Employer Regional Visa (Subclass 494)
The Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa enables regional Australian employers to address identified labour shortages within their region by sponsoring skilled workers where employers can't source an appropriately skilled Australian worker.
Overview of the 494 Visa
The Subclass 494 visa is designed to assist businesses in regional Australia that are unable to find skilled Australian workers. It allows you to live, work, and study in designated regional areas of Australia for up to 5 years.
Crucially, this visa offers a direct pathway to permanent residency after just three years, provided you continue to meet the visa conditions (primarily living and working in a regional area for your sponsor).
Worker Eligibility
To be eligible for the 494 visa as a skilled worker, you must:
- Be nominated to work in a specified occupation on the relevant skilled occupation list (including the broader Regional Occupation List).
- Have at least 3 years of relevant, full-time work experience in your nominated occupation.
- Have a successful skills assessment for your nominated occupation at the time of application.
- Have Competent English (e.g., IELTS 6.0 in all bands or equivalent).
- Be under 45 years of age (exemptions apply for certain medical practitioners, academics, and transitional 457/482 workers).
- Meet health and character requirements.
Employer Requirements
For an employer to sponsor a worker under the 494 visa, they must:
- Be actively and lawfully operating a business in a designated regional area of Australia.
- Need a genuine position filled.
- Have approval from the Regional Certifying Body (RCB) in their specific area.
- Meet the Annual Market Salary Rate (AMSR) requirements, ensuring the worker is paid market rates and no less than the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT).
- Pay the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy for the nomination.
Note on "Regional Area": For immigration purposes, nearly all of Australia outside of Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane is classified as a designated regional area. This includes the Gold Coast, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, and Canberra.
The Pathway to Permanent Residency (Subclass 191)
The 494 Visa provides a clear and structured transition to Permanent Residency through the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (Subclass 191).
To apply for the 191 visa, you must:
- Hold an eligible visa (such as the 494 visa) for at least 3 years.
- Have lived, worked, and studied in a designated regional area for those 3 years.
- Have complied with the conditions of your regional provisional visa.
- Provide notices of assessment issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for three income years.
Importantly, the 191 visa does not require a secondary nomination from your employer, giving you greater independence once you meet the 3-year requirement.
Secure Your Regional Future
Whether you are an employer looking to fill a gap in your regional business or a skilled worker seeking permanent residency via regional sponsorship, Dream Door can make it happen.