Skilled Work Regional (Provisional)
Subclass 491
The subclass 491 visa is valid for 5 years and is available to skilled workers and their families to live and work in specified regional areas in Australia. You can apply for permanent residence after 3 years from the time your visa is granted.
You must be skilled and nominated by a state or territory government.
What You Can Do
With this visa you can stay in Australia for 5 years from the date the visa is granted. It allows you to live, work and study in a designated region of Australia. You may travel to and from Australia as many times as you want while the visa is valid.
You may apply for permanent residence, if eligible, through the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191) – which starts on 16 November 2022. You can’t apply for other permanent visas until you have held your subclass 491 visa for 3 years.
You can include members of the family unit in your application.
Nomination
State / Territory Government Nomination
As the visa name suggests you must be nominated by an Australian State or Territory or an eligible relative living in regional Australia. This requires submitting an expression of interest (EOI) for the visa to get an estimate of your points score. If you score enough points, state and territory government agencies can see your EOI and might nominate you for the visa.
If you are nominated for the visa by an Australian State or Territory we will invite you to apply for the visa. All state and territory government agencies have their own criteria for deciding who they will nominate. We can assist you to locate a suitable state or territory and decipher the different criteria from state to state and territory to territory.
Sponsorship by an Eligible Relative
Your sponsor must be 18 years old or older, usually resident in a designated area of Australia, be an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen and be your eligible relative or your partner’s eligible relative if your partner is also applying for this visa.
An eligible relative can be a parent, a child or step-child, a brother, sister, adoptive brother, adoptive sister, step-brother or step-sister, an aunt, uncle, adoptive aunt, adoptive uncle, step-aunt or step-uncle, a nephew, niece, adoptive nephew, adoptive niece, step-nephew or step-niece, a grandparent, or a first cousin.
The Department of Home Affairs must approve the sponsorship before you can be granted a visa.
Please contact us for more eligibility requirements. We can also provide details regarding fees, charges and sponsorship obligations.
Applicant Requirements
You might be eligible to apply for this visa if invited, you must also:
- be nominated to apply by a state or territory government agency, or an eligible relative must sponsor you
- have an occupation on a relevant skilled occupation list
- have a suitable skills assessment for the occupation
- be invited to apply
- satisfy the points test
You can be in or outside Australia when you apply for the visa and when we make a decision on your application, but not in immigration clearance.
If you are applying in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa, or a Bridging visa A, Bridging visa B or Bridging visa C.
Enquire about this visa
Client Stories
Ritchie begain his career at the age of 17 as a member of the successful music group 5ive.
Ritchie moved to Australia and found success as restaurateur in Crows Nest, at ‘Small Bar’, and attracting a loyal following of local and tourist drinkers with his exceptional mixology skills, becoming a sommelier.
Steps to apply for a work visa
1
Contact Visacorp to obtain a full assessment of your eligibility for an Australian visa.
2
Visacorp will advise in writing which visa is most suitable for you and confirm your eligibility for the chosen visa. A service agreement (i.e. quote & appointment letter) will be provided to you for your consideration and acceptance.
3
Once Visacorp is appointed we will guide you through the visa preparation process so that the application is presented to the Department of Home Affairs so that it stands the best chance of success
4
Submit visa application to the Department of Home Affairs along with all certified documents
5
Await decision from the Department of Home Affairs.