Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa Subclass 491

Subclass 491 Australia is a provisional visa. It enables aspiring applicants and their family members to live, study, and work in the designated regional areas of Australia for 5 years. Visa 491 Australia was introduced recently and has replaced the 489 visa. Subclass 491 is a skilled visa and requires an applicant to score a minimum of 65 points to qualify for the Skilled Migration Points Test. It has an age limit of 45 years and requires the candidate to obtain a positive skills assessment before applying. Applicants for this visa must be nominated either; by any Australian State or Territory Government agency or should be sponsored by a family member (If eligible) residing in a designated regional area. The applicant shall be invited to apply for this visa following the submission of a successful Expression of Interest (EOI) on SkillSelect. Subclass 491 visa holders may also be eligible to apply for a Permanent Residence visa (subclass 191) after 3 years, provided they fulfil all the visa conditions and requirements.

An applicant is required to submit an Expression of interest (EOI) in SkillSelect to apply for visa 491 Australia. In the EOI, the applicant is required to mention if he is being sponsored by an eligible relative or would like to be nominated by any Australian State or Territory Government agency. The visa applicant should be able to demonstrate that he qualifies for the State or Territory nomination and has adequate skills, work experience, and qualifications that may be preferred. An applicant would also be required to undergo a positive skill assessment to demonstrate this. The skills assessment must be undertaken before the application is lodged.

All the State and Territory government agencies have their own nomination process and criteria for deciding who they will nominate. The EOI submitted by the applicant will provide the States with the points score. If an applicant scores enough points, the State and Territory Government agencies might nominate the applicant for the visa. For more information on the scores and points test, reach out to our experienced 491 visa immigration agents. We provide professional advice and assistance. You can always rely on our 491 visa consultants.

If the applicant is nominated by any State or sponsored by an eligible relative and fulfils all the 491 visa requirements, the Department shall grant the applicant visa 491 in Australia. The validity period of the visa is five years, and once the applicant is granted a subclass 491 visa in Australia, 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 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 designated regional areas for the purpose 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 491 visa will not be able to apply for other skills-based visa streams in Australia unless they have completed at least three years of stay in a designated regional area unless exceptional circumstances allow otherwise. Identical to the arrangements in the previous subclass 457 and 482 programs, the holders of the new provisional visa can be negatively impacted by any non-compliance on the part of the sponsor.

For a detailed understanding of the 491 visa requirements, get in touch with our 491 visa immigration agent. Our team has professional 491 visa consultants to cater to all your visa related queries and concerns. To secure your visa 491 to Australia, avail our services now!

To be able to apply for visa 491 as per the 491 visa requirements, an applicant must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• The applicant must be under 45 years of age at the time of application (exemptions apply).
• The applicant must be nominated by an Australian State or Territory Government agency or;
• The applicant must be sponsored by an eligible relative residing in one of the designated regional areas in Australia.
• The applicant must be able to score more than 65 points in the Skilled Migration Points Test to be invited to apply for the visa.