The 494 Visa allows skilled workers to be sponsored by an Australian employer in a regional area for up to five years.
494 Visa holders can:
Live and work in Australia for up to five years
Include immediate family on 494 visa
Transition to permanent residency (if eligible) via the 191 Regional Skilled Visa
Applying for a 494 Visa
The Subclass 494 visa opened to applications in November 2019. To be eligible, applicants must:
be under 45 years
have at least 3 years work experience
have a valid skill assessment
demonstrate competent English
meet the health and character requirements
More about the 494 Visa
Regional areas include everywhere except the metropolitan areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Perth. Provisional visa with option to transition to permanent residency after three years. Priority processing.
If you would like to apply for another employer sponsored visa, you may be eligible to apply for one of the below instead:
482 TSS Visa
186 Visa (ENS)
187 Visa (RSMS) DE CLOSED
YOU MAY BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR A 494 VISA
NOMINATION
You must be nominated by an Australian employer, who is a Standard Business Sponsor operating lawfully in Australia. You must be employed in a regional area and working under an eligible occupation. The nomination application must be lodged before your visa application.
AGE
You must be under 45 at the time of application unless you are exempt.
EXPERIENCE
You must have at least 3 years of full-time work experience, within the last 5 years, before applying for this visa.
SKILL ASSESSMENT
You must have a positive Skill Assessment in your nominated occupation from the relevant assessing authority unless you are exempt. Exemptions:
you hold a 457 Visa or 482 Visa and you were required to provide a suitable skills assessment for that application
nominated as an academic by an Australian university
you hold a NZ Subclass 444 or NZ Citizen Family Relationship visa (subclass 461) and have been working for your nominating employer for two years
ENGLISH
You must have at least Competent English to apply for this visa.
HEALTH & CHARACTER
You must meet the health and character requirements (unless you are exempt).
494 Visa Estimated Cost
This fee estimator will calculate your visa and nomination application charges. Professional fee not included.
Contact us for a personalised quote — the live calculator from the original PHP site has not been ported in this static rewrite.
Include your family
Applicants can include the following people in their 494 application:
Dependent children / step-children
Partner’s dependent child or children
Partner
Partners
the relationship is genuine and continuing
you live together, or do not live separately on a permanent basis
your partner is at least 18 years of age when the application is lodged (there are some exceptions)
you are not related by family (if you are in a de facto relationship)
you and your partner have a mutual commitment to a shared life to the exclusion of all others
Children
be your child or stepchild (in certain circumstances)
not be married, engaged or have a de facto partner
under 18, OR 18-22 and dependent on you/partner, OR over 23 and unable to earn a living due to limitations
English
Applicants over 18 must demonstrate functional English (or completed sufficient English-medium education).
Health & Character
All family members must meet the health and character requirements. All applicants over 16 must provide police clearances.
How long will it take to get a decision on your 494 visa?
Due to the low volume of applications, the Department does not currently provide estimates on processing times.
