The Subclass 489 Visa Process for Immigration to New South Wales

New South Wales has urban infrastructure, exciting job opportunities, diverse communities and the largest economy in Australia. Migrating to a regional area in NSW through the skilled Regional (Provisional) subclass 489 visa is a lucrative option for skilled workers seeking temporary residence in Australia.

The Skilled Regional Nominated Visa allows an aspirant to be nominated by the state government authorities to live and work in a regional or low population growth metropolitan area of NSW for up to four years. Being nominated by a region adds 10 points to the point score of the applicant. Eventually, the visa holder may also qualify to apply for permanent residence.

The NSW Department of industry is the state authority that functions in collaboration with Regional Development Authorities (RDA) to select and nominate eligible candidates who can fulfil the skill shortages in any of the nine participating regions, which include:

• Central West
• Far South Coast
• Mid North Coast
• Murray
• Northern Inland
• Northern Rivers
• Orana
• Riverina
• Southern Inland

The RDAs formulate their own list of in-demand skilled occupations, and can establish distinct additional eligibility criteria.

The eligibility requirements of the NSW Skilled Regional Nominated Visa dictate that an applicant must:

• Satisfy the Australian Department of Home Affairs’ (DHA) visa criteria for the Subclass 489 – Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa.
• Practice an occupation that features on the NSW Skilled Occupation 489 List.
• Directly apply to the relevant RDA by fulfilling any additional eligibility requirements set by the region.
• Obtain a 489 nomination from the participating RDA
• Commit to living and working in the region that nominates the applicant.

Eligible candidates can pursue the streamlined application process for this visa:

Step 1 : Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) for the Subclass 489 visa in SkillSelect – the online portal of the DHA that evaluates applicant profiles.

Step 2 : Apply for nomination to the preferred NSW RDA, by fulfilling the eligibility requirements and following the relevant application process.

Step 3 : Once NSW issues a nomination, the applicant can update the EOI. 10 points will be added to the total score, and the candidate will receive an invitation to apply for the Subclass 489 visa. A visa application – including supporting documents – must be submitted to the DHA within 60 days of receiving the invitation. After verifying that the documents validate the claims made in the EOI, the DHA may grant the visa.

A provisional visa holder under this category may be eligible to apply for an Australia PR visa after living in the NSW region for at least two years and working in that area for at least one year. Thus, the Subclass 489 visa opens the door for an immigration aspirant to ultimately make Australia their permanent home.