Regional Provisional Steam
The Permanent Residence Skilled Regional Visa (Subclass 191) is a permanent visa that commenced on 16 November 2022. This visa allows people who have lived and worked in designated regional areas of Australia on an eligible visa, to live and work in Australia permanently. The applicant does not require a sponsor or nominator to apply for the visa.
To be eligible for the visa, the applicant must:
- Hold an eligible visa and must have complied with conditions of that visa
- Must have lived for at least 3 years in a designated regional area
- Must have had a taxable income at or above specific income threshold for at least 3 years while holding the eligible visa
Once granted, the Subclass 191 visa in the Regional Provisional Stream allows the holder to live and work anywhere in Australia permanently.
Hong Kong Stream
The Migration Legislation Amendment (Hong Kong) Regulations 2021 created a dedicated pathway to permanent residence from 5 March 2022 for Hong Kong and British National Overseas (BNO) passport holders that hold one of three eligible pathway visas namely:
- the Temporary Work (Skilled) (Subclass 457) visa;
- the Temporary Skill Shortage (Subclass 482) visa and
- the Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485) visa.
Holders of one of these pathway visas with at least three years’ continuous residence in a designated regional area of Australia and who meet other eligibility requirements can apply for the Subclass 191 visa in the Hong Kong stream which, once granted, enables the holder to live and work anywhere in Australia permanently.
There will also be a ranking system for the visa, which will prioritize applicants in the following order:
- Applicants without a spouse, or with a spouse skilled in an in-demand career
- Applicants with fluent English
- Applicants with a spouse who do not have competent English or are skilled in a career.
How can we help?
If you want to find out more, please do not hesitate to contact ross@crystalmigration.net