Skilled Nominated Provisional Visa subclass 491

Skilled – Nominated or Sponsored (Provisional) Visa Subclass 491

The Skilled Regional Sponsored visa is a provisional work visa for individuals who have the qualifications and skills required to address Australia’s skill shortage in Regional areas of Australia. Skilled Regional Sponsored visa applicants are required to obtain points as per the current years requirement and must either obtain sponsorship from an eligible relative living in a Specified Regional Area of Australia or nomination from a participating State or Territory government. The assessment is such that applicants are required to be under 45 years of age and be able to demonstrate that they have a qualification or the skills of an occupation on the

Australia’s Skilled Occupation List:

• Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) or
• Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL)
• Regional Occupation List (ROL

Applicants for an Australian Skilled Regional Sponsored visa must be prepared to live for three years and work for at least three years in a Specified Regional Area of Australia. A Skilled Regional Sponsored visa is valid for up to five years and provides a pathway to permanent residence.

Benefits of this visa

This is a provisional visa leading to the pathway to the permanent residence visa. It lets you and any family members who have also been granted this visa:

• stay in Australia for a min 3 years and then apply for the pathway to Permanent visa
• work and study in Australia
• enrol in Medicare, Australia’s scheme for health-related care and expenses
• travel to and from Australia for five years from the date the visa is granted.

Main Requirements

You are eligible to apply for this visa if you have been invited. At the time of applying through Skill Select, you must have:

• been nominated by an Australian state or territory government agency
• nominated an occupation that is on the relevant skilled occupation list
• obtained a suitable skills assessment for that occupation
• not yet turned 45 years of age
• achieved the score specified in your letter of invitation based on the factors in the points test
• at least competent English
• meet health and character requirements