The Australian government has introduced three new visas in a bid to allow migrants to move to regional Australia.
The new visas include the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191), which will grant skilled migrants permanent residence in regional Australia.
David Coleman, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, said in his explanatory statement that this new visa has similar general requirements to most other permanent residence visas, including security, health and character requirements.
In addition to the subclass 191 visa, the other visas introduced are the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) and the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494).
The subclass 494 and 491 visas will replace the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (Permanent) visa (subclass 187) and the Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489) respectively, which have been closed by the Australian government.
The subclass 491 visa is a points-tested visa for applicants sponsored by a State or Territory government agency or by a family member living in a designated regional area.
On the other hand, the subclass 494 visa is designed to help employers in regional Australia hire skilled migrants via the Employer-Sponsored and Labour Agreement.
According to the Migration Amendment (New Skilled Regional Visas) Regulations 2019, applicants can qualify for the subclass 191 visa by:
-
Having a regional provisional visa for at least three years when applying
-
Having earned a minimum income for at least three years as the holder of a regional provisional visa
-
Complying with all the conditions of their temporary regional visa
The subclass 191 visa will commence from 16 November 2022, while the subclass 491 and 494 visas will come into effect from November of this year.
For more information, get in touch with our registered migration advisers at eduaid.
