On 20 March 2019 the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs David Coleman MP announced the introduction of two new skilled regional provisional visas which will come into effect in November 2019.
These visas are the:
- Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (“SESR visa”). This visa is available to persons who are sponsored by an employer in regional Australia; and
- Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (“SWR visa”). This visa is available to persons who are nominated by a State or Territory government or sponsored by an eligible family member to live and work in regional Australia.
Persons who apply for either the SESR visa or the SWR visa will be required to live and work in a regional area of Australia for at least 3 years before they are eligible to apply for a permanent visa.
The definition of regional Australia will be simplified in November 2019 to include all of Australia except for the following metropolitan areas:
- Sydney;
- Melbourne;
- Brisbane;
- Gold Coast; and
- Perth
The benefits of applying for either of these visas are:
- Priority processing by the Department of Home Affairs;
- Greater incentive for regional employers to nominate skilled workers. This is ideal if you already work or own a business in a regional area of Australia;
- the validly period of the visa, once granted, is up to 5 years; and
- After 3 years (November 2022) visa holders are eligible to apply for a new permanent visa called the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa.
If you require further information or are interested in applying for this visa in the near future please contact Rothstein Lawyers. We can help to move your life forward.
