The Subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored (Regional) visa is designed to help regional employers fill labour shortages by sponsoring skilled workers when suitable Australian workers are unavailable.
To qualify, applicants need sponsorship from a regional employer for a position expected to last at least five years. There’s a maximum age limit of 45 (with exemptions), a requirement for competent English, Regional Certifying Body (RCB) advice, and compliance with the Australian Immigration Department’s (AMSR) standards.
Applicants must also undergo a suitable skills assessment and possess a minimum of three years’ relevant skilled employment.
The Regional 494 Visa offers a clear route to Permanent Residence (PR) via the Subclass 191 Visa after completing three years of regional employment. This stands out as a significant advantage compared to the restricted PR avenues offered by the 482 TSS Visa program. Nevertheless, modifications are anticipated for TSS 482 visas alongside new PR pathways.
It currently has streams:
Employer Sponsored (ES) stream
This stream lets employers in regional Australia hire skilled overseas workers for specified skilled jobs for up to five years. Visa holders become eligible to apply for permanent residency after three years.
Labour Agreement (LA) stream
This stream is for employers in regional Australia who have a labor agreement with the Australian government to hire skilled overseas workers for specific jobs mentioned in the agreement, also for up to five years. Visa holders under this stream can apply for permanent residency after three years.
Subsequent Entrant
This visa is for members of the family unit of a Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (SESR) (Provisional) visa (subclass 494) holder who are applying separately for their SESR visa and wish to join the primary SESR visa holder in Australia.
The Subclass 494 visa process involves three steps:
The employer applies for approval as a standard business sponsor (SBS) or seeks a labour agreement with the Australian government. If the employer is already approved as an SBS for the TSS visa program, they don’t need to apply again.
The employer nominates an occupation for the prospective SESR visa applicant or an existing SESR visa holder. This nomination is specific to either the Employer Sponsored (ES) stream or the Labour Agreement (LA) stream.
The person nominated by the employer applies for the SESR visa in the stream identified in the nomination.
Note:
These three stages can happen simultaneously. For example, the online application to be an SBS can be followed immediately by an online nomination, and then an online visa application.
Approval processes proceed in sequence. The nomination can’t be approved until the sponsorship is approved, and the visa can’t be granted until the nomination is approved.
SESR visa holders can change employers based on a new nomination by the new employer. However, they can’t change employers until the new nomination is approved, unless they are in a specified occupation.
If an existing SESR visa holder wants to change their occupation, they must apply for and be granted a new SESR visa. Changing occupations, even with the same employer, requires obtaining a new visa, which also involves a new nomination. This ensures thorough assessment of overseas workers for their new occupation in Australia.
Key Points:
- If you’re applying for the SESR visa under the Employer Sponsored (ES) stream, you need to declare that your skills have been assessed as suitable by the relevant authority. This assessment shouldn’t be for a Temporary Graduate visa or fall under certain specified circumstances.
- When filling out the SESR visa application form, you’ll be asked to make this declaration and provide a reference number for your skills assessment. If you’re exempt from this requirement, you’ll need to explain why.
- For all SESR visa holders, including primary and secondary applicants, certain conditions apply. These conditions mandate that visa holders must reside, work, and study exclusively in designated regional areas.
Approved Nomination: The nomination in the visa application must have been approved. It must also have been made by an approved standard business sponsor at the time of approval.
Genuine Intention: The nominated occupation is genuine and that the visa applicant's intention to perform the occupation is also genuine.
Skills, Qualifications, and Experience: The primary visa applicant has the necessary skills, qualifications, and employment background to perform the nominated occupation. This may require additional evidence or a skills assessment in some cases.
Overview: Applicants must prove their English language skills to meet visa requirements set by the Minister. The method of proving English proficiency may vary depending on the application.
Evidence Required: Unless exempt, applicants must provide evidence of English proficiency at one of the prescribed levels. This can be done through tests like IELTS, OET, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, or CAE, with specific score requirements.
Exemptions: Certain applicants may be exempt from English testing if they are citizens of certain English-speaking countries, completed at least five years of full-time study in English, hold relevant professional registration, or have high annual earnings. Exempt applicants do not need to provide English testing results.
IELTS: Overall score of at least 5.0, with minimum scores of 4.5 in each component.
OET: Score of at least "B" in each of the four components.
TOEFL iBT: Total score of at least 35, with specific minimum scores in listening, reading, writing, and speaking components.
PTE Academic: Overall score of at least 36, with minimum scores in each component.
CAE: Overall score of at least 154, with minimum scores in each component.
Important Information:
SESR visa applicants who were in Australia or held a substantive visa outside Australia when they applied for the SESR visa may qualify for a bridging visa. These bridging visas (A, B, or C) have no specific conditions attached to them when granted alongside a SESR visa application.General Document Checklist for the Skilled Employer Sponsored (Regional) Subclass 494 Visa
- Passport (including all pages)
- Birth certificate
- Marriage certificate (if applicable)
- Evidence of change of name (if applicable)
- Certified copies of educational qualifications (diplomas, degrees, transcripts)
- Skills assessment results (if required for your occupation)
- Evidence of relevant work experience (employment contracts, reference letters)
- Any other relevant documents specific to your situation
- Health examination results (if requested by the Department of Home Affairs)
- Police clearance certificates from all countries where you’ve lived for more than 12 months in the last 10 years
- Employment contract or letter of offer from your sponsoring employer
- Position description or job duties
- Evidence that your employer is an approved sponsor
- English test results (e.g., IELTS, TOEFL, PTE Academic)
- Exemptions (if applicable)
- Health insurance coverage
- Evidence of relationship (if including family members in the application)
Visa applicants under regional subclasses 491 and 494 have several obligations:
Visa holders must inform the Department within 14 days of any changes to their residential address, email address, phone number, passport details, or employer's address.
Holders must live, work, and study only in areas designated as regional at the time of visa grant or relevant nomination. This promotes economic development in regional communities.
Compliance with Condition 8579 is necessary for eligibility for permanent residence.
Flexibility is provided regarding the timeframe for relocation to regional areas, depending on individual circumstances.
While incidental activities outside regional areas are allowed, extended absences require scrutiny to ensure compliance with residency requirements.
The physical location of the employer is not conclusive; work in regional areas can be fulfilled through a local office or branch.
Upon request by the Minister, holders must provide evidence of residential addresses, employer addresses, employment positions, or educational institutions attended within 28 days.
If requested, holders must attend an interview at a specified time and place, or in a manner specified by the Minister.
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