Subclass 494 — Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa

Eligibility snapshot

General information only — not immigration assistance or legal advice. The Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa, subclass 494, is generally aimed at skilled workers who have been nominated by an approved business to fill a position located in a designated regional area of Australia. In broad terms, it is a provisional (temporary) visa that lets a holder live and work in regional Australia for around five years and can open a pathway toward permanent residence through the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa, subclass 191. In general terms, the pieces that typically need to line up are: an Australian employer that has been approved to sponsor and has lodged an approved nomination for the role; an occupation that fits the relevant skilled occupation arrangements for this visa; a suitable skills assessment for that occupation where one is required; competent English; and the applicant being within the relevant age range, unless an exemption applies. Applicants also typically need to meet health and character requirements, and the nominated position usually has to be in a designated regional area. The employer sponsorship and nomination steps generally come before, or alongside, the visa application itself, so the process is usually a multi-party one rather than something an individual completes alone. Exact criteria, occupation arrangements, regional-area definitions, age limits and English standards change over time and depend heavily on individual circumstances. Always check the official Home Affairs page for the subclass 494 for current requirements, and a registered migration practitioner can advise on how the rules apply to a particular situation.

Costs

General information only — not immigration assistance or legal advice. The main government cost for this visa is the Visa Application Charge (VAC), which is a charge payable to the Australian Government. As a guide, the base VAC for the primary applicant for the subclass 494 is published as $4,910 from 1 July 2025. This figure is set by the government and is published on the official Home Affairs page, and it can change — so the current amount and any indexation should always be confirmed using the official page and the Department's visa pricing estimator. Beyond the primary applicant's charge, there are typically additional VAC amounts for each family member included in the application, and these usually differ depending on age. Applicants should also budget for ancillary costs that sit outside the VAC, which in general terms can include a skills assessment, health examinations, police clearances, document certification or translation, and biometrics where required. These ancillary costs are paid to the relevant providers, not to the Department, and they vary. Importantly, the VAC and any other government charges are separate from any fees charged by this platform or by an independent practitioner for professional services. Government charges are always distinct from platform or practitioner fees. Because amounts and additional-applicant charges change over time, check the official page and the government estimator for current figures, and a registered practitioner can help map out the likely total for a specific situation.

Frequently asked questions