491/494/191 New Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa

（A）Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa – 491+191

In April 2019, the Australian Immigration Bureau announced the “Immigration Regulations Amendment 2019”, which will stop the submission and processing of EOI for 489 skilled immigrant visas in remote areas on September 10, 2019, and close 489 on November 15, 2019. The visa application channel will open the EOI submission, trial and visa application channel for the 491 visa on the next day.

491 – Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) remote area technical work (temporary) visa, similar to the original 489 visa, is designed for high-tech talents who want to live and work in remote areas of Australia. The application can be sponsored by a government agency in the area or by a relative of the applicant. After the applicant obtains this visa, he must live and work in the corresponding area for 3 years before he can apply for permanent residence (191 visa, similar to the current 887 visa).

Among them, the latest definition of “remote areas” refers to any area in Australia except the five regions of Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Gold Coast; “technical talents” refers to their occupations on the occupation list , and meet the requirements of scoring, career assessment, English, etc.

Applicants for the 491 visa, whether they are government guarantees or family guarantees, need to submit an EOI, and the applicant’s score must meet the minimum score required by the EOI (currently 65 points). Note: 15 points can be awarded for guarantees in remote areas.

Applicants who have been invited must meet the following conditions:

The applicant’s job position is on the occupation list of the regional visa
Under the age of 45
IELTS at least 4 6 or above
Pass a career assessment for a relevant position
Meet the additional requirements of the guarantee area
Meet the physical and character requirements

In addition, the 491 visa has the following changes compared to the 489 visa that will soon be closed:

The validity period of the visa is extended from 4 years to 5 years
To apply for PR, applicants must live in the region for 3 years instead of 2 years
To apply for PR, the applicant must work in the region from 1 year of full-time work to 3 years of work (the income is not lower than the minimum wage, and income proof documents including tax content must be provided)
After the skilled immigration scoring table is updated, government or relative guarantees in remote areas will add 15 points, which is more beneficial to 491 visa applicants

(B) New: Skilled immigrant visas sponsored by employers in remote areas – 494+191

In April 2019, the Australian Immigration Service announced the “Immigration Regulations Amendment 2019”, and closed the application channel for the 187 visa on November 15, 2019, and opened the application channel for the 494 visa the next day.

494 – Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) remote area employer guarantee (temporary) visa, similar to the original 187 visa, for professional talents who want to live in remote areas of Australia and work for sponsoring employers. To apply, applicants need to have sufficient work experience and be sponsored by their employer. After the applicant obtains this visa, he must live and work in the corresponding area for 3 years before he can apply for permanent residence (191 visa).

The 494 visa is divided into two categories: employer sponsored and labor agreement. The former requires the applicant’s employer to provide a guarantee, while the latter applies to applicants who have signed a labor contract with the Australian Federation.

In addition, compared with the 187 visa that will be closed soon, the 494 visa is essentially changed from the previous permanent residence visa to a temporary visa; that is, after obtaining the 494 visa, it is necessary to work in the position guaranteed when applying for the visa for 3 years before applying for the 191 visa Become a PR; the previous 187 visa will become a PR directly after being signed, and then work in the guaranteed position for at least two years to ensure that the visa is legal

Applicants for the 494 visa must meet the following conditions:

Find a suitable sponsoring employer or enter into a labor contract with the Commonwealth of Australia
The position you are applying for is on the list of sponsored regional occupations
Under the age of 45
IELTS 4 with 6 or meet the specified English level
Pass a career assessment for the relevant position, if required
Have a minimum of 3 years work experience in a sponsored position
Meet the physical and character requirements

Similar to the previous 187 visa, the 494 visa provides a “transitional worker” channel, which aims to provide more employment opportunities for those who previously held a temporary work visa. Applicants are required to meet:

Hold or have applied for a 457 visa before April 18, 2017
Hold or have applied for medium and long-term 482 visas before March 20, 2019
The employer provides work records, labor contracts, etc. of the previous position as needed
Under the age of 45
IELTS 4 6
Pass a career assessment for the relevant position, if required
Meet the physical and character requirements