491 Skilled Work Regional Migration(the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa, also known as the “Subclass 491 visa”) is a temporary visa valid for 5 years. Introduced on 16 November 2019, it is a visa category designed to attract skilled migrants to live and work in regional areas.

A Subclass 491 visa application must be sponsored by a state/territory or an eligible relative. Once holders have worked in a regional area and lived there for 3 years and have met the taxation and related income requirements, they can apply for the Subclass 191 permanent residency visa.

As at February this year, a combined total of more than 14,000 Subclass 491 places remained across all states! This article looks at the three most common questions about applying for the Subclass 491 visa, for your reference. For specific eligibility requirements and the application process, you are welcome to contact a Newstarsec migration consultant at any time.

Which “regional areas” qualify for the Subclass 491?

The “regional areas” that qualify for the Subclass 491 are not that remote!

For a long time, applicants have held certain misconceptions about so-called “regional areas”.In fact, apart from the central areas of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, almost everywhere else in Australia can be classified as a “regional area”.

In terms of job opportunities, cost of living and lifestyle comfort, some “regional areas” are even more appealing than the big cities.For example, in NSW there are Newcastle and Wollongong，, as well as the whole of WA, SA, Tasmania and the ACT — all of which count as “regional areas”.

And if city living is still hard to give up, here is another example: the regional areas closest to a so-called major city are in Brisbane — these “regional areas” are just a 30-minute drive from the CBD and only a 15–20 minute drive from Sunnybank, Brisbane’s bustling Chinese district.Whether you want good school catchment areas, nearby large shopping centres, or upmarket affluent suburbs with premium housing — all of these needs can be met.

Part Two: Which state nomination should you apply for?

The NSW and VIC Subclass 491 really are easy to get invited for

Generally speaking, state nomination comes in two forms: an application-based pathway and an invitation-based pathway. For applicants, the application-based pathway is more accommodating.

The choice of sponsoring state/territory depends on the applicant’s own circumstances (such as current place of residence/work, intended place of residence/work, and so on). Below is a summary of each state’s latest policy developments, which we hope you find helpful.

1、NSW offers both an application-based and an invitation-based option for the Subclass 491, so applicants can choose whichever pathway best suits them

Of these, the application-based pathway (Pathway 1) has two routes, both of which involve submitting an online application directly to any of NSW’s RDAs (Regional Development Australia) regional governments.The Sydney, Illawarra, Hunter and Central Coast RDAs are no longer accepting Subclass 491 applications this financial year, so act quickly and lodge your application with one of the other RDAs.

Of these, Stream A requires the applicant to have lived and worked continuously in regional NSW for 12 months, with an annual salary of at least AUD 53,900;

Stream B requires that the applicant’s occupational skills be in demand in regional NSW and that the occupation appears on a dedicated occupation list. As long as the applicant has lived continuously in NSW or overseas for more than 3 months, they can apply.

Common occupations eligible for Stream B are shown in the image below.

The other pathway works the same way as the Subclass 190 — that is, it uses the invitation-based Pathway 2。

The applicant’s nominated occupation must appear on the Pathway 2 occupation list, and the NSW Government (Investment NSW) must agree to sponsor them before they can apply. The application must be completed within 14 days of being invited, and all evidence relating to the EOI points must be submitted on the day the invitation is received.

More occupations are eligible for Pathway 2, with auditing and a number of ICT occupations now added.

2、VIC has also recently relaxed its Subclass 491 requirements. As long as the applicant lives within Victoria — even in a non-regional area such as Melbourne — they can apply for the Subclass 491. Previously, applicants already in the state had to be working in their nominated occupation in regional Victoria to apply for the Victorian Subclass 491, and this requirement has now been removed.

3. In addition, the option I particularly recommend is Canberra — an underrated opportunity.

In the latest round on 13 March, Canberra issued 564 invitations to offshore applicants. Since the program opened, every round has issued at least 300.

