Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 491)

Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 491)

The 491 visa is a temporary visa designed for skilled migrants who are either nominated by an Australian State or Territory government agency or sponsored by an eligible relative in regional Australia to allow them to live and work in regional Australia for five years.

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How does the Subclass 491 visa work?

In order to qualify for this visa, the applicants must score at least 65 points on a Points Test and be either nominated by an Australian state or territory government agency or sponsored by an eligible relative in regional Australia.

As part of the process the applicants need to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) through the SkillSelect portal and indicate what state/territory they want to seek nomination from or if they have an eligible relative in regional Australia as a sponsor. Some states require submission of a separate application for state nomination in addition to the EOI, where others want you to indicate that you are seeking their nomination in your EOI and they will then invite you to apply for it should you be successful.

Once the nomination or sponsorship is approved, the applicant will be issued with an Invitation to Apply for this visa by the Department of Home Affairs and will be required to submit the visa application within sixty days.

Once Sc 491 visa is approved, the principal visa holder and migrating family members will need to enter Australia by a specified date to validate their visas.

Pathway to Permanent residency

If you have held a 491 or 494 visa, complied with visa conditions, and met the work and residence requirements, you may now be eligible to apply for the 191 Visa and secure permanent residency in Australia.

Do I need a Registered Migration Agent to help?

Because attaining the set level of points is dependent on so many factors, it is essential to have your eligibility assessed by a registered migration agent to ensure you will meet Australia immigration requirements and avoid costly disappointment.

Take our assessment

What is the process to apply for a Sc 491 visa?

State/Territory Nominated stream

In order to be eligible for this visa under State/Territory Nominated stream, the applicants must:

• nominate an occupation from either the Medium- and Long-Term Strategic Skills List or Short-Term Skilled Occupations List or Regional Occupation List. Additionally, the nominated occupation must be included in the State Occupations List of the state/territory the nomination is sought from
• secure a positive skill assessment in the nominated occupation
• achieve minimum competent level of English through a recognised English test
• score at least 65 points in the Expression of Interest
• have approved nomination from one of the Australian states/territories (it’s possible to seek nomination from more than one state/territory, provided your occupation is included in the respective State Occupations List and you meet the criteria) and an Invitation to Apply from the Department of Home Affairs

Eligible Relative Sponsorship stream

In order to be eligible for this visa under Eligible Relative Sponsorship stream, the applicants must:

• have an eligible relative residing in regional Australia who is willing to sponsor them
• nominate an occupation from the Medium- and Long-Term Strategic Skills List
• secure a positive skill assessment in the nominated occupation
• achieve minimum competent level of English through a recognised English test
• score at least 65 points in the Expression of Interest
• have the Expression of Interest selected by the Department of Home Affairs of Australia.

Your sponsoring relative must be:

• 18 years old or older
• be an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen usually resident in regional Australia
• be your eligible relative (or your partner’s eligible relative if your partner is also included in your visa application), such as:
  • a parent
  • a child or step-child
  • a brother, sister, adoptive brother, adoptive sister, step-brother or step-sister
  • an aunt, uncle, adoptive aunt, adoptive uncle, step-aunt or step-uncle
  • a nephew, niece, adoptive nephew, adoptive niece, step-nephew or step-niece
  • a grandparent, or
  • a first cousin

The Department of Home Affairs must approve your sponsorship before you can be granted a visa.

What do I need to be eligible for a Sc 491 visa?

You may be invited to apply for Sc 491 visa if the following criteria are met:

