Know more about the Subclass 491 Regional Visa of Australia

The new Subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional Visa) of Australia will come into effect from 16^th November 2019. However, the legislation for the same has been now made available. This will definitely allow Australia aspirants to plan towards the end of the year.

The Australian Govt. plans to redefine what a “regional area” in Australia means. This definition will be applicable to all visa subclasses including studies in regional areas of Australia.

Regional areas in Australia will comprise of all areas outside the metropolitan areas of:

• Sydney
• Melbourne
• Brisbane
• Perth
• Gold Coast

Postcodes of the “regional areas”, however, have not been released as yet.

Most of the requirements of the Subclass 491 visa will be similar to the Subclass 489 Visa. However, once the Subclass 491 comes into force, the Subclass 489 will cease to exist.

Some of the requirements for a Subclass 491 visa are:

1. The applicant should have been nominated by a state or territory in Australia

Or,

The applicant should have been sponsored by a family member who lives in a designated area in Australia

2. Applicant should have received an Invitation to Apply
3. Applicants should be less than 45 years old
4. Applicants should demonstrate competent English
5. Applicants should meet the points required

Here are the changes that are applicable to the points system for Skilled visas from 16^th November 2019:

1. An applicant gets an extra 5 points if they have a spouse or common-law partner with competent English
2. Applicants who do not have a spouse or common-law partner also get an additional 10 points
3. Applicants whose spouse or common-law partner fulfils the “Skilled” requirements will get an extra 10 points. Currently, only 5 points are awarded for the same.
4. Specialist education in STEM courses from Australia will earn applicants an extra 10 points
5. The points for designated are nomination or sponsorship will increase from 5 to 10

The Subclass 491 visa will have a validity of 5 years, as per SBS News. However, there will be strict conditions for compliance to ensure that the primary applicant and his dependents live, work and study in designated regional areas only.

After completing 3 years of stay on the Subclass 491 Visa, one can apply for the Subclass 191 (PR (Skilled Regional) Visa). To be eligible for the Subclass 191 visa, you must have complied with all the conditions of the Subclass 491 visa. You should also be able to provide evidence of 3 years of tax assessment notices. Also, your taxable income should be above a certain level which is yet to be announced.

Y-Axis offers a wide range of visa services and products for aspiring overseas immigrants including General skilled migration – Subclass 189 /190/489 with RMA review, General skilled migration – Subclass 189 /190/489, Work Visa for Australia, and Business Visa for Australia. We work with Registered Migration Agents in Australia.

If you are looking to Visit, Study, Work, Invest or Migrate to Australia, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Consultant.

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