Live Near Melbourne – Move to Regional Victoria through the 491 Visa!

All areas of the Australian state of Victoria, which lie outside the capital city of Melbourne, are considered ‘regional Victoria’. These places are highly developed, and offer a very high quality of life without the overpopulation, high costs of living, and job market competition that characterizes Melbourne. With the 491 visa, immigrants can live in regional Victoria, financially establish themselves in Australia, and eventually settle down in popular cities like Melbourne or Sydney.

The Skilled Work regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 491) allows foreign skilled workers – who are nominated by the local governing agency of an Australian state/territory or sponsored by an eligible relative who is an Australian permanent resident (PR) or citizen – to live and work in a designated regional area of the country for up to five years. After residing in the regional area for three years, visa holders can apply for the Subclass 191 Australia PR visa.

So, this visa is an indirect route to permanent residence. In order to be eligible, candidates must meet the requirements of the Victorian government and the federal immigration authority – the Department of Home Affairs. Since this is a points-tested visa, the DHA allocates points to each candidate based on age, English language skills, work experience, education, adaptability, single status or spouse/partner factors, adaptability and nomination/sponsorship.

Only the highest-scoring registrants can apply for the visa. If nominated or sponsored under Subclass 491, the candidate will receive 15 additional points – which is a very significant advantage. The Australia immigration requirements of the DHA are fairly simple, but the Victorian government demands that the candidate must have an offer of employment for at least 12 months from an employer in a designated regional area of Victoria, for work in an occupation that is in-demand. This is only one of the requirements for nomination.

The process is fairly simple. Eligible aspirants can submit an online Expression of Interest to DHA, demonstrating an interest in moving to regional Victoria. Subsequently, they must apply for nomination to the Victorian government. If the application is approved, and the nomination granted, the applicant’s point score will increase and they will likely receive an invitation to apply for the visa from the DHA in the next invitation round.

Within 60 days of receiving this invitation, nominees must submit a complete visa application – the outcome of which will be decided by the DHA. The 491 visa presents a unique opportunity to reside in the vast natural expanses of regional Victoria, while living a short drive away from Melbourne – and to ultimately live in a major city after gaining permanent residence. For guidance on meeting the eligibility criteria and submitting a strong application, seek the advice of experienced consultants at Abhinav Immigration Services – who provide legitimate support at every step of the process based on knowledge gained over 25 years of experience.