SUBCLASS 491 FAMILY SPONSORED SKILLED REGIONAL VISA

Where are your relatives in Australia? Do you have some unknown relatives that are already in Australia? Or are they just around the corner and  --  waiting for you to ask them to help you? Subclass 491 visa allows the eligible skilled workers and their families to live, work, and study in the designated areas of Australia for 5 years. This visa has a pathway to Permanent Residency after three years. You are eligible to apply for this visa if you have a relative in regional Australia who is willing to sponsor you.  You also get 15 points from your relative sponsorship.

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The Good Sides of SC 491:

1. Subclass 491 visa allows the eligible skilled workers and their families to live, work, and study in the designated areas of Australia for 5 years.
2. This visa has a pathway to Permanent Residency after three years
3. Designated areas are expanded
4. Allocates points to improve the prospect of success to skilled migration.

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BONUS:

• Medicare-eligible once granted; other bridging visa holders get Medicare
• Free International Fee for the education of children in some states.
• Full work rights in any occupation.  

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DOWNSIDES: More conditions than other skilled point tested visa:

• Condition 8578 – notify the immigration within 14 days of any changes in address, contact details, passport details, address & location of the employer
• Condition 8579 – visa holder must live, work, and study in the regional area whilst holding the visa.
  However, the visa holder is allowed to live in any state territory provided that the location is classified as a designated regional area.  
• Visa holders are not allowed to apply for PR skilled visa 189 and 190, business visa (as3, 132 and 188), and Subclass 80 partner visa unless held and meet the conditions of the visa for three years.

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6 STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL SC491 FAMILY-SPONSORED VISA

1. Find out if you meet the requirements set by the Department of Home AffairsThe list of eligible occupation https://www.legislation.gov.au/Detail... The invitation points in the description so you have an idea of what scores are invited https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas...
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2. Check whether your relative can sponsor you, whether your relative is usually resident in a designated area and able and willing to sponsor you. For designated areas https://www.legislation.gov.au/Detail...‍
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3. Check and decide who among your relatives can sponsor. An eligible relative can be:
   ✅a parent
   ✅a child or step-child
   ✅a brother, sister, adoptive brother, adoptive sister, step-brother, or step-sister
   ✅an aunt, uncle, adoptive aunt, adoptive uncle, step-aunt, or step-uncle
   ✅a nephew, niece, adoptive nephew, adoptive niece, step-nephew, or step-niece
   ✅a grandparent, or
   ✅a first cousin If need a copy of the form for sponsorship – comment your e-mail below and we will add you to our mailing list and send it to you
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4.  Lodge an EOI (Expression of Interest) in the Skillselect. In the Skillselect  If your EOI meets the selection criteria of Skillselect, you will receive an invitation.  In the invitation – you will see the points that you are being invited.
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5. Respond to the invitation of the Skillselect to lodge a visa application. Once the visa application has been lodged and paid, you will then need to wait for the Visa Outcome.
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6. Wait for the visa outcome

My Tips?

1. If after knowing the requirements of Subclass 491- Family-Sponsored Visa - you still think that there are issues surrounding your skills and family sponsorship  - seek the help of a registered migration agent or lawyer to find out if there are other migration options for you.  
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2. If you are granted this visa - comply with all the visa conditions – because non-compliance with any of those will negatively impact your eligibility to apply for the permanent stage Subclass 191
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3. My last and final tip – REMEMBER  this quote  “ Blood makes you related, but loyalty makes you a family’? In this visa, you need to find both, once you found it – embrace it, don’t lose it. If you need to work it out – work it out!