Applying offshore for the Canberra Subclass 491 currently requires three years of experience in the nominated occupation, which is not a particularly high bar for offshore applicants. Moreover, Canberra is about to lower the entry requirements across all categories — for details, see:Canberra is about to lower its requirements and broaden its occupation list! QLD has used 50% of its quota — can we still expect a “reform floodgate” this financial year?With three months left in the financial year, Canberra still has plenty of places available — a clear sign it wants to attract even more applicants in the period ahead.

4、The Northern Territory has also recently lowered the bar significantly for offshore applicants applying for the Subclass 491. Just one year of relevant work experience is now required, and a new pathway has been added. For details, see:Another state nomination slashes its requirements and welcomes offshore applicants! A new family-sponsorship pathway, ultra-low work-experience requirements, and a huge range of eligible occupations!

5、Tasmania has a relatively generous quota. Processing of Subclass 491 state nominations has currently reached applications lodged on 3 March 2023, with an approval rate of close to 90%. Offshore applicants can apply provided their occupation is health-related and they have obtained a job offer in Tasmania relevant to their nominated occupation (the employer must have been operating in Tasmania for more than 12 months).

As for the other states, WA, SA and QLD have smaller quotas, so the chance of receiving an invitation before the end of the financial year is not expected to be very high.

Part Three: What advantages does the Subclass 491 have over the Subclass 190?

Lower points + fast invitations — it really is a great deal!

Both the Subclass 491 and the Subclass 190 are state-nominated skilled migration visas. If your EOI score falls short of the Subclass 190 threshold, the Subclass 491 is a worthwhile alternative route to your goal.

First, the Subclass 491 has relatively lower points requirements.

Based on Newstarsec’s data from March, a number of occupations secured invitations with a base score of just 50/55 points. For offshore applicants, examples include pharmacists (50+15 points), electrical engineers (55+15 points), motor mechanics (50+15 points), advertising specialists (50+15 points), finance and investment managers (50+15 points) and graphic designers (55+15 points), among others. Bear in mind that the same scores would not reach the EOI pass mark for lodging a Subclass 190.

Second, the Subclass 491 has a lower entry bar.

Given that the EOI pass mark is 65 points, and that Subclass 190 state nomination awards 5 bonus points while the Subclass 491 awards 15, this means that as long as an applicant reaches a base score of 50 points, they can reach 65 points and go on to apply for the Subclass 491.

Third, more occupations are eligible.

Looking at the occupation lists, the Subclass 491 has an additional “Regional Occupation List” that the Subclass 190 does not (77 occupations in total).

Some non-traditional but popular migration occupations — such as multimedia designers, property managers, market analysts, fitness managers and real estate sales agents — appear only on the “Regional Occupation List” (meaning they can only apply for the Subclass 491). In March this year, Newstarsec had successful invitation cases for a multimedia designer (75+15 points) and a property manager (60+15 points).

For traditional migration occupations (such as finance managers, human resource managers, engineering managers, accountants, graphic designers, university lecturers, engineers of all kinds, medical and nursing staff, lawyers and social workers), it is possible to apply for both the Subclass 190 and the Subclass 491.

In addition, unlike other ordinary temporary visas, once the Subclass 491 is granted, you can apply for an Australian Medicare Card and access a range of healthcare benefits.

Seize this financial year

A great opportunity!

Generally, around the end of April each financial year, the Subclass 491 application windows in each state begin to close one after another. This financial year, however, most states still have very generous nomination places remaining — especially for the Subclass 491! If you are still on the fence about whether to apply for the Subclass 491, hesitate no longer — act quickly and catch the tail end of this year’s Subclass 491 applications!

If you have any questions about applying for the Subclass 491 visa, add me and I’ll put together a one-on-one plan for you!

I hope I can lend a hand on your migration journey and help you reach safe shores sooner!

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Apply Directly Offshore and Get Invited: 50 Base Points Gets You Picked Up, Multiple State Nominations With Zero Extra Requirements — With Over 10,000 Subclass 491 Places Left, Are You Really Not Considering It?

Australian migration fully recovers, with net overseas migration hitting a record high!

Canberra is about to lower its requirements and broaden its occupation list! What about QLD opening the floodgates?

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