work in a regional or designated area of Australia is driven by the need to assist economic development and increase population density in sparsely occupied regional areas of Australia.
Pathway to Permanent Residency
As discussed above, the 491 visa is a five-year residency visa, but if you meet all its eligibility requirements you can apply for permanent residency in Australia via the subclass 191 (Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional)) visa. Before taking this step you are required to meet the following eligibility requirements:
- As an applicant you should have lived, worked or studied in an Australian regional or designated area for a minimum time of 3 years (under the 491 visa subclass).
- During these three years you must have minimum earnings of $53,900.
What happens to current 489 visa holders and those who lodged before the change?
Existing 489 visa holders, or those who lodged for a 489 visa before 16 November 2019, will continue their permanent residency pathway journey via the visa subclass 887.
Why Choose Abhinav?
Navigating a points-tested regional visa and its permanent residency pathway requires careful assessment of your occupation, points score, state and family sponsorship options, and the conditions attached to a provisional visa. We provide reliable immigration guidance and support through our highly trained in-house team with decades of visa consulting experience, helping you understand every step of the process.
For more information about the Skilled Regional visa, email web@abhinav.com and one of our experienced immigration consultants will get in touch to help with your questions, or call +91-8595338595 or use our live chat.
