Australia holds a huge territory – so huge as to be considered a continent – and abundance of resources but a very minimal population. Due to lack of human resources, Australia welcomes immigrants who wish to stay in the country and work.
Before going into the details of the new visas, let us briefly describe what is meant by “Regional Australia” and which areas it comprises. There is quite a confusion about which areas come under Regional Australia and which areas don’t. Regional Australia has been defined in more than one way.
According to the Department of Home Affairs, Regional Territories are all the territories outside of the Australian Capital Territory, Sydney, New Castle, The Central Coast, Wollongong, Brisbane, The Gold Coast, Melbourne and Perth. These territories are also collectively known as Rural and Regional Australia. But from November onwards, this definition of “Regional Australia” is also expected to be changed and the many definitions of Regional Australia are to be merged in one. From November onwards, Regional Australia will comprise all of Australia except Brisbane and Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
Coming back to our topic, the Skilled Regional Visa is basically one of the three subclasses which come under the main category of General Skilled Migration Visa. The other two subclasses of visas under this major category are Independent Skilled Visa and Skilled Nominated Visa.
The main purpose of offering this visa by the Australian government is to attract overseas skilled workers to come to Australia and bridge the gap between requirement and availability of skilled workers in the regional territories. The Australian government has introduced two new types of Skilled Regional Visas. Below, we will briefly discuss these two new Visas and the difference between them and the previously offered Skilled Regional Visa. The new visas are expected to be open from November this year.
The New Visas
The first visa is Skilled Employer-Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa. This visa is acquired by people who are sponsored by an employer who is based in regional Australia.
The second visa to be introduced this November is Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa. This visa is acquired by people who are sponsored by an eligible family member or being nominated by a state or territory government to stay and work in Regional Australia.
[do_widget id=custom_html-9]Advantages of the New Visas
As compared to the non-regional visas, these new visas will allow the regional employers to have additional access to different occupations. The skilled work regional visa will have access to over 450 more occupations as compared to the non-regional visa and the skilled worker regional visa will now have access to 75 more occupations as compared to a non-regional one. Visa applications that are sponsored by the employers of regional Australia will enjoy priority in processing. And last but not least, 5 additional points will be awarded to the regional visa applicants.
What’s in it for International Graduates from regional institutions?
This initiative has brought along some good news for the graduates as well. If you’ve graduated from an institution located in regional Australia and if you’re residing in regional Australia after graduation from two years, you can enjoy an additional year of post-study work rights under this new initiative. Further requirements are that you must graduate from a registered regional institution with higher education or postgraduate degree and that you must be residing in regional Australia with the first Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa.
It’s worth noting that this initiative will not affect or change the Student Visa arrangements. It is just a favourable opportunity for international graduates to reside and work in regional Australia.
Please note that:
The introduction of these two new visas will not impact the requirements, status or conditions of the existing visas. The current permanent visa holders will not be impacted in any way whatsoever by the introduction of the new visas. Furthermore, visa applications that were submitted before November 2019 will continue to be processed under the established procedures.
If you’re aspiring to get any kind of Australian Visa or if you’re already in Australia but are facing Visa related issues, you can reach out to our migration agents in Sydney at The Migration Australia. You can visit the website and have detailed information about all types of Visas. Our migration agents in Parramatta, migration agents in Melbourne are registered with MARA and they will assist you throughout the procedure from lodging the application to receiving your Visa. If you’re a student and wish to get admission in any university in Australia, reach out to us and we will be glad to serve you.
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