Home   Australia Immigration   General Skilled migration   Skilled Regional Sponsored

This visa is a three (3) year provisional visa for skilled workers who are unable to meet the criteria for a Skilled - Independent visa. You will have the opportunity to apply for permanent residency after you have lived for two (2) years and worked at least 12 months in a Specified Regional Area of Australia.

This visa requires you to be either:

• nominated by a participating State or Territory government agency
  or
• sponsored by an eligible relative living in a designated area of Australia.

This visa uses a points test to select visa applicants with characteristics needed in the Australian labour market.

Who is this visa for?

This visa is for you if you are:

• outside Australia
  or
• a New Zealand citizen who holds a Special Category visa (subclass 444)

You must:

• be under 45 years of age
• have good English language skills
• have the skills and qualifications that meet the Australian standard for an occupation on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL)

The SOL is a list of skilled occupations that are in need in Australia. Each occupation listed on the SOL is allocated a points value for use in the visa assessment process.

What does this visa let me do?

This visa:

• allows you to remain in Australia for up to three (3) years and requires you to live and work in a Specified Regional Area in Australia
• allows accompanying secondary applicants to work and study, but only in a Specified Regional Area of Australia
• provides a pathway to permanent residence.

This visa allows you to live and work or study in a Specified Regional Area in Australia for up to three (3) years.

Specified regional areas

If you apply for a Skilled – Regional Sponsored visa, you and any secondary applicants included in your application must agree to live and work or study in a Specified Regional Area in Australia.

The definition of Specified Regional Area depends on whether you are being sponsored by an eligible relative or nominated by a state or territory government.

State or territory nomination

If you are being nominated by a participating state or territory government, you must agree to live in regional Australia or a low population growth metropolitan area.

If you wish to move to another regional area to live and work, you must notify both your current and new state or territory government of this change.

Eligible relative sponsorship

If you are being sponsored by an eligible relative, your sponsor must be usually a resident in a designated area of Australia at the time of the sponsorship. You must also agree to live in a designated area of Australia.

This is a 'provisional' visa. After you have lived in a Specified Regional Area in Australia for at least two (2) years, and worked full time for periods totalling at least one (1) year, you can apply for permanent residence.

Social security

In general, as a temporary visa holder you will not qualify for Australian social security payments. You will only be eligible for limited JobSearch assistance to find employment after your arrival. It is very important that you understand that you should have enough money to support yourself (and your dependants) until you are able to gain employment.

Medicare

Generally temporary visa holders do not have access to Medicare. Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) visa holders from countries with which Australia has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement will have restricted access to Medicare. People without access to Medicare are responsible for all health costs incurred in Australia. For this reason, it is highly recommended that you arrange suitable private health insurance. You may be able to lodge your application for private health insurance before you arrive in Australia. However, you should also be aware that health funds impose a waiting period before a contributor is eligible for some health fund benefits and pre–existng health conditions may not be covered.

Sponsorship or nomination

To be eligible for this visa you must be either:

• nominated by a participating State or Territory government
  or
• sponsored by an eligible relative living in a designated area of Australia.
  
  
• Points test

This visa has a points test designed to select visa applicants who have characteristics that will help them find a full time job in an occupation that matches their skills and is required in Australia.

For most General Skilled Migration visas, your application will be assessed against a points test. You can claim points under a range of different factors. The maximum points that can be claimed in any one factor reflects how valuable those characteristics are in the Australian labour market or in assisting settlement.

What is the pass mark?

The pass mark is the total points you need to score to be eligible for a points–tested General Skilled Migration visa.

What happens if you don't meet the pass mark?

If you have applied for a Skilled – Independent  visa or a Skilled – Sponsored  visa and you score below the pass mark, but above the 'pool mark', your application will be held 'in the pool' for up to two years after assessment.

If the pass mark is lowered at any time in that two year period, and your score is equal to or higher than the new pass mark, your application will be processed further.

Rather than waiting in the pool, you could consider the following visa options if you do not meet the pass mark:

1. If you score 100 points you may be eligible for a Skilled – Sponsor visa or a Skilled – Regional Sponsored.
   
   
2. If you meet the pool mark for the Skilled – Independent visa, you can still lodge and register for the Skill Matching Database. More information on Skill Matching is available.
   
   

What are the current pass and pool marks?

The table below lists all the current pass and pool marks for the points–tested visas in the General Skilled Migration category.

How often do the pass and pool marks change?

Changes to the pass and pool marks occur to address Australian labour market needs.

Eligibility

These pages provide information about the eligibility requirements that must be met for a visa application.

• Main applicant
• Secondary applicants
• Adding family members to your subclass 475 visa

Main applicant eligibility

Basic eligibility requirements

Select the links in the table to read each of the basic eligibility requirements. Use the second column as a checklist to tick each basic eligibility requirement you can meet.

