who is this visa for?
The Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494) allows an Employer to nominate international persons to work in their business for up to 5 years. The Employer's business must be located in regional Australia.
SKILLED EMPLOYER SPONORED REGIONAL (PROVISIONAL) VISA (SUBCLASS 494) - INFORMATION FOR EMPLOYERS
BECOMING A RECOGNISED STANDARD BUSINESS SPONSOR
Before an Employer can nominate an international person to work in their business, they must first apply to become a recognised Standard Business Sponsor (SBS).
- 1. Active and lawful operation of a business in Australia;
- 2. Financial viability and tax compliance; and
- 3. Good standing - no adverse information or findings.
To become an eligible Standard Business Sponsor (SBS), an Employer must be able to demonstrate:
NOMINATING EMPLOYEES
Once an Employer has applied to become a recognised Standard Business Sponsor (SBS), they can then nominate the person(s) to work in their business.
- 1. They have a genuine vacancy for a skilled position in regional Australia;
- 2. They are unable to fill the position from the Australian domestic labour market;
- 3. The position will be full-time and paid an annual salary equal to, or greater than, the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) which is currently set at $73,150 per annum (based on a 38-hour week); and
- 4. The annual salary is a fair reflection of the market salary rate for the position in Australia.
To nominate an international person for a Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494), an Employer must be able to demonstrate that:
RCB CERTIFICATION
In addition to the standard nomination criteria listed above, the Employer must also apply to have the position approved by the Regional Certifying Body (RCB) which is specific to the regional area where the position will be located.
Understanding Your Options
Navigating different employer sponsorship options can be quite confusing and therefore it can save you a lot of time (and money) to have an experienced Agent carefully go through this with you, taking into account the specific needs of the business and the position(s) that you’re trying to fill.
If you book a consultation with one of our experienced Agents, they will spend 1 to 1.5 hours with you explaining the different options including pro’s and con’s, eligibility criteria, documentation requirements, approval processes, time frames (incl. processing times) and total costs.
This way, you will understand each of the visa options and be able to choose the one that is right for your business based on the things that matter most (i.e. costs, staff retention rate and ongoing compliance and monitoring).