Skilled Regional (Provisional) Subclass 489
What is a Skilled Regional (Provisional) Subclass 489?
The Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa allows skilled workers live and work in specified regional areas of Australia for up to four years. If you wish to apply for this visa under the First Provisional stream (also known as the ‘Invited Pathway’), you must first obtain a positive skills assessment for your nominated occupation, and then lodge an Expression of Interest. If this is successful, you will be invited to lodge a visa application.
The minimum requirements of the First Provisional Visa stream of this visa are set out below:
First Provisional Visa Stream
At the time that you are invited to apply for this visa, you must:
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be under 45 years of age
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nominate an occupation that is included on the relevant list of eligible skilled occupations:
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Family nominated: your occupation must be on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List – MLTSSL
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State or Territory nominated: your occupation must be on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List – MLTSSL, Short-term Skilled Occupation and Regional Occupation List – ROL
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have your skills assessed by the appropriate Australian skills assessing authority as suitable for your nominated occupation
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have competent English i.e.
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hold a valid passport issued by the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Ireland (and you are a citizen of that country) OR
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an IELTS test score of at least 6 in EACH test component (OR equivalent approved English test)
NOTE: In each case, the test must have been undertaken within the last three years (with the exception of the CAE test, which must be dated on or after 1 January 2015)
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score at least 65 on the relevant points test (which takes into account your age, English competency, qualifications and work experience, amongst other factors)
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be nominated by an Australian State or Territory government agency OR be sponsored by an eligible relative who resides in a designated area of Australia
Application Process
Anyone who wishes to apply for this visa under the First Provisional Visa stream must first be invited to lodge an application by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP).
In order to qualify for an invitation to apply for this visa, you must lodge an ‘Expression of Interest’ (EOI), which sets out how you meet the relevant requirements.
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Stage 1: Initial Eligibility Assessment
The first step that we will take is to conduct an initial assessment of your eligibility for this visa. This involves reviewing your qualifications, work experience, English language and other circumstances, to establish whether or not you are likely to meet the relevant requirements.
Stage 2: Skills Assessment
Should our initial assessment indicate that you are eligible for a positive skills assessment and EOI, we will prepare your skills assessment application.
Stage 3: Expression of Interest
If you are seeking State/Territory nomination, you will need to specify which Australian state or territory you wish to nominate your visa application. Alternatively, you can choose to be available for nomination by any State or Territory.
Stage 4: State/Territory Nomination (IF APPLICABLE)
If you are seeking State/Territory nomination, the government agency of the State or Territory that you have chosen will review your EOI to determine whether or not you meet their particular criteria for nomination (this includes the requirement that your nominated occupation be included on the skilled occupation list for that State/Territory).
Stage 5: Visa Application
Should your visa application be approved, you will be granted a provisional visa, which is valid for four years. You may be either in Australia or overseas when your visa is granted.
Visa Conditions
If you were nominated by a State or Territory, you must live, study and work in a regional or low population-growth metropolitan area, and comply with any other residential conditions specified by the relevant State/Territory government agency.
If you were sponsored by a family member, you must live, study and work in a designated area of Australia (any area of Australia with the exception of Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and the Brisbane metropolitan area).
Next Steps
Once you have held this visa at least two years, you will be eligible to apply for the permanent subclass 887 Skilled - Regional visa, provided you meet all of the relevant criteria. This includes the requirement to have resided in a specified regional or designated area of Australia (in accordance with your nomination or sponsorship, as referred to above) for at least two years, and to have worked in that area on a full-time basis for at least one year.