The 491 Skilled Regional Sponsored Visa has replaced Subclass 489 Skilled Regional Sponsored Visa in November 2019. It is a 5 years temporary visa that leads to a Permanent Resident visa Subclass 191 (Skilled Regional) Visa.
Why Australian government has introduced 491 Visa
As most of the migrants prefer to live in big cities like Melbourne and Sydney. Both these cities have experienced extraordinary population growth in the past few years. Both Sydney and Melbourne were not ready for such exponential growth. Along with the economic growth, both these regions experienced the following issues:
- Long traffic jams during peak hours have increased the travelling time of an average Australian.
- Skyrocketing property prices due to the high demand for property in the suburbs which are closer to the CBD. Due to the rise in property prices, an average Australian could not afford a house or even an apartment within 50 km of CBD in Melbourne CBD and about 100 km in Sydney.
- Pressure on the healthcare system, schools and other govt’ services.
- Problems with Law and order.
Due to all the above issues the Australian govt. decided to introduce such a visa which can help in easing the pressure on these big cities and encourage the new migrants to move and live in the regional areas rather than in Melbourne and Sydney.
491 Visa Benefits
- Priority processing for 491 visa applications.
- Pathway to Permanent Resident Visa subclass 191
- 5 years Visa which gives enough time to the applicant to qualify for the Permanent Residence Visa Subclass 191.
- 15 additional points for State or territory government agency or an eligible relative.
- Minimum qualifying points 65 only in contrast to other Permanent Visas like 190 or 189 visa in which the minimum qualifying points may be as high as 90 or even 100 for some occupations.
- Eligibility to get Medicare straightaway after the grant of the visa.
Conditions to be fulfilled to get 491 Permanent Resident Visa
In order to qualify for Permanent Residency, the applicant has to live and work for a period of three years in five years in a designated area and must have a taxable income of AUD53900 per for all three years. However, the applicant can work in any occupation and does not have to be his nominated occupation. Once the applicant fulfils this requirement then the applicant is eligible to apply for a Permanent Residency Visa i.e., subclass 191 Permanent Resident Visa.
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Australian migration law is complex and ever-changing. We handle simple to complex visa applications every day. Talk to Registered Migration Agent to get honest and straightforward advice on any migration matter.
