Skilled Migration / Australia / Route
Australia · Skilled migration route
Live, work, and gain PR in regional Australia through a points-tested, state or family-sponsored visa.
Last updated: 2026-10-01
Programme overviewنظرة عامة
Advising UAE residents on Australian immigration from our Dubai office.
Overview
The Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa – Subclass 491 is an Australia skilled migration program offering a pathway to permanent residency for qualified professionals.
It allows skilled workers to live, work, and study in designated regional areas, supporting Australia’s regional workforce needs through state nomination or family sponsorship.
The visa promotes long-term settlement and provides a clear route to permanent residency via Subclass 191.
Why Choose Subclass 491
- Regional nomination or family sponsorship for five-year stay
- Pathway to permanent residency via Subclass 191
- Priority for skills in demand across regional Australia
- Include eligible family members in one application
- Work, study, and live in designated regional areas
- Incentives for long-term settlement and citizenship
Visa application charge
The Home Affairs visa application charge for the primary applicant is AUD 6,140 (as displayed on 29 September 2026). Additional charges apply for each family member included in the application.
Subclass 489 closed to new applications on 16 November 2019 and was replaced by the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa, subclass 491. The notes below describe the 489 as it operated.
Subclass 489 -Skilled Regional (Provisional) Visa Program
Skilled Regional (Provisional) Visa program or Subclass 489 has been designed for all those foreign skilled professionals who would want to explore the waters in sub-urban Australia. This program requires that the applicant’s profile is part of the Skill Select portal and the applicant if successful would be awarded Permanent Residency in Australia. Such Sub-urban areas will have cleaner air and lesser population. You need to submit your Expression of Interest into this portal.
From this pool of profiles in Skill select, based on the requirement in a particular sub-urban area, your profile would be selected for nomination for Australian PR.
Things apart you need to provide documents for
- Proving your work experience
- Education and skills evaluation
- Age
- Relationship certificates as need be
- Medical certificates
- Certificate from local police authorities to prove your pure background with zero crime
However, the biggest requirement would be that your job profile should be part of the current list of job openings in rural Australia.
Additional Notes
When your profile gets nomination from a particular region, and you choose to go with that nomination, you will be bound by an agreement that you will live and work in that province for a minimum recommended period.
It is important to cater to this rule, as this program was specially designed to fill in vacancies in sub-urban Australia.
The successful applicant becomes a qualified sponsor to invite qualified relatives/friends to Australia
On migrating, the applicant would get access to all the provisions and benefits a citizen of Australia enjoys in fields like education, health care and residential utilities.
XIPHIAS Immigration, DMCC is registered with MARA. We help our clients, right from application stage to documentation stage till the stage of settling down in Australia.
What XIPHIAS Immigration will do for you
- Profile assessment
- Submission of application and documents
- Application preparation
- Guidance about the applications and documents required
- Language proficiency tests
- Help till the point of getting your PR Visa
- Post landing counseling
- Post landing Job search assistance
Talk to an Australia immigration consultant in Dubai
XIPHIAS Immigration has advised families on Australian permanent residency since 2009, and our Dubai team works with UAE residents applying from the Emirates. We were named Best Immigration Consultant by The Times of India in 2022.
If you want a straight answer on whether this route suits your profile, our immigration consultants in Dubai will give you one — including when the answer is no.
Sources
- Home Affairs — Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)
- Home Affairs — points table (189 / 190 / 491)
- Home Affairs — skilled occupation lists
- Home Affairs — SkillSelect invitation rounds
- Home Affairs — regional visas
All figures verified against Home Affairs on 29 September 2026. Visa application charges are the amounts Home Affairs displayed on that date.
What you getالمزايا
Live, work, and study in designated regional areas for up to 5 years.
Earn 15 extra points through nomination or sponsorship.
Pathway to permanent residency through Subclass 191 after 3 years.
Include spouse and dependent children.
Access Medicare and education benefits after arrival.
Investment & costsالتكاليف
Qualifying investment
Visa application charge (primary applicant)
Home Affairs VAC as displayed on 29 September 2026. Additional applicant charges apply.
Government & due-diligence fees
Figures are indicative and exclusive of professional fees. Your advisor confirms an exact, written cost breakdown for your family size.
