The 494 visa lets a regional employer sponsor you to live and work in regional Australia for 5 years, with a pathway to PR. Brisbane migration agents. Call BYD Education & Immigration Consultants.
The Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa, subclass 494, lets an approved employer in regional Australia sponsor a skilled worker to live and work there for up to five years. It’s a provisional visa, which means it isn’t permanent on day one, but it’s built as a pathway to permanent residency through the subclass 191 once you’ve met the requirements. If a regional business wants you and your occupation fits, this is one of the strongest routes to settling in Australia long term.
Our registered migration agents in Brisbane work on employer-sponsored cases regularly, and the 494 has a lot of moving parts on both sides. Here’s how it works and where we fit in.
The 494 sits in the group of employer sponsored visas, alongside the 482 and the 186. What makes the 494 different is that the job has to be in a designated regional area, and almost all of Australia counts as regional for this visa except the biggest cities. It’s a three-part process: the employer nominates a position, you apply for the visa, and the occupation has to be one that’s approved for the regional stream.
Once granted, the 494 lets you and your family live in regional Australia, work full time for your sponsoring employer in the nominated role, and study. You’re expected to live and work in the regional area named in your visa.
The 494 has two streams: an employer sponsored stream and a labour agreement stream. For the standard employer sponsored stream, you generally need to:
Be nominated by an approved regional employer for a position on the relevant skilled occupation list.
Have a positive skills assessment in your nominated occupation.
Have at least a few years of relevant skilled work experience.
Be under the age limit that applies to the visa, unless an exemption applies.
Meet the required level of English.
Meet health and character requirements.
The exact occupation lists, the experience needed, and the age cut-off do move around, so we check your situation against the current rules before anyone commits time or money to it.
A 494 isn’t only about you. The sponsoring business has to be approved, the nominated position has to be genuine and needed, and the pay and conditions have to meet the standards the department sets. Plenty of good applications stall because the employer’s paperwork isn’t right. We work with the sponsor and the applicant together, so both halves of the case line up.
This is the part most people care about. After you’ve held the 494 and met the conditions, including living in regional Australia for the required period and earning above the income threshold for the required time, you can apply for the PR Skilled Regional visa (191). That’s your permanent residency. The 494 to 191 route rewards people who genuinely settle in a regional community, so planning the timeline from the start is worth doing.
Both are five-year regional provisional visas that lead to the 191, but they get you there differently. The 491 is points-tested and needs a state nomination or an eligible relative, with no employer required. The 494 needs a regional employer to sponsor you into a specific job. If you already have an employer who wants you, the 494 can be the more direct path. If you don’t, the 491 might suit better. We’ll help you work out which one actually fits your situation.
We assess whether your occupation, skills and experience fit the 494 before you start.
We prepare and manage the employer’s nomination as well as your visa application.
We guide your skills assessment so it’s right the first time.
We map your 494 to 191 timeline so permanent residency stays on track.
We deal with requests from the department and keep both you and your sponsor updated.
The 494 is a provisional visa granted for up to five years. During that time you’re expected to live and work in the regional area, and it’s designed as a stepping stone to the permanent 191 visa.
Yes. After you’ve held the 494 and met the conditions, including living in a regional area and earning above the required income level for the set period, you can apply for the subclass 191 permanent visa. We’ll map the timeline with you.
Yes. The 494 employer sponsored stream is built around a regional employer nominating you for a genuine position. If you don’t have a sponsor, a points-tested option like the 491 may suit you better.
Almost all of Australia is treated as regional for this visa, except the largest cities. Regional includes plenty of sizeable, liveable centres, so the choice is wider than people expect. We’ll confirm whether a specific location qualifies.
Yes. You can usually include your partner and dependent children in the application. They can generally live, work and study in Australia while the visa is valid, and we’ll make sure they’re added correctly.
In most cases, yes. You generally need a positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority for your nominated occupation. This step catches people out often, so getting it right early saves months.
The 494 requires competent English in most cases, usually shown through an approved language test. The exact score depends on the rules that apply to your application, and we’ll confirm the current requirement for you.
The 494 ties you to your nominated employer and role. Changing jobs is possible in some situations but has to be handled properly, including a fresh nomination. Talk to us before making any move so you don’t put your visa or your 191 pathway at risk.
Government charges and processing times change, and they depend on your circumstances and the employer’s, so we won’t quote a figure that could be out of date. We’ll give you the current fee and a realistic timeframe for your case at your consultation.
