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Skilled Regional Sponsored 475
The Skilled Regional Sponsored visa is designed for skilled individuals with good English language abilities to migrate and fill an occupation in need in designated areas in Australia. It requires the applicant to meet a pass mark of 100 in the skilled migration points test. It requires sponsorship by an Australian relative in a designated area or nomination by a state or territory government.
Duration and Conditions:
Results in the grant of a 3-year visa. You will face restrictions on where you can live, work and study as follows:
- Sponsorship by Relative in Designated Area: you must live, work, or study in a designated area. This need not be in the same state as your sponsor;
- State/Territory Government Sponsorship: If nominated by a state/territory government, you must live & work in certain regional or low population growth areas. You would be able to live and work anywhere in Australia except in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, NSW Central Coast, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Perth, Melbourne or ACT.
Once you have lived in Australia on your Skilled - Regional Sponsored visa for 2 years, you may be eligible for permanent residence through the skilled regional visa.
Criteria:
| Age: | The main applicant must be under 45 at the date of lodgement. |
| Occupation: | A positive skills assessment in a skilled occupation must be provided at lodgement for offshore applicants. International students need to show that they have lodged for their skills assessment at date of lodgement, and must also have applied for their Australian Federal Police and Health checks. |
| English: | The main applicant must have at least:
Evidence of English must be provided at date of lodgement unlike the previous skilled independent subclass 136. Family members aged 18 or over must show at least Functional English, otherwise they may need to pay the English Education Charge. |
| Recent Work Experience: | Unless you have studied in Australia for 2 years, you must show that you have worked in skilled employment for at least 12 of the last 24 months. |
| Points Test: | Main applicant must score at least 100 points in the skilled migration points test |
| Family Sponsorship: | You can be sponsored by the following family members, so long as they are an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible NZ Citizen::
Note that you can be sponsored by a relative of your spouse, defacto spouse or interdependent partner. Half- and step-relatives can sponsor your application.The sponsor must have lived in a designated area for the 12 months prior to lodgment of the application and still live in a designated area at the date of decision. . |
| State/ Territory Government Nomination: | Each Australian State & Territory produces a list of occupations in demand in the state or territory. The nomination process is similar to that of the old STNI subclass 137 visa. If you are nominated by a state or territory government, you will receive an additional 10 points. |
An Assurance of Support is not required for Skilled - Regional Sponsored applicants. If you are sponsored by a relative living in a designated area, you will receive 25 points in the skilled migration points test. State/Territory Government Nomination Each Australian State & Territory, apart from the ACT, produces a list of occupations in demand in the state or territory. The nomination process is similar to that of the old SIR subclass 495 visa. If you are sponsored by a state or territory government, you will receive an additional 10 points.
How do I apply?
All applications for general skilled migration must be lodged at the Adelaide Skilled Processing Centre in Australia. However, you must in general be outside Australia when the application is granted, and this means that you cannot obtain a bridging visa to allow you to remain in Australia during processing of the application.
