Skilled Work Regional Visa Subclass 491 (Provisional)

Skilled Work Regional Visa Subclass 491 is a provisional points-tested visa for skilled workers who are nominated by a state or territory government to live and work in a designated regional area of Australia for 5 years. During this time, you can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want, while the visa is valid.

Have into account that your nomination must not be withdrawn, or you will not be granted the visa. You can apply for permanent residence, if eligible, through the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191) – which commences on 16 November 2022.

Eligibility criteria

Be invited to apply. You can only apply for this visa if you receive the invitation. Submit an expression of interest (EOI) in SkillSelect to let the department know that you would like to apply for the visa. Indicate if an eligible relative is going to sponsor you for this visa or if you want a state or territory government agency to nominate you.
You must be aged under 45 to be invited to apply for the visa.
Be nominated or sponsored. You must be either nominated by an Australian state or territory government agency or indicate that you will be sponsored by an eligible relative. Submit an expression of interest (EOI) for the visa to get an estimate of your points score. If you score enough points, state and territory government agencies can see your EOI and might nominate you for the visa. If you indicate in your EOI that you will be sponsored by an eligible relative the Department may invite you to apply for a visa in an invitation round.
- Nomination by an Australian state or territory government agency: If you are nominated for the visa, we will invite you to apply. All state and territory government agencies have their own criteria for deciding who they will nominate. Contact the state or territory agency directly to find out more about their nomination process and what they want from you.
- Sponsorship by an eligible relative: Your sponsor must be approved before you can be granted a visa and must be: 18 years old or older, usually resident in a designated area of Australia, be an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen or be your or your partner’s eligible relative.
Have a suitable skills assessment: For your application to be valid, you must declare that you have a suitable skills assessment at time of invitation. You will need to provide a copy of this skills assessment with your application. Your skills assessment must have been obtained in the 3 years before the date of your invitation. If your skills were assessed on the basis of a qualification you got in Australia when you held a student visa, the qualification must be from studying a course registered on CRICOS. For medical and legal practitioners, there are some specific options accepted as proof of a skills assessment.
Be able to score 65 points or more: The subclass 491 is a points-tested visa. When you submit your EOI in SkillSelect you will be given an indicative points score based on the claims you have made. If you do not obtain a score of 65 points you will not be invited to apply for this visa. If you are invited to apply for the visa, your invitation will state the number of points that you must score when your application is assessed for grant of the visa (this score may be higher than 65 points, depending on your claims in the EOI).
At the time of invitation, you must have at least Competent English. If a family member 18 years or older is applying for the visa with you, either: they must have functional English or they must pay a second instalment visa application charge
Your occupation must be on the combined list of eligible skilled occupations for a Skilled Regional (subclass 491) visa.
The Applicant and any family members applying for the visa must meet immigration health and character requirements.
You might not be eligible for this visa if you have had a visa cancelled or refused while you were in Australia.