The Skilled Regional Sponsored Visa (Subclass 487) is a TEMPORARY visa - it enables you to gain temporary residence in Regional Australia for a period of 3 years and to apply for a permanent Skilled Visa when you have lived there for 2 years and worked there on a full-time basis for 1 year.

To be eligible for this visa -

1. you must have a satisfactory IELTS score and
2. you must have a skills assessment.

IELTS Test

The former is not likely to present a problem, since you are applying from within Australia, though you may have to sit again for the IELTS Test if you took the test more than 2 years ago. If you do, you should register for the IELTS well before you start planning your visa application. The timing and the results of the IELTS test are entirely within your control.

Skills Assessment

The Skills Assessment creates some uncertainty: it is usually the first stage of the visa aplication process and as such the outcome cannot be predicted. In the vast majority of cases, however, as long as your application follows the rules and the supporting documentation is perfect, it is unlikely that your skills assessment will be negative. In the unlikely event that this should happen, most Assessment Authorities allow an application to be submitted more than once.

The Skilled Regional Sponsored Visa Subclass 487 allows for two different types of sponsorship:

1. you can be sponsored by the regional authority of a State or Territory OR
2. you can be sponsored by an Eligible Relative You or your partner must be related to your sponsor as a non-dependent child (including a stepchild),a parent (including a step parent), a brother or sister (including a step-sibling), a niece or nephew (including a step niece or nephew) or an aunt or uncle (including a step aunt or uncle).

Sponsored by a State/Territory

To be eligible for this Visa (Subclass 487), which entitles people who are currently in Australia to gain temporary (3-year) residence in Regional Australia based on sponsorship by a participating State or Territory government agency>

• you must gain at least 65 points in the Points Test; being sponsored by a State or Territory government agency enables you to claim an extra 10 points on the Points Test
• you must provide evidence that you have obtained an Australian qualification as a result of at least two (2) years full-time study in Australia
• you must be under 50 when you apply
• you must demonstrate that you have COMPETENT English (minimum score of IELTS 6.0 in each component)
• you must have a post-secondary qualification
• you must nominate a skilled occupation which fits your skills and qualifications
• your nominated occupation must be in the State Migration Plan of the particular State or Territory that is sponsoring you
• your studies must be closely related to your nominated occupation
• before you apply, you must have your skills assessed by the Australian assessing authority designated to assess your nominated occupation
• you must be sponsored by the regional authority of the State or Territory where you are going to live and work
• you must be of reasonably good health and undergo a medical examination
• you must show that you are of good character (by providing (a) Police Clearance Certificate(s))

 

Sponsored by an Eligible Relative

To be eligible for this Visa (Subclass 487), which entitles people who are currently in Australia to gain temporary (3-year) residence in regional Australia based on sponsorship from a family member who is a citizen or permanent resident of Australia.

• you must provide evidence that you have obtained an Australian qualification as a result of at least two (2) years full-time study in Australia
• your sponsoring relative must live in Regional Australia; having such a sponsor enables you to claim an extra 10 points on the Points Test
• you must gain at least 65 points in the Points Test
• you must be under 50 when you apply
• you must demonstrate that you have COMPETENT English (minimum score of IELTS 6.0 in each component)
• you must have a post-secondary qualification
• you must nominate a skilled occupation which fits your skills and qualifications
• your nominated occupation must be found on the current Skilled Occupations List
• your studies must be closely related to your nominated occupation
• before you apply, you must have your skills assessed by the Australian assessing authority designated to assess your nominated occupation
• you must have an eligible relative You or your partner must be related to your sponsor as a non-dependent child (including a stepchild),a parent (including a step parent), a brother or sister (including a step-sibling), a niece or nephew (including a step niece or nephew) or an aunt or uncle (including a step aunt or uncle) in Australia who is an Australian citizen or permanent resident and is willing to act as your sponsor
• you must be of reasonably good health and undergo a medical examination
• you must show that you are of good character (by providing (a) Police Clearance Certificate(s))
• you must sign an Australian Values Statement.This statement is included in your visa application form and all applicants aged 18 years and over will need to sign it to confirm that they will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws. Before signing this statement you are required to have read, or had explained to you, material made available by the government on life in Australia which is contained in the Life in Australia book.