Subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Visa -(Regional)
This subclass 494 visas are an employer sponsored visa for regional areas only. This visa will replace the regional employer sponsored visa or subclass 187 visas. This visa is for temporary residents who are living and working in designated regional areas. To be eligible for this visa the applicant needs to be skilled in any occupation listed in the regional occupation list and must be sponsored by the employer in the regional area.
This visa was introduced in November 2019 and this visa allows 10,000 people every year according to the skills required in designated regional areas.
The subclass 494 is granted to the applicant who maintains the nominated occupation in the list, and they can live in Australia for 5 years and be eligible for a permanent residency after 3 years. When you have subclass 494 the dependents can also be included in your file, but they must be living in the regional area.
To qualify for the subclass 494 visa, the primary applicant needs to meet certain criteria.
- The primary applicant needs to be less than 45 years old.
- Have met minimum English test results.
- Have a skill that is listed on the regional occupation list.
- Must have a positive skill assessment listed in the skill list.
- The primary applicant should prove that a minimum of 3 years of experience in that skill list.
- Must have good character and health requirements.
Other requirements such as:
- ID proof such as 18+ or a valid passport
- Any name changes proof
- Proof of Australian educational qualifications
- References from past employers
- Birth certificate
- Proof of any Health insurance for you to live in Australia.
- Police clearance certificate
- If you are married, then you should have a proof of marriage.
If you meet the above requirements, you can start looking into employment options. If you are hired by the employer and willing to sponsor you, the business must apply for approval as a business sponsor by lodging a sponsorship application. To be eligible for sponsoring you, the business must meet certain criteria such as being a legal business, be financially strong and must be involved in training staff in the workplace.
The employer also needs to have a labour agreement in place with the government. If he does not have one, he must apply for one. The sponsor also needs to lodge an employer nomination on behalf of the primary applicant before lodging the visa. This employer nomination will adumbrate the occupation which is nominated and elaborate the terms and conditions of the employment. This also mentions the financial feasibility of the business. The employer should also prove how the position is available and justify the need for the business.
Note: The subclass 494 visa holder can move between the jobs and have a chance to find the new sponsor in 90 days. The applicant can also have access to Medicare. The only things the subclass 491 visa holder cannot do is, he cannot apply for any other skilled visa or subclass 820 which is a partner visa for the next 3 years.
If you are planning for a permanent residency then starting from the year 2022 November, the applicants are eligible to apply for subclass 191 which is skilled regional. To apply this visa the applicant needs to have held subclass 494 or subclass 491 visa at least for 3 years and have an income of $53,900 for the three consecutive years and also live and work in designated regional area.
To lodge the subclass 494 visa, it costs you $4,045 for the primary applicant and $2,025 for each dependent who is 18 and over and $1,010 for dependent under 18.
The processing time for the subclass 491 visa are assessed based, on the case and the processing times may vary for each applicant. How ever 75% of the applications can be processed in 78 days and 90% of the applications takes 5 months to be processed.
Contact Master migration & Education.
https://mastermigration.com.au/
to find how we can help you with the various visa requirements to study and migrate to Australia. Master migration holds years of experience and expertise in helping students to choose the right path for education and navigate their visa applications.
If you need help with your visa application, please enter your details below and one of our migration agents will call you back in your suitable time.