Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Visa (Subclass 494)
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa is a temporary employer sponsored visa that allows you and your family to live and work in ‘regional Australia’. This visa requires you to be nominated by an approved Australian employer for a job in regional Australia.
2 streams of this Visa
Employer Sponsored stream – For workers who have at least 3 years relevant work experience in same nominated occupation with your nominating employer.
Labour Agreement Stream – For workers who have at least 3 years relevant work experience with same employer in a specified occupation under the terms of a labour agreement, where your employer has labour agreement with the Australian government.
What is considered ‘Regional Australia’?
Most locations of Australia outside Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane considered designated regional areas for purpose of migration. Regional areas are defined on basis of following categories:
Category 2 regional areas – Cities and Major Regional Centres’ of Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Canberra, Newcastle/Lake Macquarie, Wollongong/Illawarra, Geelong and Hobart.
Category 3 regional areas – Only certain locations are considered regional or low-population growth metropolitan area in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania. The entirety of ACT, NT and Norfolk Island are deemed ‘regional or low-population growth metropolitan area’.
Requirements for Subclass 494 Visa
There are a number of general requirements you must meet to be eligible for this visa which includes the following:
- Nominate an occupation eligible for the 494 Visa
- Be nominated by an approved Australian employer for a job in regional Australia
- Meet competent English Requirement (i.e. IELTS score of 6 or more OR PTE score of 50 or more in each of the four components of the test – Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening OR an equivalent score in any other official English tests such as Cambridge Advanced English, Occupational English Test and TOEFL)
- Be under 45 years of age
- Have a positive skills assessment
- Meet health and character requirements
- Not have had a visa cancelled or a previous application refused
Advantages of Subclass 494 Visa
- Work, study and live in n designated regional areas of Australia for 5 years
- Enrol in Medicare
- May be eligible to apply for permanent residency after 3 years of employment
- Bring dependent family members to Australia
- Travel in and out of Australia
Visa Immigration Agent
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