Regional Temporary Migration Subclass 494

Subclass 494 allows employers in regional areas to identify and meet labour shortages within their region by sponsoring skilled workers from outside. An employer unable to find an appropriately skilled Australian worker may be able to source and hire a migrant for this purpose.

The Department allocates around 10,000 places for this visa stream each year. The 494 visa subclass requires an employer sponsorship from a regional employer, and the said employment position should likely be available for the next five years. This visa has an age limit of 45 years. Visa applicants should have employment experience in the nominated occupation with the relevant skillset for at least three years, and the applicants are also required to qualify a suitable skill assessment and have competent English at the time of application.

To apply for subclass 494, an applicant must be nominated by an employer operating his business lawfully in a designated regional area of Australia. The nominated employment would require the applicant to work in a specified position or the nominated occupation of the sponsoring business or an associate business entity of that business.

The visa applicant should be able to demonstrate that he qualifies for nomination and has adequate skills, work experience, and qualifications required to perform the job role of the nominated occupation. An applicant would be required to undergo a positive skill assessment to demonstrate this. An applicant must have his skills assessed as suitable for the nominated occupation by the relevant assessing authority. The assessment will confirm that the applicant has adequate skills to work in the nominated occupation. The skills assessment must be undertaken before the application is lodged.

The validity period of the visa is five years, and once the applicant is granted a subclass 494 visa, various conditions will be imposed on the applicant:

• The applicant would be required to live, work, and study in a designated regional area only.
• The applicant must work only in the nominated occupation. Work in a different occupation would not be permitted unless the applicant applies for and is granted a new Skilled Employer-Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa.
• The applicant must start work within 90 days of- arriving in Australia if the applicant was outside Australia when the visa was granted; receiving the visa if the applicant was in Australia when the visa was granted.
• The applicant must not marry or enter into a de-facto relationship before his entry to Australia on this visa.
• The applicant must notify the Department if there are any changes in his passport or contact details.
• The applicant must be able to provide additional evidence related to his work experience, education, and residence if requested.
• The applicant must attend an interview (if asked for) in connection with the Department’s queries for the grant of this visa.

The applicant must fulfil the required eligibility conditions at all times; if there is a failure to do so, the visa may get cancelled.

Understanding Regional Areas; most locations of Australia outside major cities such as Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne have been classed as designated regional areas for migration purposes. The Department of Home Affairs has circulated the list of postcodes considered as regional areas for the purposes of the Australian visas. Some of the popular regional areas include Perth, Gold Coast, Adelaide, Sunshine Coast, Lake Macquarie, Geelong, Newcastle, Wollongong, and Canberra.

A holder of a subclass 494 visa will not be able to apply for other skills-based visa streams in Australia unless they have completed at least three years of work and stay condition in a designated regional area unless exceptional circumstances allow otherwise. Like in the case of the previous subclass 457 and 482 visa program, the holders of the new provisional visa can also be negatively impacted by any non-compliance on the part of the sponsor.

To be able to apply for the visa subclass 494 under the regional temporary migration route, an applicant must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• The applicant must be under 45 years of age at the time of application (exemptions apply).
• The applicant must be nominated by an approved sponsor from a designated regional area.