How to apply for Australia PR through subclass 491 Visa?

The Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa Subclass 491 is one of the key Australian immigration pathways. It's a provisional visa managed under General Skilled Migration (GSM) program and enables aspiring skilled migrants to live, work, and study in a regional area of Australia. It is a highly popular point tested skilled visa pathways along with Skilled Independent Visa Subclass 189 and Skilled Nominated Visa Subclass 190. Since it's a regional visa, an applicant who is interested in Australia immigrationmust have either a State or Territory government nomination or a sponsorship from a family member living in regional Australia.

Benefits of new Visa Subclass 491

• You'll get priority processing
• You can live, work and study in Australia's designated regional area for 5 years
• You can travel to and from Australia as many times you wish until the visa validity period
• You can access an extended list of regional areas as everywhere except Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney are regional areas
• You can access an extended occupation list
• You can enroll for Medicare
• Apply for permanent residence of Australia (if eligible) via Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191), which will commence on 16 November 2022
• Your family members can also live, work and study in any designated regional area

Selection Criteria

In order to qualify to apply for visa subclass 491, you must:

• Age between under 45 years
• Have a nomination from any state/territory government or a sponsorship from any of your family members living in a designated regional area as an Australian citizen or permanent resident
• Have an invitation to apply (ITA) after submitting your EOI through Skill-Select
• Have your skilled occupation mentioned on a relevant regional skilled occupation list, i.e.
• Medium-Long Term Skills Shortage List (MLTSSL) for family sponsored applicants
• MLTSSL, Short-Term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) and the Regional Occupation List
• (ROL) and a State/Territory Occupations List for State/Territory nominated applicants
• Have a positive skills assessment in the nominated occupation
• Obtain minimum passing marks in the points test, i.e. 65 points
• Meet health and character requirements

State or Territory Government Nomination

Each State & Territory Government in Australia publishes its occupation list in areas where there is shortage of skilled workers. The requirements are generally specific and differ from Department of Immigration requirements with respect to work experience, specialized skills and English language ability. Thus, it imperative for you to check the State/Territory criteria before starting with your application submission process.

Eligible Family Member Sponsoring

Applicants under family sponsored pathway are allowed to nominate occupations listed on the MLTSSL. Also, the sponsor must:

• Be a resident living in a designated regional area of Australia
• Age minimum 18 years
• Be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or an eligible citizen of New Zealand
• Be an eligible relative like, children, parents, siblings, nephew/niece, aunt/uncle, first cousin or grandparents

Application process

In order to apply for Visa Subclass 491, you may follow a stepwise process mentioned below:

• Submit your EOI through SkillSelect and score minimum 65 points based on the profile information declared in your EOI
• Gather all the supporting documents like, Identity documents, Character certificate, Relationship documents, English language test report, Partner documents, Relationship documents, Skills assessment report, Sponsorship or nomination documents, Expression of interest (EOI) proof, etc.
• Get you ITA (invitation to apply)
• Once you receive your ITA, you can submit final and complete application along with required documents for Australia immigration and fees within 60 days

Please note,you can either be in Australia or abroad while applying for a Visa Subclass 491. For lodging an application from within Australia you must hold a substantive visa or what is called as a Bridging visa (A, B or C).

Visa Subclass 491- Points criteria

As per Australia's point-system which was revised last year, a Visa 491 applicant can score on the following grounds:

• For a nomination from family member living in a regional area or state/territory government nomination- 15 points
• For having a Masters degree or a PhD degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) from any Australian institution- 10 points
• For applying as a single applicant- 10 points
• For applying with a skilled partner or if a partner is a citizen or Permanent Resident of Australia- 10 points
• For having a partner who is proficient in English- 5 Points

Transitioning to Permanent Residence of Australia

Since the Visa Subclass 491 is a provisional visa with a validity of 5-years, it allows you to apply for PR visa, if:

• You hold visa 491 for up to 3 years in a continuity
• You meet all the visa conditions and citizenship obligations
• You or your partner or spouse (if any) must show yearly earnings of up to 3 years

If eligible, you can apply Australia PR Visa through Skilled Regional Visa subclass 491, which will come into effect from 16 November 2022.

Connect with Visas Avenue for Complete Process Assistance

If you are interested in making a move to regional Australia, you may get in touch with our team of Australia visa and immigration advisors at Visas Avenue. We assure you about the right guidance and support throughout the Australia visa application process. To connect with us, you may call our expert on Toll free No. 78-18-000-777 or drop us an email at info@visasavenue.com.