491 Visa – Skilled Work Regional Visa (Provisional)

A job offer is not required to apply for a subclass 491 visa application. However, should you wish to be nominated by an Australian state government, each state government may have additional criteria to meet their individual state objectives, which may include the requirement of having a job offer.

An eligible relative can be related to yourself or your partner and can be your parent, child or step-child, a brother or sister (including step or adoptive), an aunt, uncle (including step or adoptive), a nephew or niece (step or adoptive), a grandparent or a first cousin.

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
• Be your or your partner’s eligible relative

Applicants for this visa who are sponsored by an eligible relative may only select a nominated occupation on the Medium Long-Term Skilled Occupation List.

You can apply either whilst in Australia or outside of Australia, and you can include dependent family members such as spouse/partner and dependent children.

You wait until a Case Officer is allocated who will assess your eligibility.  A decision-ready application will be granted without a request for further information, so it’s important to make certain you lodge a decision-ready application

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-processing-times/global-visa-processing-times

Subclass 491 visa holders are eligible for Medicare. A subclass 491 visa holder is considered a temporary resident for purchasing a property in Australia. You are best to check with the Foreign Investment Review Board about what steps you must take.

Each state and territory has a unique occupation list seeking skills that meet the skill shortage requirements for each region. You must first submit an EOI and nominate the state and territory where you wish to reside. Please refer to State Nomination.

There is no restriction for subclass 491 visa holders to move interstate.

However, the nominating state government would generally require you to commit to residing and working in the designated area to which you were nominated.

The conditions apply to the primary applicant and all secondary dependents included in the application and specify that all visa holders must live, work and study only in a designated regional area and must notify the Department of changes of address and other details such as phone number and new passport details.

There is a pathway for subclass 491 visa holders to apply for permanent residency when they have resided and worked in a designated area for three years. The primary applicant must provide notices of assessment issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for three income years out of the five years of your eligible visa. There is no minimum income requirement.