Skilled Work Regional subclass 491 Visa

The Skilled Work Regional subclass 491 visa is a temporary one, valid for five years once granted.

The subclass 491 visa entitles visa holders, together with their families to live, work and study in designated regional areas of Australia.  It also provides a multiple re-entry facility to travel in and out of Australia as often as you like within the visa validity period.

The visa is a points-tested visa, requiring either state government nomination or sponsored by an eligible relative in Australia.

Applicants must be under 45 years of age at the time of receiving an invitation from the Department of Home Affairs, otherwise, you won’t meet the eligibility criterion on age.

 

491 Visa Requirements for Applicants

In order to qualify for a Subclass 491 visa, you will need to:

• 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
• at the time of the invitation, you must have at least competent English
• be invited to apply
• satisfy the points test
• meet health and character requirements
• not have had a visa cancelled or a previous application refused (if applying from onshore)

Steps involved in Appling for a 491 Visa

• obtain a positive skills assessment for your nominated occupation
• submit an Expression of Interest (EOI)
• wait for your invitation to apply for your Skilled Visa
• apply for your visa

Pass Mark for 491 Visa

The current migration points threshold is set to at 65; however, this fluctuates dependent on volume and quality of candidates applying. Some occupations require a much higher pass mark, please access ‘Latest invitation round GSM‘.

Is a Job Offer required for a 491 visa?

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.

Who can Sponsor 491 Visa?

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

Processing Time

Processing times are impacted each month by changes in application volumes, seasonal peaks, complexity, and incomplete applications. Estimates of processing times are provided as a guide only. Individual processing times may vary from the published estimates. See the estimated processing times at Global visa and citizenship processing time.

491 Visa Cost

This will vary depending on the number and age of your dependants included in your application.  Please be aware that the cost of visas changes from time to time.

Do I Apply in Australia or Overseas? Can I include Family Members on my visa application?

You can apply either onshore or offshore of Australia and you can include dependent family members such as spouse/partner and dependent children.

What happens after I submit my 491 Visa application?

As of today, the Department of Home Affairs states a subclass 491 visa can take from 57 to 76 days to be finalised from the date of lodgement.

Are you eligible for Centrelink, Medicare and to Buy a house?

Subclass 491 visa holders are eligible for Medicare; entitlement to Social Welfare (Centrelink) payments is subject to legislation being passed. A subclass 491 visa holder is considered as a temporary resident for purchasing a property in Australia’s purpose as per the FIRB declaration as of today, you are recommended to contact a Licensed Conveyancer or a Lawyer to discuss further.

Designated Regional Area and Associated Postcodes

Please access the following link to find out the designated regional areas for the purpose of applying under the subclass 491 visa category:
https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skill-occupation-list/regional-postcodes

Update on State Nomination

The state governments are waiting for the Australian Federal Government to release the new financial year budget and occupation numbers, which is not yet available.
We’ll keep you updated once further information from the federal government and state government is released.

Can I move states after receiving my visa approval?

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

However, the nominating state government would generally require you to make a commitment of residing and working in the designated area of which you were nominated.  We are yet to see whether this will impact your eligibility to apply for the subclass 191 permanent residency application.

It is strongly suggested that you contact the relevant state or territory prior to moving to make sure you comply with all the conditions to avoid future negative impacts on your permanent visa application.
Please be advised that the subclass 191 permanent residency pathway is not available until November 2022, therefore, there is still little known about any limitations or restrictions.

From 491 Visa to Permanent Residency

There is a pathway for subclass 491 visa holders to apply for permanent residency when you have resided and worked in a designated area for three years with the primary applicant’s taxable income for each of the three financial years to be no less than $53,900.