Visa 489
The Skilled Regional (provisional) Visa (subclass 489) is designed to enable invited skilled applicants, whether in or outside Australia, to apply for a provisional visa after being nominated by an Australian State or Territory government agency or sponsored by an eligible relative living in a designated area. The visa allows the holder to live, work and study in a specified regional area of Australia, to bring family and to travel to and from Australia. The visa is granted for 4 years and is the principal visa pathway to the permanent Skilled- Regional (subclass 887) Visa.
The Skilled Regional (provisional) (subclass 489) Visa process includes four steps:- Submission of Expression of Interest by the applicant
An Expression of Interest (EOI) is a method of showing your interest in applying for a skilled visa to migrate to Australia. It is an online form which asks a series of questions about your skills. It is used to calculate your ability to meet the points test and can be made available to state and territory government agencies if you would like to be considered for a sponsored skilled visa.
- Nomination by an Australian State or Territory government agency or Sponsorship by an eligible relative living in a designated area
State and Territory government agencies can view your Expression of Interest and decide whether to nominate you for a visa. Each state or territory has a list of occupations that guides the types of skills they are looking for, and its own process for nominating expressions of interest.
- Invitation to apply
The invitation is permission from the Department of Immigration that allows interested persons to apply for a visa under the skilled migration program.
- Visa application
A person who receives an invitation will have 60 days to lodge an online visa application.
Nominate an occupation that is on the relevant skilled occupation list (depends if the applicants are invited by an Australian State or Territory agency or are sponsored by an eligible relative);
Pass a suitable skills assessment for that occupation;
Meet the pass mark in the skilled migration points test (based on the information provided in the applicant’s EOI). The pass mark is currently 60;
Have at least competent English;
Be under the age of 50;
Satisfy health and character requirements.
Cost: As of July 2016, visa application fees are $3,600 for the main applicant, $1,800 for every secondary applicant who is at least 18 and $900 for every secondary applicant who is less than 18. Additional fees may apply under certain circumstances.Becoming a permanent resident As a subclass 489 visa holder you can apply for Skilled Regional visa (subclass 887) if you satisfy health and character requirements and have:
Lived in a regional Australia/low population growth metropolitan area for at least two years if you were nominated by a state or territory government;
Lived in a designated area of Australia for at least two years if you were sponsored by an eligible relative;
Worked full time (usually at least 35 hours a week) in a specified regional area for at least a year while you held your subclass 489 visa;
Complied with the conditions attached to your eligible visa or your Bridging visa.