MARA Registered Migration Agents | MARN: 2518738, 2619480
The 494 visa lets an approved regional employer sponsor you for 5 years, with your family included and a permanent residence route through the subclass 191 after 3 years. A MARA-registered agent checks your stream, your work history and your employer's nomination before anything is lodged.
MARA-registered · MARN 2518738 · 7+ years in Australian migration
A 494 visa gives you 5 years of regional work and residence, and a clear route to permanent residence after 3 of them.
To live, work and study in regional Australia.
Before you can apply for the subclass 191 (PR).
Partner and dependent children in the same application.
Leave and return as often as you like while the visa is valid.
You must stay in a regional area and work for your sponsor in the job you were nominated for. For most people with a regional job offer, that is a fair price for a fixed PR timeline.
Not sure the 494 is the right visa for your job offer? A MARA-registered agent can compare it with your other options.
Your stream depends on how your employer is sponsoring you. Family members who were not in the first application use the third stream.
For skilled workers nominated by a regional employer who can't find a suitably skilled Australian worker.
You'll need:
For skilled workers whose regional employer has a labour agreement with the Australian Government, including DAMA agreements.
You'll need:
For partners and children joining a 494 visa holder who were not included in the original application.
You'll need:
Unsure which stream your employer should use? The stream is confirmed before the nomination is lodged.
Four players handle a 494 in a fixed order. The visa can't be granted until the nomination is approved.
| Step | Who | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sponsorship | Employer | Becomes, or applies to become, a standard business sponsor. |
| 2. Labour market testing | Employer | Advertises the role in Australia, unless an exemption applies. |
| 3. Salary check | Regional Certifying Body | Assesses the annual market salary rate for the role (Employer Sponsored stream). |
| 4. Nomination | Employer | Lodges the nomination and pays the Skilling Australians Fund levy. |
| 5. Visa application | You | Lodge in ImmiAccount using the nomination reference number (TRN). |
| 6. Decision | Home Affairs | Decides the nomination, then the visa. |
The job must be real, full-time and likely to last at least 5 years. It must be in regional Australia, at the place you will work, not the head office. Your pay and conditions can't be worse than an Australian doing the same work. An approved nomination lasts 12 months, so lodge your visa soon after.
Employers and workers can prepare the sponsorship, nomination and visa together in one plan.
You can live, work and study anywhere in Australia except Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Your work site must also be in a regional area. Check the postcode against the Home Affairs regional migration postcodes before you accept the role.
Have a job offer outside a capital city? Check that the work site qualifies before you sign.
Most delays and refusals come from evidence that doesn't match the rules, not from the job itself.
Home Affairs wants 3 years of full-time work in the job, usually within the last 5 years. Casual work is not counted. Part-time work may be.
An assessment obtained for a 485 visa is not accepted for the 494.
You must be under 45 when you apply. Some academics, scientists, regional doctors and high-earning 482 holders are exempt.
If the role pays under AUD 250,000, the employer must show you will receive at least the annual market salary rate.
Duties should match the job, but a copied list makes the role look less real.
Adult family members need Functional English, or the second instalment is charged before grant.
Each of these can be checked before the employer lodges anything. That is the cheapest time to fix them.
Advice from a MARA-registered agent · MARN 2518738
You must start work for your sponsor within 90 days, stay in regional Australia and keep working in the job you were nominated for.
The 90 days run from your arrival if the visa is granted offshore, or from the grant date if you are already in Australia. You can work for your sponsor or a related business, as long as the job is in a regional area.
If the job ends, you have up to 180 consecutive days to find another regional sponsor, apply for a different visa or leave Australia. A new employer must lodge a new nomination for you.
You must also tell Home Affairs about changes to your employer, job, hours or relationship status.
Until you have held the 494 for 3 years, you can't make a valid partner visa (subclass 820) application. You also can't be granted these visas:
The 494 itself can't be extended. To keep working past 5 years without PR, your employer would need a new nomination, and you would need a new visa.
Changing jobs or worried about your visa conditions? Get advice before you act.
After holding the 494 for 3 years, you can apply for the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa, subclass 191.
For the 191, you need to:
For 3 income years within the period of your 494.
Repay it or have a payment plan in place.
Home Affairs publishes no dollar income threshold for the 191. The test is 3 years of tax assessments, so lodge your tax return on time each year. The 191 base charge is AUD 630, far less than the 494.
From year 1, keep payslips, your lease and your tax records together. When year 3 arrives, the 191 application is mostly a matter of attaching what you already hold.
Already on a 494? Start your 191 evidence plan now, not in year 3.
The 494 visa costs AUD 6,140 for the main applicant, with extra charges for each family member.
Adults without Functional English pay a second instalment, billed before grant. Since 1 July 2026, lower charges apply to citizens of eligible Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste. You will also pay for your skills assessment, English test, health checks, police checks and biometrics.
| Employer cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Nomination application | No application fee |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy | AUD 3,000 (turnover under AUD 10 million) or AUD 5,000, one-off, not refunded on refusal |
| Regional Certifying Body assessment | Set by each certifying body |
The employer covers the SAF levy. It can't be passed on to you. Fees as published by Home Affairs on 3 November 2026. Verify the current charges with the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator or on the official 494 visa page.
Want a full cost estimate for your family and your employer before anything is lodged?
Home Affairs currently finalises half of Employer Sponsored applications within 10 months and 90% within 20 months.
| 494 stream | 50% of applications | 90% of applications |
|---|---|---|
| Employer Sponsored | 10 months | 20 months |
| Labour Agreement | 86 days | 13 months |
| Subsequent Entrant | No published figure | |
These figures were updated on 2 November 2026 and cover applications finalised to 30 September 2026. Check the latest figures in the Home Affairs visa processing time guide and the skilled visa processing priorities.
Under Ministerial Direction 122, jobs in construction, healthcare, teaching, farming and resources go first, then onshore applicants. Home Affairs also puts accredited sponsors ahead. The part you control is a complete file and quick replies to any requests.
A complete application avoids extra requests and delays. Have yours checked before lodgement.
The Migration handles the employer and worker sides together, so the nomination and the visa rest on the same evidence.
Every matter is handled by MARA-registered migration agents (MARN 2518738) with more than 7 years of experience in Australian migration. Advice is based on current Home Affairs rules, not old forum posts.
Workers and regional employers can book with the same team.
No. The 494 is a 5-year provisional visa. Holders who meet the conditions can apply for the subclass 191 permanent visa after 3 years.
No. The 494 is employer-sponsored, so there is no points test or Expression of Interest. What counts is the nomination, your skills, work history, age and English.
A Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) is a type of labour agreement. Employers under a DAMA can sponsor workers through the 494 Labour Agreement stream, often with age, English or salary concessions set by that agreement.
Yes, if a regional employer nominates them and they meet the 494 criteria. A 482 holder who completed a skills assessment for that visa in the same occupation may not need another one.
Yes. Partners included in the visa can work for any employer and study, but they must also live, work and study in a designated regional area.
Yes. Applicants can be in or outside Australia, but not in immigration clearance. Onshore applicants must hold a substantive visa or a Bridging visa A, B or C.
Living or working outside a regional area breaks the visa conditions. It can lead to cancellation and harm the 191 application.
Bring your job offer, your work history and your family details. A MARA-registered agent (MARN 2518738) confirms your stream, flags anything that could hold up the nomination and maps your path to the 191.
