The 491 Visa the Regional Alternative
The introduction of the 491 Regional Skilled Visa in November 2019 has opened up opportunities to get to Australia for a lot of people with various occupations. The regions of Australia have for a long time been looking to attract Migrants outside of the main capital cities and into the regional areas.
About the 491 Visa
The 491 Regional sponsored Visa is a 5-year visa that will allow you to emigrate to Australia and live and work in designated areas for up to 5 years. After 3 years on the Visa, you would be able to apply for Permanent Residence. As the name suggests, the Regional Visa is for areas mainly outside of the bigger cities such as Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne.
Where can I Live
So, what is classed as a Regional Area? It is now any place in Australia that is in the Designated areas that have been set out for the 491 Visa. This in a fairly simplified sense is anything that is outside of Brisbane, Sydney, and parts of Newcastle and Wollongong and Melbourne. This then leaves quite a bit of scope for people to move into areas of Australia including the capital cities of Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra, and Perth. The new Designations have also seen popular areas such as the Gold Coast now being able to be accessed.
So how do I Get it
You need to be sponsored by a State or Territory Government or an eligible relative. The State and Territory Governments have requirements for people beyond there main cities (Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane mainly). If you have an occupation on the list then you can apply for the Visa and put in an application that is above the 65 points required. The greater your points score the more attractive that you will be to that State. To find out more about your Points score contact Australian Immigration lawyers such as Emigrate to Australia team at Taylor Hampton Solicitors and we can do an assessment for you.
If you have an eligible Relative in the State then you can apply for the Visa but you would be expected to be living and working in a regional area for at least 3 years. The Relative needs to be an Australian Permanent Resident or Citizen who is usually resident in regional Australia. They can be a Parent, Brother, Sister, Aunt, Uncle or Cousin, niece or nephew or Grandchild.
The Family-Sponsored Regional Migration Visa as it is called, allows you to live in the same area as your relative. The advantage of this type of visa is that you may be able to live in an area such as Perth that is not on the State-Sponsored list for your particular occupation. This can be a very big advantage for other family members looking to Emigrate to Australia to join their family members.
What are the Regional Areas like?
This is a question that in the mind of a potential person looking to emigrate to Australia may cause some worry. Are they going into a far-flung area with no services or the outback perhaps? For nearly all of the Regional places that are eligible this is certainly not the case. With places like the whole of Adelaide in South Australia and the related wine and coastal regions, The Gold Coast and Canberra as well as coastal areas in NSW and Queensland there are very desirable places within reach. Most other areas in the Regional mix offer a relaxed and friendly way of life with a lot more living life than just simply going through it.
Apart from this, the areas that are being put forward in the 491 Visa are also the areas where the work is, as the Regional Areas have been surveyed as to the Occupations that they need. This means that when you are looking for work after arriving you are already ahead in the job search as the region that you are in has been singled out for needing more of the very occupation that you are in.
What am I allowed to do?
The 491 Visa is most likely to mirror the previous Regional 489 Visa that it replaced in terms of restrictions placed on it.
You have unlimited work rights and can start your own business, work for who you want to in any occupation. Your Spouse or Partner would have work rights too. The main restriction on the 491 Visa is that you must live, study and work in the area that you have been sponsored into, by either the State or a relative.
In Summary
The 491 Visa offers a way to emigrate to Australia and start a life in an area that is in need of the skill that you have. It also offers opportunities of cheaper places to live, in a less crowded city or larger town or a smaller town that has a more peaceful lifestyle that you have been wanting.
Once you have been in Australia for 3 years and have met the Income requirement then you can apply for your Permanent Visa for Australia.
Contributed by https://www.emigrate-to-australia.co.uk/
