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494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Visa

The visa validity period is 5 years. Conditions will be imposed which will enforce the government’s intentions that visa holders live, work and study only in regional areas (condition 8579) and only in the nominated position. Visa holders must commence work within 90 days of the visa being granted and must only work in your nominated occupation and only work for the nominating employer in regional Australia. Subclass 191 Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional): To meet the requirements of the permanent visa (from November 2022) applicants must have held a subclass 491 or 494 visa for at least 3 years, have complied with the conditions on that visa and have met minimum taxable income requirements. You must show earnings of at least $53,900 per annum for three years. Your partner can also be the main applicant for the 191 visa if they can demonstrate this criteria.

REQUIREMENTS

Requirements (Employer and job offer)

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        1. Employer must be located in a designated regional Australia, everywhere except Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

 

        2. Position be on the list of eligible occupations

 

        3. Position must be full time and likely be available for 5 years

 

        4. Employer will need approval from the Regional Certifying Body (RCB)

 

        5. Employer must pay the Australian Market Salary Rate (AMSR)

 

Requirements (Visa applicant)

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        1. Age under 45 at time of application (exemptions apply)

 

        2. Competent English at time of application

 

        3. You must have been employed in the nominated occupation for at least 3 years on a full-time basis and at the skill level required for the nominated occupation. Generally, you should have gained your experience within the last 5 years. The period does not need to be continuous. Equivalent part-time work may be considered. DHA does not consider casual work.

 

        4. GTE requirement does not apply

 

        5. If in Australia, hold a substantive or Bridging Visa A, B or C

 

        6. Successful skills assessment at time of application

Victoria and NSW 494 Visa

Requirements

  • be nominated by an approved work sponsor

  • have an occupation on a relevant skilled occupation list

  • have a suitable skills assessment for the occupation

  • be under 45 years of age

  • meet minimum standards of English language proficiency

Tasmania 494 Visa

Requirements

To be eligible for Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (SESR) (Provisional) Subclass 494 the nominee/sponsored employee must:

  • be nominated to work in an occupation on the relevant skilled occupation list

  • have at least 3 years relevant work experience in your nominated occupation

  • have a relevant skills assessment (unless exempt)

  • work only for the sponsoring business or an associated entity (unless exempt)

  • be under 45 years of age (unless exempt)

  • meet minimum standards of English language proficiency

Western Australia 494 Visa

Requirements

To be eligible, you must meet the Department of Home Affairs requirements:

  • be nominated by an approved work sponsor;

  • have an occupation on the relevant list;

  • have a suitable skills assessment for your occupation;

  • be under 45 years old; and

  • meet the minimum English language requirements.

South Australia 494 Visa

Requirements

Department of Home Affairs criteria for an employee applying for a SESR Employer Sponsored stream visa includes (but is not limited to):

  • Qualifications and skills relevant to the nominated occupation.

  • Employed in the nominated occupations for at least 3 years.

  • A positive skills assessment. The skills assessment must be provided by the relevant assessing authority.

  • Competent English in each band.

How to apply?

Once you have ensured you meet all the criteria, and prepared all documentation required for your application:

  1. Submit an RCB advice application via the Skilled & Business Migration portal. Ensure that you (the employer) meet the requirements for RCB advice applications and that you have all the documentation to complete Skilled & Business Migration’s online application.  

  2. Lodge an employer nomination application with the Department of Home Affairs NOTE: It is your decision whether you apply for RCB advice before or after lodging an employer nomination application with the Department of Home Affairs. When you lodge an employer nomination, it is Department of Home Affairs policy that the RCB advice must have been issued within the last three months.

  1. If the Department of Home Affairs approves the employer nomination, the employee will then need to lodge a subclass 494 visa application with the Department of Home Affairs. For more details on this process, please see the Department of Home Affairs website.

Northern Territory 494 Visa

Requirements

For an overseas national to be sponsored under subclass 494 they must have the skills, qualifications and language required for that visa stream.

The employee must have:

  • qualifications and skills relevant to the nominated occupation

  • a positive skills assessment by the relevant assessing authority; for the full list of occupations and assessing authorities, go to the Federal Register of Legislation website, there are very limited circumstances in which this is not required

  • competent English (IELTS 6.0 in each band or equivalent)

  • three years’ post-qualification relevant work experience

  • not yet turned 45 years of age, except if transitional arrangements or limited exemptions apply.

Queensland 494 Visa

Requirements

To be eligible to get any of the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (provisional) visa (subclass 494) visas, you must meet some basic governmental requirements. These include:

  • Obtaining nomination from an approved Australian employer for a position in a regional area

  • Ensuring you do not wait more than 6 months between obtaining nomination and applying for your visa

  • Being less than 45 years of age at the time of applying (some exemptions do apply)

  • Meeting the skills, qualifications and English language requirements (some exemptions may apply)

  • Meeting any mandatory licensing, registration or professional membership requirements that working in your chosen occupation in the state you will live in demands

  • Passing all of your health and character checks

  • Ensuring you apply for the stream you’ve been nominated for

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