Eligibilityالأهلية
Requirements
Be under 45 years old at the time of invitation.
Hold a positive skills assessment in an eligible occupation.
Score at least 65 points including 15-point nomination bonus.
Be nominated by a state/territory or sponsored by an eligible relative in a regional area.
Demonstrate Competent English and meet health and character standards.
Who cannot apply
Failing to meet regional nomination or family sponsorship criteria.
Not achieving 65 points (including bonus).
Incorrect or incomplete skills assessment.
Language requirementاللغة
Minimum level
Competent English (IELTS 6.0 each band or equivalent)
Accepted tests
Points systemالنقاط
Minimum score to receive an invitation: 65 points
| Category | Max pts |
|---|---|
| Age | 30 |
| English language | 20 |
| Skilled employment (overseas/Australia) | 20 |
| Qualifications | 20 |
| Nomination or sponsorship | 15 |
| Other factors (Aust. study, partner, CCL, regional study) | 25 |
| Total | 130 |
Eligible occupationsالمهن
Common eligible occupations (examples)
- ✦Software Engineer (ANZSCO 261313)
- ✦Civil Engineer (ANZSCO 233512)
- ✦Registered Nurse (Medical) (ANZSCO 254412)
- ✦Psychologist (ANZSCO 272499)
The processكيف نعمل
Skills Assessment
Obtain a positive skills assessment in your occupation.
English Test
Meet minimum Competent English through IELTS/PTE/OET.
Expression of Interest (SkillSelect)
Submit EOI and indicate Subclass 491 with state or family sponsorship preference.
Nomination/Sponsorship
Secure state nomination or eligible family sponsorship.
Visa Application
Apply for Subclass 491 within 60 days of invitation.
Residence & PR Pathway
Live and work in a regional area for 3 years; later apply for Subclass 191 permanent residency.
Document checklistالوثائق
Identity & Civil
- ✦Passport and national ID
- ✦Birth/marriage certificates or name-change records
Skills & Education
- ✦Positive skills assessment from assessing authority
- ✦Academic transcripts and degrees
Employment
- ✦Employment references and contracts
- ✦Payslips, tax records or employer statements
English & Tests
- ✦IELTS/PTE results showing Competent English
Health & Character
- ✦Medical examination from panel doctor
- ✦Police certificates from countries lived in (12+ months)
Your XIPHIAS advisor prepares a personalised document list at onboarding. The checklist above is indicative and may vary by family size.
Family scopeالأسرة
All eligible dependants can be included in one application or added after approval.
Age limits, dependency definitions, and addition fees vary by jurisdiction. Your advisor confirms exact rules at onboarding.
Risk notes
This is a provisional visa, not permanent residency. It lasts 5 years, and you can apply for the subclass 191 permanent visa after holding it for 3 years.
State and territory nominated 491 invitations come from the states, not from departmental SkillSelect rounds. Only the Family Sponsored pathway is invited in departmental rounds.
In the last departmental round that included 491 Family Sponsored (13 November 2025), 300 invitations were issued with minimum scores from 65 to 95. None were issued in the 4 June 2026 round.
You must live and work in a designated regional area. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane do not count.
Compliance
Home Affairs published service standards: State or Territory Nominated stream 5 months for 50% of applications and 18 months for 90%; Family Sponsored stream 4 months and 7 months. The headline timeline on this page is XIPHIAS's own observed average from our case files.
Nomination by a state or territory, or sponsorship by an eligible relative, adds 15 points. You still need 65 points in total including those 15.
Occupation lists: the State or Territory Nominated pathway draws on MLTSSL and STSOL; the Family Sponsored pathway on MLTSSL only. Both lists were last re-issued effective 28 March 2026.
Applications are processed in the order set by Ministerial Direction No. 122. Queue positions: March 2025 for priority sectors, February 2025 otherwise.
You must be under 45 at the time of invitation, and hold at least Competent English.
Questionsأسئلة شائعة
This route, answered.
It is valid for 5 years and provides a pathway to PR through Subclass 191 after 3 years of regional residence.
Start the Australia route.
A senior advisor will confirm the exact costs, timeline and documents for your case — privately, and entirely off the record.