Find the Available Options to Move from a 494 Visa to an Australian Permanent Residency
Are you here looking for the pathway of the 494 Visa to Australian PR? If you are, please read on.
As you know, the Australian Government has clarified the 494 Visa pathway to PR since 2022 by launching a new visa called Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) Visa (subclass 191). As a holder of a 494 Visa, you can apply for permanent residency through the 191 Visa in your third year.
Indeed, there are requirements, processes, and costs involved in getting your PR through the 191 Visa. In addition, we understand that not everyone is lucky enough to meet the 191 Visa requirements, so we also provide the alternative 494 Visa to PR pathway here.
What is Visa 494, and What Does Designated Regional Area Mean?
If this is the first time you heard about Visa 494 Australia, visa 494 is specialized for you to work and live in the Australian Designated Regional Area. In that way, employers in the regional area may sponsor skilled workers to fill the labour shortages in the area where they cannot find suitable Australian workers.
Australian Designated Regional Area refers to the areas outside the country’s largest cities (Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane). The classification is for immigration purposes only. In general, the designated regional area is divided into two categories, and each category provides attractive incentives for prospective migrants:
- Category 2 – “Cities and Major Regional Centres,” which includes Canberra, Newcastle/Lake Macquarie, Wollongong/Illawarra, Geelong, Adelaide, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Perth, and Hobart. The following regional incentives are available to Category 2:
- Priority processing for regional visas,
- Access to the Regional Occupation List (ROL), which provides more available employment,
- International graduates may stay in Australia for an extra year on a post-study work visa if they have a bachelor’s degree or above from a regional campus of an accredited university.
- Category 3 – ‘Regional Centres and Other Regional Areas’ will have access to 11,200 designated regional spaces, priority immigration processing, and the Regional Occupations List. Extra rewards consist of:
- International graduates with a bachelor’s degree or higher from a registered regional campus will be eligible for a post-study work visa to stay in Australia for an additional two years.
- first dibs on establishing designated area migration agreements (DAMAs) that are region-specific.
Read more: Reason to Live and Work in Australian Regional Area – Complete Information
494 Visa Pathway to PR with 191 Visa
As mentioned, one of the well-known PR pathways for 494 Visa holders is applying for 191 Visa – Regional Provisional stream. Below are the requirements, processes and costs involved in getting Australian PR with the 191 Visa:
From 494 Visa to 191 Visa: Requirements
Generally, the requirements for visa 191 are:
- Hold an eligible visa,
- Have lived for at least three years in a designated regional area of Australia,
- Show notices of assessment for three of the five years of your eligible visa that you have received from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO),
- Have complied with the conditions of the suitable visa.
It means that to qualify for the visa 494 pathway to PR with a 191 Visa, you must have the following:
- Held visa 494 for at least three years,
- Worked and lived in an Australian-designated regional area for at least three years on a 494 Visa,
- Show your Notice of Assessment issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for three of five years of validity of your 494 Visa,
- Have complied with the conditions on your 494 Visa.
From 494 Visa to 191 Visa: Application Process
Note that the 494 Visa pathway to PR with 191 Visa is available only after you hold the 494 Visa for three years. So, you can begin the application process in your third year of having a 494 Visa.
Learn more about the application process for the 191 Visa here.
From 494 Visa to 191 Visa: Cost Involved
The costs involved in 494 Visa to PR pathway with 191 Visa will be as follows:
- The cost for the principal applicant is AUD 490
- The cost for a dependent applicant 18 years old and above is AUD 245
- The cost for dependents below 18 years old is AUD 125
Note that you must prepare additional costs for other necessities, such as health examination and police check.
Read more: Australian Working Visa Conditions Adjustment 2024
Alternatives 494 Visa Pathway to PR
What if you don’t meet the requirements for a 191 Visa? Are there other PR pathways available for you?
Sure, there are plenty of PR pathways available for you! If meeting the requirements for a 191 visa is unlikely, consider the following alternative pathway to PR as a 494 Visa holder:
- Partner Visa (subclass 820/801)
- Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa
- Skilled (Independent) (subclass 189) visa
- Skilled (Nominated) (subclass 190) visa
However, you must ensure that you meet the requirements for each visa subclass above and have held your 494 Visa for at least three years.
Or else, consider having a consultation session with our Registered Migration Agent to find the best PR pathway for you as a 494 Visa holder. We have over ten years of experience finding our clients the best 494 Visa to PR pathway. We will assist you in building a migration strategy, ensuring you can continue your journey in the land of Down Under.
Our consultation session is more than just a conversation. It’s a promise backed by a 100% refund guarantee if you’re unsatisfied with our service. We are proud to share that we have a 98% success rate and are experts in handling complex cases. So, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
We are here to help you.
Our visa specialists at ONE derland Consulting will help you assess your visa options. We have a 98% success rate and are one of Australia’s most highly recommended migration agents. Read our 4.9* score customer reviews.
We are complex visa specialists. As registered Australian migration agents with the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA), we are regulated in our professional practice and bound by the profession’s Code of Conduct issued by the MARA.
Our team speaks various languages, such as Mandarin/Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia, Arabic, Japanese, and Thai. Contact us through email at [email protected] or via phone at 1300 827 159. Alternatively, you may book your consultation online, and it is backed by our 100% Money Back Guarantee Program.
