Provincial 491 Skilled Work Regional Visa

The recently introduced Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa has replaced the crucial Australia Permanent Residency routes Skilled Regional visa (subclass 489). The Australian Department of Home Affairs has created this new visa category, which will go into effect on November 16, 2019.

For qualified people who want to live and work in a regional area of Australia, this is essentially a point-tested visa. Additionally, you can only obtain this visa through sponsorship from an Australian State or Territory Government or a qualified family member who lives in one of Australia's designated regional areas.

You are allowed to stay in Australia for a maximum of five years with this visa. Any region of Australia, excluding Sydney, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Perth, and Melbourne, is a designated area. The regions of Newcastle, Wollongong, and the NSW Central Coast are recognized as designated regional areas, much like Subclass 489 Skilled Regional visa.

 

How many points do you need to get a 491 Visa?

Being a points-tested visa, subclass 491 will assign you an indicative points score based on the claims you have made when you submit your EOI in SkillSelect. If you are able to acquire 65 points or more, you will receive an invitation to apply for this type of visa.
 

Advantages of 491 Visa

• For a period of five years, you will be permitted to reside in any designated or regional area of Australia.
• You are permitted to reside, work, and study in a certain Australian regional area with this visa.
• Additionally, you are free to enter and exit Australia as often as you like throughout the duration of the 491 visa's validity.
• Family members who meet the requirements might be listed on your visa application.
• If you meet the qualifying conditions, the best part of applying through this visa option is that you can even move towards becoming an Australian permanent resident.
• Regional visa applications are given priority processing.
• Newcomer immigrants receive incentives for extending their stays in these designated or regional locations.
• Extra points are awarded.

When will you be able to submit an application for a 491 visa?

The Australian Department of Immigration will give you preference in the hierarchy listed below::

• Candidates with skilled partners—that is, partners with relevant work experience and education—or those without partners—will be given preference.
• A potential candidate with a partner who speaks English well will be given second priority.
• Candidates with a partner who is not eligible for competent English or who has skilled partner points will receive last and final preference.

Can 491 Visa Holders lodge other Visas?

Until they have held a 491 visa and met its requirements for a period of three years, holders of such visas will not be eligible to apply under certain visa categories. This will cover business visas (124, 132, and 188), employer-nominated PR visas (186), skilled permanent residency visas such as Subclass 189 and Subclass 190, and onshore partner visas (820). The necessity to support economic development and boost population density in sparsely populated regional parts of Australia is what motivates immigrants to live and work in regional or designated areas of the country.

Can I become a permanent resident with a 491 visa?

As previously mentioned, the 491 visa is a five-year residency permit. However, if you fulfill all eligibility requirements, you can apply for the subclass 191 (Permanent Residence (skilled regional) visa, which allows you to seek for permanent residency in Australia:

• As an applicant, you must have spent at least three years living, working, or studying in a regional or designated area of Australia (under the 491 visa subclass).
• Over the course of these three years, you must make at least $53,900.
  

What happens to people who filed for a 489 visa prior to the change, as well as those who currently hold one?

Those who currently have a 489 visa or who applied for one before November 16^th, 2019, will need to use the visa subclass 887 to complete their path to permanent residency.