Two new regional provisional visas introduced

The Federal Government announced that two regional provisional visas will be introduced in November 2019 to assist regional areas in securing skilled workers to fill local skill shortages. While no detail has been provided at the time of writing, we are aware that both visas will lead to permanent residency assuming conditions associated with provisional visas are met.

Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Visa

The first regional visa is an employer sponsored visa; the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Visa which will be for individuals who have an offer of employment in regional Australia.

Skilled Work (Provisional) Visa

The second visa is the Skilled Work (Provisional) visa. This will be for individuals who are nominated by a State/Territory Government or are sponsored by a family member to live and work in regional Australia.

Both options will require the visa holder to live and work in regional Australia for at least three years. This will then provide a pathway to transition to a permanent visa for eligible applicants.

Currently there are 678 occupations eligible for Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (187 visa) permanent visa. The Government has confirmed that the Skilled Employer Sponsored Visa will have 700 occupations available to be sponsored. It is anticipated that some lower skilled occupations will also be included on this list. The Skilled Work Regional Visa will have around 500 eligible occupations. To date, the occupation lists have not been released.

Upon visa grant, an individual holding one of these new provisional visas will be able to remain in Australia for up to five years. The permanent pathway from the provisional visas will be available from 2022. This visa will provide further incentives for migrants to bring their skills and experience to regional Australia.

Want to apply for the new regional provisional visas?

If you are considering immigrating to Australia, contact our team of Registered Migration Agents to discuss your visa application process and how we can assist you. Our team have assisted thousands of people migrate to Australia through a wide range of skilled visas for skilled workers.