VICTORIAN 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 travel in and out of Australia as many times as you want. In the first 3 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 that permits the workers to live as permanent residents anywhere in Australia.

As a permanent resident, you can:

• Live, work, and establish a business in Australia for 5 years.
• Bring your partner or family to Australia.
• Travel in or out of Australia anytime.
• Apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible.

Requirements for a subclass 491 visa

All the immigration processes are regulated by the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA). As per the criteria set by DOHA, applicants can only apply for this visa under two conditions, namely:

• The applicant is nominated by a state of Australia or territory government agency.

OR

An eligible family member, living in a designated regional area, sponsors the applicant after submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI) through SkillSelect.

• The occupation nominated by the applicant must be on the occupation list issued by the government.
• The maximum age requirement for a subclass 491 visa is 45.
• The applicant must score at least 65 points on the Skills Assessment Test.
• The applicant must meet all the health and character requirements of the state.

Furthermore, 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 to apply to that particular state. 

Requirements for a Victorian subclass 491 visa

The requirements for a VIC 491 visa are as follows:

• The applicants must live and work in regional Victoria.
• If the applicant lives in the surrounding areas of regional Victoria, he must provide evidence that his skills are beneficial for Victoria.
• The applicant must be working in a target sector using STEMM skills.
• Any occupation on the occupation list is accepted for ROI provided that occupation is based on STEMM skills.

Target sectors

Applicants must work in the following target sectors to apply for a nomination for VIC 491 visa

1. Health

The health sector includes professionals involved in medical services, relevant educational services, and research and development. Individuals working on developing software for hospitals are also considered to be working in the health sector.

1. Medical Research

Any type of medical research that contributes to the betterment of Victoria and is being conducted in universities and research centers is considered a target sector.

1. Life Sciences

Fields such as biotechnology, medical technology, food processing companies, pharmaceuticals, and cosmeceuticals are considered a part of the life sciences sector.

1. Digital

Individuals working in cyber security, Al programming, and game engineers, using their digital skills in other target sectors qualify for this target sector.

1. Agri-food

Skilled individuals who work for improving the agri-food sector and improving food growth and development qualify for this sector.

1. Advanced Manufacturing

Industries such as defense and aerospace are included in this sector.

1. New energy, emissions reduction, and circular economy

This sector includes industries working to find new resources, energy storage, reduce pollution, and clean the environment.

1. Creative Industries

This sector includes efforts done to secure and flourish Victoria’s culture, social status, and economic prosperity to maintain its position as a global cultural destination.

Currently, Victoria accepts applicants with occupations skills falling into these categories:

• ANZSCZO skill levels 1, 2 or 3
• STEMM skills

STEMM skills

In addition to working in the target sector, workers need to choose occupations that fall under the STEMM skills to qualify for a VIC subclass 491 visa.

STEMM stands for:

S – Science

T – Technology

E – Engineering

M – Mathematics

M – Medicine 

Here is the list of 108 occupations chosen by the Department of Education, Skills, and Employment. Applicants must have an occupation from the list to be eligible to apply.

Each year, 500 people are allocated seats in Victoria under this visa. Applying in Victoria does not require a service fee.

How to apply for a Victorian subclass 491 visa?

To apply for a subclass 491 visa, you must first go through the set of requirements by the Department of Home Affairs and ACT.

• Expression of Interest through SkillSelect

Once you know you are eligible to apply, you choose an occupation under which you are applying and submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) through SkillSelect.

• Skills Assessment Test

Along with EOI, you give the Skills Assessment Points test. This test determines your chances of getting a nomination and an invitation to apply for the visa. You need to score at least 65 points to get a nomination.

A nomination doesn’t necessarily guarantee an invitation. Since it’s a competitive test and the invitation mark depends on the number of applicants and total visa seats by the respective state, you need a really good score to get an invitation to apply.

• Registration of Interest

After that, you submit a Registration of Interest (ROI) through the Victorian website. This step is exclusively for applicants who choose Victoria as their nominated state.

• Getting an invitation

Once you receive an invitation to apply, you submit the required documents, and visa application fee, and apply for the visa within 60 days of getting a nomination.