Skilled Work Regional Visa (Subclass 491)

Overview

This is a temporary visa allowing holders to live, work and study in regional Australia. This visa has a direct pathway to permanent residency.

Applicants need to be nominated by a State or Territory, or be sponsored by an eligible family member who lives in regional Australia.

This is a Points-based, invitation-only visa. You must reach a minimum Points score before being invited to apply.

This may be the right visa for you if:

What You Can Do & How Long You Can Stay

This is a 5 year temporary visa. You can apply for permanent residency after 3 years. Currently, you do not have to meet minimum income requirements to apply for permanent residency.
You can travel to and from Australia multiple times.
You can work in Australia whilst on this visa.
You can bring family members to Australia.
You may be eligible for a Bridging Visa to remain in Australia while waiting for this visa to be processed.

Limitations and Important Things to Know

You must be under 45 to be invited to apply.
You must meet a minimum Points Test score to be eligible to apply.
You must have a valid Skills Assessment for an eligible occupation.
Depending on your country of citizenship, you may have to meet minimum English requirements.

Process

This is a Points Tested visa and you must be invited before you can make the visa application.
Candidates for State or Territory nomination need to meet the nomination requirements of the specific State or Territory, similar to the process for the Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190)
Candidates for family sponsorship may need to score highly on the Points Test to receive an invitation to apply for the visa, similar to the process for the Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189)

If you are worried about encountering issues or restrictions when applying for this visa, we may be able to help. Please contact us for more information.

As part of the specific visa requirements, you may have to:

Be under 45 at the time you are invited to apply
Have an occupation that is on the relevant skilled occupation list.
Have a Skills Assessment obtained in the last 3 years
Be nominated by a State or Territory (You may have to meet State or Territory specific requirements and be invited to apply for this nomination)
Be sponsored by an eligible family member if you cannot meet the State or Territory nomination requirements
Meet minimum English requirements
Achieve a minimum score on the Points Test