FREE AUSTRALIAN ELIGIBILITY ASSESSMENT
Please contact our London office on +442078312149 or info@applyworkvisas.com for consultation or an appointment
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:
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:
You must:
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:
This visa allows you to live and work or study in a Specified Regional Area in Australia for up to three (3) years.
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:
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:
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.
|
Category |
Pass mark |
Pool mark |
|
Skilled – Independent (Migrant) visa (subclass 175) |
120 |
100 |
|
Skilled – Sponsored (Migrant) visa (subclass 176) |
100 |
80 |
|
Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) visa (subclass 475) |
100 |
100 |
|
Skilled – Independent (Residence) visa (subclass 885) |
120 |
120 |
|
Skilled – Sponsored (Residence) visa (subclass 886) |
100 |
100 |
|
Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) visa (subclass 487) |
100 |
100 |
How often do the pass and pool marks change?
Changes to the pass and pool marks occur to address Australian labour market needs.
These pages provide information about the eligibility requirements that must be met for a visa application.
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.
You may include the following secondary applicants in your visa application:
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:
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.
· 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.
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:
You or your partner must be related to your sponsor as one of the following:
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:
Or
State and Territory governments who may offer nomination are:
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.
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.
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:
An eligible relative sponsor is required to sign a sponsorship undertaking.
This is an agreement to provide:
The two (2) year period starts from the date the applicant enters Australia as a holder of this visa.
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.
When you have arranged a suitable State/Territory government nomination or eligible relative sponsorship, you can apply for a visa.
Please contact our London office on +442078312149 or info@applyworkvisas.com for consultation or an appointment