The Skilled Nominated Provisional visa, subclass 489 is for skilled workers aged under 45 and who are sponsored by a State or Territory Government for a visa under this subclass, or by a close family member who is living in a “Designated Area” of Australia.

A subclass 489 visa allows you to live and work in specified regional areas in Australia for four years.

The usual pathway to permanent residency is via a subclass 887 visa once the 489 visa holders have lived in a specified regional area of Australia for at least 2 years, and have worked there for 12 months.

Key requirements when considering the subclass 489 visa pathway are that you must:

• Have an occupation that appears on the Australian Department of Immigration’s Consolidated Sponsored Occupations List (the CSOL).
• Obtain a migration skills assessment from the independent assessing body in Australia that is given the authority by the Department of Immigration to assess your nominated occupation.
• Demonstrate a minimum level of English language competency. For those with certain passports (notably the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Canada, the US, or New Zealand) there is an assumption that English language is adequate, but for those without a passport from one of these countries an English language test will need to be attended and a satisfactory result achieved. It should be noted that a requirement to have English language competency is applied by certain migration skills assessment bodies as well as by the Department of Immigration to the visa application – and that the assessing body’s competency requirement can be higher than for the visa application.
• Secure at least 65 points (from the 1st of July, 2018) under the skilled visa points test. It should be noted that there are 10 points available for sponsorship under subclass 489.
• Lodge an Expression of Interest with the Department of Immigration in Australia. This is not a visa application, but – as its name implies – is an expression on the part of the intending migrant of a wish to migrate to Australia.
• Be sponsored by a State or Territory Government in Australia, or by a close family member who is living in a Designated Area of Australia. {link to http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/designated-areas.htm}
• Accept an invitation from the Department of Immigration to lodge a visa application, and lodge documentation to support the details provided in the Expression of Interest.

It should be noted that the Australian Department of Immigration issues invitations to individuals who have lodged Expressions of Interest based on:

• Points claimed in the EoI, and
• The date the EoI was lodged where points claimed are equal.

In addition, there is no guarantee that an Expression of Interest will progress to a visa invitation – though for State and Territory Sponsored visa applications the likelihood of an EoI not progressing to a visa invitation is very small.

Where points are overclaimed in an EoI – claims will be verified by a Department of Immigration case officer when the application progresses to an invitation and requested documents are provided – there is a significant risk of the application being refused with the loss of monies paid to the Department of Immigration in respect of their Visa Application Charges.

An issue which causes particular concern in this regard is the number of years claimed for skilled work experience.

Because of these risks many individuals who are applying for a visa under subclass 489 decide they should appoint an experienced firm of migration advisors.

GM Skilled – a division of Go Matilda Visas – is your ideal partner for guidance and advice on a skilled visa strategy.

We work with our clients on the basis of fixed fees, and a wish to have a long term relationship based on our expertise, trust and a quality service.

If you would like help with an Australian skilled visa application under subclass 489 please contact your nearest GM Skilled office or complete the form on this page for a no obligation free initial discussion.

We look forward to hearing from you.