Points test

The points test pass mark for this visa is 100 points. If you score less than 100 points, your application will be refused.

Secondary applicant eligibility

You may include the following secondary applicants in your visa application:

• partner
• a dependent child of you or your partner
• a dependent relative of you or your partner.
• Secondary applicants must meet all of the following requirements:

• Location
• English language ability
• Health
• Character
• Australian Values Statement

Adding family members to your subclass 475 visa

If you currently hold a Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) visa (subclass 475), you may add the following secondary applicants after your visa has been granted:

• your partner
• a dependent child of you or your partner
• a dependent relative of you or your partner.

They must apply using the paper Form 1276. 

There is currently no online facility for adding family members after a visa has been granted.

You will need to provide evidence of your relationship to your family members.

Your family members must also meet the following requirements.

• Health
• Character
• Australian Values Statement
• English language

•  
• Your family members may be in or outside Australia at the time they apply to be added to your subclass 475 visa and in or outside Australia when their visa is granted.
• If your family members are in Australia when they apply for the subclass 487 visa as subsequent applicants, they will be granted a Bridging visa until their application is decided.
• If your family members have condition 8503 on their visa, it means they cannot apply for another visa or ask for their visa to be extended while they are in Australia. When they depart Australia, condition 8503 will not prevent them from applying for other visas.
• Your family members may apply for a waiver of condition 8503 under certain conditions where compelling and compassionate circumstances have developed. If they are granted a waiver, they will be able to apply for this visa in Australia.

·         Bridging Visas

·         Condition 8503 – ‘No Further Stay’

This visa requires you to be sponsored by an eligible relative living in Australia or nominated by a participating State or Territory government.

Sponsorship by a relative

You must be sponsored by an eligible relative living in a designated area of Australia if you do not have a nomination from a participating State or Territory government.

Who can be a sponsor?

To sponsor a skilled worker you must be at least 18 years of age and usually resident in Australia as one of the following:

• an Australian citizen
• an Australian permanent resident
• an Eligible New Zealand citizen.

You or your partner must be related to your sponsor as one of the following:

• a non-dependent child – including a stepchild
• a parent – including a step-parent
• a brother or sister – including a step-sibling
• a niece or nephew – including a step-niece or nephew
• an aunt or uncle – including a step-aunt or uncle
• a first cousin
• a grandchild.

Where can a sponsor be living?

To be a sponsor, you must provide evidence that, at the time the department receives your sponsorship application, you are usually a resident in a designated area. Additionally, you must be able to demonstrate that you continue to live in a designated area until a decision is made on the visa application.

As a general guide, Australia's designated areas include:

• ACT
• South Australia
• Northern Territory
• Tasmania
• Victoria
• Queensland – except Brisbane
• New South Wales – except Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong
• Western Australia – except Perth.

Or

Nomination by State/Territory government

State and Territory governments who may offer nomination are:

• Tasmania
• Victoria
• Western Australia
• New South Wales
• Queensland
• Northern Territory
• South Australia

Nomination from a State or Territory government does not automatically result in the grant of a visa. Your application must also be assessed by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship against a number of visa-specific requirements. You will only be granted a visa if all requirements are met.

Obligations

If you are being sponsored by an eligible relative living in a designated area of Australia, there are also obligations that must be met by your sponsor.

• Main applicant and secondary applicants
• Eligible relative sponsor

Main applicant and secondary applicant obligations

You and any accompanying secondary applicants must comply with all Australian laws as temporary residents.

Living in a Specified Regional Area of Australia

You and any accompanying secondary applicants, must agree to live and work or study in a Specified Regional Area of Australia.

Note: The main applicant can study while they hold this visa, however they are expected to be looking for, and engaging in, full time work. Any study should be incidental to full time work.

Meeting these conditions

If you do not comply with the conditions of your visa:

• your visa, and the visas of any accompanying secondary applicants, may be cancelled
• you will not be in a position to apply for another Skilled - Regional Sponsored (Provisional) visa
• you will not be in a position to apply for permanent residence.

Eligible relative sponsor obligations

An eligible relative sponsor is required to sign a sponsorship undertaking.

This is an agreement to provide:

• adequate accommodation and/or financial assistance as required to meet their relative's living needs during their first two (2) years in Australia
• other support, such as child care, to enable their relatives to attend English language classes
• information and advice (including information about employment in Australia) to help their relatives settle in Australia.

The two (2) year period starts from the date the applicant enters Australia as a holder of this visa.

Applying for this visa

Step 1 - Applicant is nominated or sponsored

Before you apply for this visa you must arrange to be either nominated by a participating State/Territory government or sponsored by an eligible relative.

Step 2 - Applicant lodges a visa application

When you have arranged a suitable State/Territory government nomination or eligible relative sponsorship, you can apply for a visa.