What is the Subclass 494 Visa?
The Subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa enables regional employers
to address identified labour shortages within their region by sponsoring skilled workers where
employers cannot source an appropriately skilled Australian worker.
What are the designated regional areas?
Regional areas are most locations outside of major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
This includes Perth, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Lake Macquarie, Illawarra, Geelong, Newcastle,
Wollongong, Adelaide, Hobart, and Canberra.
What does it mean for your business if a potential employee is currently on a 494 Visa?
If you have been approached by a potential employee who is on a 494 visa, it implies that they have
previously been nominated by another employer to be approved for the visa. This means that the
employee is obliged to work only in their nominated occupation and only for the employer who
nominated them in regional Australia. If this condition is not fulfilled, their visa may be cancelled.
Therefore, if you would like to employ someone who is currently on a 494 Visa, you would be
obliged to sponsor them as a new nominator. There is a strict time limit of 90 days to lodge the
employee’s new nomination from the termination of their current job.
What are the requirements to nominate an employee?
You will need to meet the same requirements as the employee’s previous sponsor. You must have a
business that is lawfully operating in or outside Australia and must be an approved work sponsor or
have at least lodged an application to become a standard business sponsor. There must be no
adverse information about you, or anyone associated that affects your suitability as a sponsor. You
must also have a strong record or commitment to employing local labour. To apply for sponsorship,
you will also need to pay the sponsorship application fee, which is:
- $3,000 per nominee for businesses with turnovers under $10 million; or
- $5,000 per nominee for businesses with turnovers over $10 million.
If you have any questions or would like more information on sponsorships, please contact Ross
Ahmadzai at ross@crystalmigration.net or (02) 9189 2988.