Skilled - Nominated or Sponsored Provisional Subclass 489 visa

This points-based visa is for skilled workers who are nominated by a state or territory or sponsored by an eligible relative living in a designated area in Australia. The visa is valid for four years, and a visa holder must live and work in a specified regional area. Additionally, eligible family members can be included in the application.

The Skilled Nominated or Sponsored (Provisional) Subclass 489 visa replaces both the offshore Skilled - Regional Sponsored Subclass 475 visa and the onshore Subclass 487 visa.

To be able to submit a valid application for this visa you need to first submit an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect. You can do this in or outside Australia.

Eligibility

Under this visa, you can either be nominated by a state or territory government or be sponsored by an eligible relative.

There are basic requirements you must meet to apply for this visa. You must:
be invited to apply

• be older than 18 and less than 50 years of age when the invitation is issued
• nominate an occupation that matches your skills and qualifications and is on the relevant skilled occupation list
• have your skills assessed by the relevant assessing authority as suitable for your nominated occupation
• have at least competent English
• score at least 60 on the points test
• meet the health and character requirements.

If you are invited to apply for this visa, you will then have 60 days in which to submit your online application. Your invitation letter will explain the process you should follow. Invitations are based on claims made in your Expression of Interest at the time you are invited to apply. Your application must reflect the information provided in your Expression of Interest, and be supported by relevant evidence.

Family

You can include the following family members in your visa application:

• your partner
• your or your partner's dependent child
• your or your partner's dependent relative.

Entitlements

This visa allows you and your dependants to:

• temporarily live and work in a designated regional area in Australia
• study in a specified regional area of Australia
• travel in and out of Australia while the visa is valid
• apply for permanent residence through the Skilled Regional (Residence) visa (subclass 887) after certain conditions have been met.

Visa obligations

Nominated by a state or territory

There are obligations that your nominating state or territory will require you to meet. These include that you:

• stay in that state or territory for at least two years
• keep the state or territory informed of any changes to your address
• complete surveys and provide information when asked.

Sponsored by an eligible family member

You must live and work in a designated area. If you plan to seek permanent residence, you will need to prove that you have spent the specified time in a designated area.

If you do not comply with the conditions of your visa:

• your visa, and those of any accompanying family members, may be cancelled
• you will not be able to apply for another provisional Skilled Regional Sponsored visa
• you may not meet the requirements to apply for permanent residence.

Eligible Sponsors

A sponsor must be at least 18 years of age who resides in Australia as one of the following:

• an Australian citizen
• an Australian permanent resident
• an Eligible New Zealand citizen.

You or your partner must be related to your sponsor as:

• a child – including a stepchild, or
• a parent – including a step parent, or
• a brother or sister – including adoptive or step-sibling, or
• a niece or nephew – including adoptive or step-niece or nephew, or
• an aunt or uncle – including adoptive or step-aunt or uncle, or
• a grandparent or first cousin.

Your sponsor must be a resident in a designated area of Australia at the time of the sponsorship. The following is a list of the current designated areas:

State or Territory	Designated Areas
Victoria	Anywhere
South Australia	Anywhere
Northern Territory	Anywhere
Tasmania	Anywhere
Aust Capital Territory	Anywhere
Queensland	Postcode areas 4019-4028, 4037-4050, 4079-4100, 4114, 4118, 4124-4150, 4158-4168, 4180-4899 (anywhere except Brisbane metropolitan area)
Western Australia	Anywhere
New South Wales	Post areas 2311-2312, 2328-2333, 2336-2490, 2535-2551, 2575-2739, 2787-2898 (anywhere except Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong)

Processing

Priority processing arrangements apply to this visa. They determine the order in which Australian immigration considers applications regardless of when they have been submitted. To find out more about the priority processing arrangements Australian immigration has in place, please read our comprehensive news report on this topic.

Extension from other visas

This visa also allows holders of visa subclasses 495, 496, 475 and 487 to stay in Australia for an additional year.

If you hold one of the following visas and have met all the conditions of that visa, you may be eligible to apply for a subclass 489 visa, allowing you to stay in Australia for an additional year:

• Skilled—Independent Regional (Provisional) Subclass 495
• Skilled—Designated Area-sponsored (Provisional) Subclass 496
• Skilled—Regional Sponsored (Provisional) Subclass 475
• Skilled—Regional Sponsored (Provisional) Subclass 487

Your dependants who were not included in your original application may also be eligible to apply for this visa.

As a holder of one of the above provisional visas, you and any subsequent applicants do not need to submit an Expression of Interest and/or receive an invitation to apply. Instead you apply by submitting an application for Provisional Skilled Regional – Renewal Visa (489) or an application for Provisional Skilled Regional – Subsequent Entrant Visa (489).

However, you can only be granted a maximum of two provisional skilled visas, meaning if you've held any of the above visas more than once, you cannot apply for a subclass 489 visa.