The eligibility criteria for the Skilled Work Regional Visa (Subclass 491) has been widened by Victoria, allowing individuals residing in metropolitan regions to be included.
Residents and/or employees situated in metropolitan Melbourne who are already in Australia can now apply for nomination to obtain the Skilled Work Regional Visa Subclass 491.
“The new expanded eligibility criteria opens Victoria’s subclass 491 visa program to skilled migrants living anywhere in Victoria, including previously ineligible metropolitan Melbourne residence who wish to relocate to work and live in a designate regional area of Victoria,” said Victorian government in a statement.
According to Chaman Preet, a migration expert, this is a positive development.
“Victoria is very attractive to a lot of applicants however living and working in regional condition to obtain nomination made it difficult for a lot of applicants to be able to apply for this particular visa. This move has made this option reachable for a lot of applicants now,” said Chaman Preet, Director of Melbourne-based Migration and Education Experts.
According to the Victorian officials Subclass 491 visa holders must live work and study in a regional area of Victoria for at least 3 years before they can apply for their subclass 191 visa, which provides permanent residency. This means you the visa holders need to move to a designated regional area of Victoria or secure a job that provides them with regional employment.
If the applicants have a Registration of Interest (ROI) for a subclass 190 and have not been selected, they can submit a new ROI for a subclass 491 after withdrawing the existing subclass 190 ROI.
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To be eligible to apply for Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) nomination, you must:
- be committed to living in regional Victoria,
- have had your Registration of Interest (ROI) selected,
- be under 45 years of age,
- have Competent English,
- have a valid skills assessment in an occupation on the eligible skilled occupation list for this visa,
- if you are onshore, you must be living in Victoria at the time of nomination. Please note, that if you are onshore and living in Melbourne, you may need to relocate to a designated regional area of Victoria after you are nominated. Some outer suburbs of Melbourne are included in the regional zones by the Department of Home Affairs.
- be committed to living in regional Victoria,
- have achieved at least 65 points on the Australian Government’s points test for your Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect.