Subclass 491
Skilled Work Regional (provisional) Visa
What is the subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (provisional) visa?
The subclass 491 provisional visa has replaced the subclass 489 Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa, for the purpose to assist regional Australia to nominate the eligible skilled workers to reside in a designated regional area. Like the 489 visa, 491 visa can be nominated by a state or territory government agency or sponsored by an eligible family member residing in a designated regional area.
What parts of Australia are Designated Regional Areas?
It is intended that the designated regional areas will include all of Australia except for Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Therefore, the areas include Newcastle, Wollongong and the NSW Central Coast will also be classified as designated regional areas.
The feature of this visa
This visa enables eligible skilled workers and their families to live, work and study in designated regional areas of Australia for 5 years. Visa holders will be eligible to apply for a Permanent Residence visa after three years.
This visa allows application to be made under one of the following streams:
Applicants must:
- have a relevant occupation on a skilled occupation list;
- have a suitable skills assessment for the occupation;
- satisfy the points test;
- be under 45 years of age at the time of invitation;
- have Competent English;
- submit an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect;
- be nominated by a state or territory government agency or be sponsored by an eligible relative;
- be invited by the Department of Home Affairs to apply, and
- meet public interest criteria including health and character requirements.
Holders of this visa are eligible to apply for a subclass 191 – Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa if:
- they have earned a minimum taxable income($53,900) for each of three years as the holder of a regional provisional visa; and
- they have complied with the conditions of the regional provisional visa; particularly the requirement to live, work and study in a designated regional area of Australia.
Dependent children are required to study in a designated regional area in order to meet visa conditions.
The Subclass 191 – Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa will commence in November 2022.
There are a number of new conditions associated with this visa. Conditions 8578, 8579, 8580 and 8581 must be imposed.
The conditions require visa holders to:
- live, work and study only in a designated regional area of Australia;
- to notify Immigration of a change to their residential address, contact details, passport details, the address or addresses of an employer of the holder and the address of the location of a position in which the holder is employed; and
- to provide information and evidence relating to their location if requested to do so; and, if requested in writing by the Minister to do so, attend an interview at a place and time, or at a time, and in a manner, specified in the request.