To all our kababayans who have family members or friends who would want to migrate to designated regional areas of Victoria, the State of Victoria on 18 November 2019, opened nomination applications for the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) which allows Points-tested skilled workers and their families to live, study and work in designated regional areas of Victoria for a period of five years.
What is the subclass 491 visa?
The Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) is a provisional Points-tested visa for people who wish to settle in regional Victoria who have an occupation that is in high demand in Australia’s labour market. You can only apply for this visa if you are nominated by the Victorian State Government.
What are the eligibility requirements for State Nomination?
• You must be below 45 years old
• You must have a least Competent level of English (or equivalent)
• Your occupation must be listed on the Commonwealth’s skilled occupation list
• You must show you have a certain amount of financial resources depending on if you are onshore or offshore and how many family members are included. This is to ensure you can support yourself and family on arrival in Victoria
• You need to provide a current Offer of Employment in a position located in a designated regional area of Victoria. The employment offer must be in your nominated occupation and must be for full-time work for a period of at least 12 months.
• You and your dependents must demonstrate that you are committed to living, working and/or studying in a designated regional area for the length of the visa period.
• You must provide a valid skills assessment in your nominated occupation
How to apply for State Nomination?
Step 1: Lodge your Expression of Interest (EOI) with the Department of Home Affairs through SkillSelect
Step 2: Documents required
- Passports and Birth Certificates of all applicants
- a detailed resume or CV
- a Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) Declaration Form
- a skills assessment
- English language test results or if exempt, a copy of your passport bio page
- an offer of employment located in a designated regional area of Victoria (including documentation/evidence of a genuine job offer)
Step 3: Lodge your nomination application through the “Live in Melbourne” website
Step 4: Lodge your visa application online through your Department of Home Affairs immi account
Step 5: Notify the Victorian State Government of the visa outcome
The average processing time for the Victorian Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491) visa is about 12 weeks. Currently, no application fees are charged for this application.
