494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa

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Project Introduction

Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Visa (subclass 494) was officially launched on November 16, 2019.

The visa is a temporary visa valid for five years and is designed to help regional employers find suitable overseas employees to address labour shortages in remote areas. 494 visa holders can apply for a 191 regional permanent resident visa after meeting certain requirements.


Regional definition of Australia: All areas of Australia except QLD Brisbane, VIC Melbourne and NSW Sydney.

There are two categories of the 494 visa:
Employer Sponsored stream: for regional employers who cannot find suitable skilled workers in Australia to address labour shortages in regional areas
Labour Agreement stream: For applicants who are employer-sponsored through a labour agreement or regional immigration agreement

Project Advantages

Free to enter and exit in Australia
The English language requirement is not high
Visa holders can apply with eligible family members at the same time
No EOI score required
Fast processing

Application Requirements

Age requirements

Under the age of 45 at the time of application (Some occupations are exempted from the age requirement)

TSMIT requirements

Applicants must meet the TSMIT Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (currently AUD 70,000)

Occupational requirements

Must meet the requirements of the list of occupations and pass the vocational assessment, and labor contract category must have the skills to perform the nominated occupations (the vocational assessment used to apply for the 485 Graduate Work Visa does not meet the requirements. The assessment letter is valid for 3 years)
The applicant's occupation must be the nominated occupation, and full-time work in the designated occupation for at least 3 years

English language requirements

Employer-sponsored :IELTS of an average score of 6 points or equivalent English proficiency.
Labour agreement category:IELTS scores of 6 points are not required, but only the English ability that meets the job requirements.

Additional requirements for labour contract categories:

If you apply for this category, you need to meet the age, occupation and English requirements specified in the agreement

Application Process

Preliminary assessment of individual situation and tailor-made plans
Sign a contract
Australian Employers Applying for Employer Sponsorship Eligibility
Employers submit job nomination applications
Visa Application for Nominated Employees
Submit Visa Application
Approved