• Age Limit – you must be under the age of 45 when you receive an invitation to apply from the Dep of Home Affairs and submit your visa application.
• Health and Character – you and your family members included in the visa application must meet the health & character requirements
• Eligible occupation – your nominated occupation must be included in the Medium- and Long-Term Strategic Skills List or Short-Term Skilled Occupations List or Regional Occupations List if applying under State/Territory Nominated stream or in the Medium- and Long-Term Strategic Skills List if applying under Eligible Relative Sponsorship stream;
• State/Territory Nomination if applying under Nominated stream – you must be nominated by one of the Australian States or Territories. Each State and Territory Government has their own list of occupations in demand as well as criteria to be met.
  Eligible Relative Sponsorship if applying under Sponsorship stream – you must be sponsored by an eligible relative and your sponsorship must be approved by the Department of Home Affairs
• Skills assessment – you must secure a positive skills assessment from the relevant authority in Australia as evidence that you possess the necessary qualifications and skills to be able to work in your occupation;
• English level – the principal applicant must provide evidence of at least Competent English, however, only Proficient and Superior English levels will be awarded points
• Points Test and Expression of Interest – you must score at least 65 points in your Expression of Interest (EOI), be nominated by one of the states or territories or sponsored by an eligible relative and be invited to apply for this visa by the Department of Home Affairs of Australia.

Under State Nominated stream, while 65 points is a minimum threshold for the EOI to be entered into the pool, states/territories are likely to give preference to applicants whose EOI’s points total is higher than 65.

The Department of Home Affairs may also increase the points threshold for applicants under Sponsored stream at any time.

For both streams – you must meet the points score eligibility at the EOI submission as well as at the time of receiving an Invitation to Apply for the visa.

Online assessment

English proficiency

Family members over the age of 18 who are included in Sc 491 visa application are required to provide evidence of at least Functional English.

English requirements

Health and Character

All family members who are included in Sc 491 visa application must meet health and character requirements. All applicants over 16 must provide police clearances from every country they lived in, Australia inclusive, for at least 12 months in the past 10 years.

Can I include my family in a Sc 491 application?

Principal applicants for Sc 491 visa may include the following family members in their application

• Spouse or De Facto Partner (can be same or opposite sex)
• Your and/or your partner’s dependent children

Spouse/De Facto Partner

For both spouse and de facto applicants, you must prove that you are in a genuine and ongoing relationship.

For De Facto applicants, you must additionally provide evidence that:

• you are not related by family
• you and your partner are mutually committed to a shared life to the exclusion of all others
• you live together, or do not live separately on a permanent basis.

Dependent Children

Children can be included in your Sc 491 visa application, provided they fall under of the below categories:

Category 1

Category 2

Category 3

Note: The child must meet the dependency criteria at the time of application submission as well as at the time of decision-making.

How long does it take to get a Sc 491 visa for Australia?

Applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis, and actual processing times can vary due to individual circumstances.

The current processing times are 11-14 months under Nominated stream and 9-11 months under Sponsored stream (from the date of visa application submission.)

What are the fees?

Sc 491 visa application fees are currently AUD$4,115 for the main applicant, AUD$2,060 for any secondary applicant aged 18 and above and AUD$1,030 for any secondary applicant under the age of 18.

Online assessment

Our Skilled Visa Service includes

• Your personal adviser will manage everything required for the entire process, taking all the stress off your shoulders.
• We will review your supporting documents and make sure they meet visa requirements
• We will apply for a skills assessment on your behalf.
• We will prepare and submit your Expression of Interest.
• We will prepare and submit state/territory nomination application
• We will apply for a visa on your behalf once you receive an Invitation to Apply
• We will monitor the progress of your visa application regularly and will provide timely updates
• We will liaise with the Department of Home Affairs and will act as your representative until the decision is made

Online assessment

Typical process timeline

This is the process we follow for most of our offshore clients.

• Mar 30, 2020

  Documentation stage

  Based on our instructions, you collect & send the documents required. We check your documents and provide feedback until you become ‘document-ready’.

• Mar 30, 2020

  Skills assessment stage

  We apply for the skills assessment for you an liaise with the skills assessing authorities on your behalf.

• Mar 30, 2020

  Expression of Interest application

  Congratulations! You have received a positive skills assessment and passed the English test! We prepare and submit your Expression of Interest.

• Mar 30, 2020

  State Nomination application (mandatory for Sc 190 and Sc 491 (Nominated stream) visas))

  We prepare and submit your nomination application should any of the Australian states/territories invite you to apply for their nomination.

• Mar 30, 2020

  Invitation to Apply and Visa application

  We finalise your documentation, prepare and lodge your visa application. We liaise with the Australian Department of Home Affairs until a decision is made.

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