SKILLED NOMINATED SUBCLASS 190 VISA: ELIGIBILITY AND REQUIREMENTS
The Australian government offers two classes of visas under the skilled nominated visa category:
- Skilled nominated subclass 491 visa (provisional).
- Skilled nominated subclass 190 visa (permanent).
The subclass 190 visa is a permanent visa that allows skilled workers and their families to work and live as permanent residents anywhere in Australia. As a permanent resident, you can:
- Stay anywhere in Australia
- Travel in or out of Australia anytime for 5 years.
- Study, work and enroll yourself in medical services and other citizen’s benefit schemes.
- Sponsor a relative for permanent residence.
- Apply for Australian citizenship.
Requirements for a subclass 190 visa
The migration processes are regulated by the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA), and the applicants have to meet the following requirements in order to apply:
- The applicant is nominated for the visa by an Australian state or the government.
- The applicant must score at least 65 points in the Skills Migration Points Test.
- The occupation nominated by the applicant must be present on the occupation list.
- The maximum age limit for the application is 45.
Requirements for an ACT state subclass 190 visa
In addition to the set of requirements formulated by the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA), each state has its own set of requirements that the applicants must meet to be considered eligible for the visa.
If you are nominated for the subclass 190 visa, you must live and work in Canberra for at least 2 years. The service fee to be submitted at the time of nomination is 300 AUD. The requirements for an ACT subclass 190 visa vary depending on where you live; Canberra or overseas.
Canberra residents
To be nominated for an ACT 491 visa as a Canberra resident, the applicants must meet the following requirements:
- They must be living in Canberra for at least 6 months at the time of application.
- One of the following three conditions must be fulfilled:
- The occupation nominated by the applicant must be on the ACT Critical Skills List.
- The applicant is a primary holder of subclass 457/482 visa sponsored by an ACT employer.
- The applicant must be working under the sponsor for at least 6 months.
- In this case, the applicant’s nominated occupation doesn’t have to be on the ACT Critical Skills List.
- The applicant must work for at least 26 weeks before submitting the Canberra Matrix (a minimum of 35 hours per week).
- Service fee: $300
Overseas applicant
To be nominated for an ACT 491 visa as an overseas applicant, the applicants must meet the following requirements:
- The occupation nominated by the applicant must be on the ACT Critical Skills List.
- You must have a positive skill assessment relevant to your occupation.
- You meet the Department of Home Affairs’ criteria for proficient English.
How to apply for a subclass 190 visa?
Fill out a score-based ‘Canberra Matrix,’ which allows you to claim points based on specific criteria such as skilled employment, English proficiency, formal qualifications, length of ACT residence/study, investment activity, and close family ties, among others. Your Matrix will be ranked according to the number of points you’ve claimed. Those who get a sufficient score will be invited to apply for ACT nomination
SUBCLASS 491 visa: eligibility and requirements.
The subclass 491 visa is a provisional skill-based visa that allows skilled workers and their families to live, study and work in the designated regional areas of Australia for 5 years. Under this visa, you can go out of Australia and return as many times as you want. In the first three years, you cannot apply for most of the other visas in Australia; however, after three years, you can apply for a Permanent Skilled Regional visa or subclass 191 visa which enables the workers to live and work as permanent residents anywhere in Australia.
All the immigration policies and processes are regulated by the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA). Following are the requirements issued by the Department of Home Affairs to apply for a subclass 491 visa.
Requirements for a subclass 491 visa
Applicants can only apply for this visa under two conditions, namely:
- They are nominated by a state of Australia or territory government agency.
- An eligible family member, living in a designated regional area, sponsors them.
Under any of the two conditions, the applicants are invited to apply for the visa and assessed based on their immigration points. The maximum age requirement for a subclass 491 visa is 45. Furthermore, your selected occupation must be on the occupation list issued by the government.
In addition to the requirements laid down by the Department of Home Affairs, each Australian state has its own set of requirements that must be met in order to apply to that particular state. Applicants that wish to apply for subclass 491 visa must meet the requirements of both the Department of Home Affairs and the respective state they are applying for. After checking your eligibility for the subclass 491 visa, you have to check which state you want to apply to and read its requirements accordingly.
Requirements for an ACT subclass 491 visa
The requirements for an ACT 491 visa vary depending on where you live; Canberra or overseas. The service fee for the application process is 300 AUD.
Canberra residents
To be nominated for an ACT 491 visa as a Canberra resident, the applicants must meet the following requirements:
- They must be living in Canberra for at least 3 months at the time of application.
- One of the following three conditions must be fulfilled:
- The occupation nominated by the applicant must be on the ACT Critical Skills List.
- The applicant is a primary holder of subclass 457/482 visa sponsored by an ACT employer. (The applicant must be working under the sponsor for at least 3 months).
- Applicant must be employed at an ACT registered job or business for at least three months in Canberra.
- Service Fee: $300
Overseas applicants
To be nominated for an ACT 491 visa as an overseas applicant, the applicants must meet the following requirements:
- The occupation nominated by the applicant must be on the ACT Critical Skills List.
- The applicant must have at least three years of work experience in the nominated occupation.
- The applicant has researched the ACT labor market and is satisfied with his occupation in Canberra.
- You meet the Department of Home Affairs requirement for proficient English
Each year, 1,400 people are allocated seats under this visa. The ACT Critical Skills List is issued by ACT and is different from the Occupation List issued by the government.
How to apply for a subclass 491 visa?
Once you know you are eligible to apply for a nomination by the ACT government, you submit a “Canberra matrix”. Canberra matrix is a points-based form that includes a set of questions through which your educational qualifications, tenure of ACT residence, skills, language proficiency, family connections, and relatives will be inquired. To be nominated for the subclass 491 visa, you must have a score of 65 points.
The Skills Migration Points test is a competitive test and the invitation mark varies throughout the year depending on the number of applicants and the occupational seats. Thus, a nomination doesn’t necessarily mean getting an invitation to apply for the visa. Applicants with greater points have greater chances of getting an invitation to apply.
Australian migration is a very complex process so it is always advised to consult with a professional before you proceed with the application.
