494 Employer Sponsored Regional Visa
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A visa for skilled people nominated by a state or territory government to live and work in regional Australia
The visa validity period is 5 years. Conditions will be imposed which will enforce the government’s intentions that visa holders live, work and study only in regional areas (e.g. condition 8579) and only in the nominated position. Visa holders must commence work within 90 days of the visa being granted and must only work in your nominated occupation and only work for the nominating employer in regional Australia. If you do not, your visa may be cancelled.
494 visa requirements (visa applicant):
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Age under 45 at time of application (exemptions apply)
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Competent English at time of application
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You must have been employed in the nominated occupation for at least 3 years on a full-time basis and at the skill level required for the nominated occupation. Generally, you should have gained your experience within the last 5 years. The period does not need to be continuous. Equivalent part-time work may be considered. DHA does not consider casual work.
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GTE requirement does not apply
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If in Australia, hold a substantive or Bridging Visa A, B or C
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Successful skills assessment at time of application
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Doctor registration requirement does not apply
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DoHA Fee (main applicant) $4,045 and for spouse: $2,025, children under 18 : $1010
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Second VAC: $4890 if adult applicant does not meet Functional English
494 Employer and job offer requirements:
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Employer must be located in a designated regional Australia, everywhere except Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
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Regional areas include Perth, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Lake Macquarie, Illawarra, Geelong, Newcastle, Wollongong, Adelaide, Hobart and Canberra.
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Position be on the list of eligible occupations
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Position must be full time and likely be available for 5 years
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employer will need approval from the Regional Certifying Body (RCB)
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Employer must pay the Australian Market Salary Rate (AMSR)
With this visa you can
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stay in Australia for 5 years from the date we grant you the visa
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live, work and study in a designated region of Australia
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travel to and from Australia as many times as you want, while the visa is valid
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apply for permanent residence, if eligible, through the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191) – which starts on 16 November 2022. You can’t apply for other permanent visas until you have held your subclass 491 visa for 3 years.
Designated regional area
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Regional areas are defined as any area excluding Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. You and all members of your family unit who are also holders of the visa, will need to live, work and study in a designated regional area of Australia. Your nomination must not be withdrawn, or you will not be granted the visa.
Pathways to Permanent Residence
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If eligible, you will be able to apply for permanent residence through the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191) – which starts on 16 November 2022.
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Unless you have held your subclass 491 visa for 3 years, holders of the subclass 491 visa can’t:
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Make a valid application for a subclass 820 (Partner) visa
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Be granted any of the following visas:
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How long you can stay
This is a temporary visa. You can stay in Australia for 5 years from the date we grant your visa.
Stay longer
You can't stay in Australia longer by extending this visa. Explore your visa options
Include family
You can include members of the family unit in your application. You can:
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include them when you submit your visa application
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add a dependent child after you submit but before we decide on your visa application.
Family members who apply for the visa must meet our health and character requirements.
Family members not accompanying you to Australia might also need to meet our health and character requirements.
If your partner or dependent children are not included in this application, tell us the reason why (for example, they already hold Australian citizenship or are a permanent resident).
Cost
From AUD4,045 for the main applicant.
There is also a charge for each family member who applies for the visa with you.
To work out what your visa will cost use the Visa Pricing Estimator. The estimator does not take into account the second instalment or other costs.
You might have to pay an extra charge for any applicant 18 years old or older who has less than functional English. This charge is called the second instalment. Pay it only when we ask you to. We ask for the charge only if we are going to grant the visa.
The second instalment charge for family members is AUD4,890.
The Visa Pricing Estimator does not include the second instalment or other costs. You might also have to pay other costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics
