An individual can apply for this visa only after they have been nominated by their employer in Australia. They must lodge their application within six months of the nomination being approved. They must apply for the visa in the stream in which their employer nominated them or their visa application could be refused.

This visa is a permanent residence visa for skilled workers who want to work in regional Australia. It allows them to work in Australia under one of three streams:

• The Temporary Residence Transition stream
• The Direct Entry stream
• The Agreement stream

Eligibility

An individual might be able to get this visa if they:

• Have been nominated by an approved Australian employer for a job in regional Australia (regional Australia does not include the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong or Melbourne) within six months before you apply
• Are younger than 50 years of age, unless they are exempt
• Meet the skills, qualifications and English language requirements, unless they are exempt
• Apply under the stream for which they were nominated.
• At the time of application lodgement, have the required skills and qualifications for the position they have been nominated for – they must hold any mandatory registration, license or professional membership, or they must already be fully assessed as suitable by the relevant body
• At the time of application lodgement, have appropriate English language skills for Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream and Direct Entry (DE) stream unless you are exempt
• Meet health and character requirements
• Meet the requirements of the stream in which they apply.

Age requirements

If the individual is older than 50 years of age, they can still apply for this visa if they:

• Are nominated as a senior academic by a university in Australia
• Are nominated as a scientist, researcher or technical (scientific) specialist at ANZSCO skill level one or two by an Australian government scientific agency
• Are a medical practitioner (ANZSCO Minor Group 253) who has been working in their nominated occupation as the holder of a Temporary Work (Skilled) (subclass 457) or Medical Practitioner (subclass 422) visa for at least four years immediately before applying, and the nominated position is located in regional Australia
• Are a medical practitioner who has been working in their nominated occupation as the holder of a Subclass 422 visa before becoming the holder of a Subclass 457 visa for at least two years of the four years immediately before applying, and the nominated position is in regional Australia
• Are applying through the Direct Entry stream and they hold a Subclass 444 (New Zealand citizen) or Subclass 461 (New Zealand citizen’s family member) visa and they have been working for the employer who nominated them for at least two years in the last three years immediately before applying
• Are applying through the Temporary Residence Transition stream, and they have been working for their nominating employer as the holder of a Subclass 457 visa for at least four years immediately before applying and that employer paid them at least as much as the Fair Work High Income Threshold in each of the four years.
• Are applying through the Agreement stream and the relevant labor agreement allows for a person who has turned 50 to be employed.

More information on these exemptions is in Classes of persons (Exempt from the Age Criteria).

English language requirements

• Achieving the minimum English language test score either for the Temporary Residence Transition stream or the Direct Entry stream they are applying for in a test that has been conducted within three years immediately before lodgement of their application
• Holding a valid passport issued by the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Ireland and evidence that you are a citizen of that country.

They might not need to show adequate English skills if they:

• Have nominated earnings at least equivalent to the current Australian Taxation Office top individual income tax (currently AUD 180,001), however, if they are not able to demonstrate that they have functional English, they will be required to pay the second installment of the visa application charge.
• Are applying through the Temporary Residence Transition stream and:
• Have completed at least five years of full-time study in a secondary or higher education institution
• All of the tuitions was delivered in English.

More information on these exemptions is in Classes of persons (Exempt from the English Criteria).

Including Family Members

The following people can be included in the individuals visa application at the time of lodgement:

• Their partner
• Their child/step-child or their partner’s child/step-child.

The application must include documentary evidence of their relationship.

Members of the family unit must be able to show that they meet health and character requirements.

Obligations

The individual and their family must comply with all visa conditions and Australian laws.

Their visa might get cancelled if they do not make a genuine effort to begin employment with their employer within six months of:

• Their first entry to Australia if they were granted this visa while they were outside of Australia; or
• The visa being granted while they were in Australia.

The visa might also be canceled if they begin employment but do not remain in the position for the full two years.

If this happens, they will have a chance to explain, in writing, why their visa should not be canceled.

In addition to the above-mentioned conditions, there are other factors and criteria to be taken into consideration.

For more information and eligibility requirement please Contact us or complete the Assessment Form and email us.