New Regional Visas Set For November 2019 with Tightly Controlled Pathways to Permanent Residency

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The government is continuing its push for migrants to move to regional areas of Australia, many of which our Immigration Minister David Coleman claims are in dire need of “additional immigration to fulfill economic needs”.

 

After introducing DAMA as a further incentive for lower skilled migrants to be able to come to Australia, he is now looking to encourage skilled workers to also make the move, with a promise of new pathways to Permanent Residency.

The two new visas which will be introduced on November 16^th, 2019 will be set to replace two current visas, the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187) visa and the Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489).

 

As per the Department of Home Affairs, the new visas will be:

1. The Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 491): is for people who are nominated by a State or Territory government or sponsored by an eligible family member to live and work in regional Australia.
2. Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 494): is for people sponsored by an employer in regional Australia.

These visas will be granted for up to five years, and applicants will be eligible for Permanent Residency after three. Regional visas will also have the added advantages of larger occupation lists, priority processing of visas, extra points for Skills Assessments, and up to 23,000 total visa places available under planning levels.

Permanent Residency for these visas will commence from 16^th November 2022 under the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191). Immigration Minister David Coleman has made it very clear that applicants will have to prove that they have lived and committed to the regional area for the full three years. Bank statements, payment details and residential details will be thoroughly assessed before PR will be granted. “One of the key reasons that migrants want to come to Australia is the promise of permanent residency, and unless those people can prove that they’ve actually stayed in regional Australia, they won’t get permanent residency,” he has said.

Further details of the visa requirements are yet to be disclosed so watch this space….

 

If you are worried that you may not meet the requirements for a visa or there are changes which will affect you, book a consultation today or fill out the form below and we can help you to understand these changes and how they may affect your situation!