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Planning to apply for a 494 visa or the Temporary Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional visa? Your pathway to career advancement and permanent residency in exciting regional Australia is here. For a stress-free 494 visa application this 2026, consult with a legal expert and migration specialist at Parish Patience.
The Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Visa 494 lets recipients study, work, and live in Australia for up to five (5) years. It’s also meant to benefit regional employers who can’t find skilled Australian workers in the region, making it necessary to source skilled workers overseas.
Regional areas are any area in Australia except Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. For migration purposes, the city of Perth and Gold Coast are also classified as regional areas where local employers can nominate eligible migrant workers.
As a holder of a visa 494 in Australia, you can:
If you are planning to work and live in Australia, the 494 visa will be your ticket to that dream. Note that there are different streams available, which are the following:
The employer-sponsored stream is perfect for skilled workers with a job offer from a regional employer. This type of visa lets you travel in and out of Australia permanently, as well as work and study in a specified regional area for five years. If eligible, you can also apply for permanent residency after three years.
The labour agreement stream is a type of 494 visa intended for workers nominated under a labour agreement between the Australian government and the employer. It allows you to stay in regional Australia for up to five years and work in your specified occupation (specialists, agriculture, and certain trade roles) as per the agreement. If eligible, you can also apply for permanent residency after three years.
The subsequent entrant stream is for family members of 494 visa holders who want to join the latter and live with them in Australia. It allows you to travel in and out of Australia and stay in the country for up to five years. You can also work and study in regional areas when you hold this visa.
To qualify for this visa, applicants must satisfy the following eligibility conditions:
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Regional employers also need to be evaluated. They must meet the following criteria:
According to the Department of Home Affairs, the cost of a 494 visa is AUD4,910. For additional adults over 18, the cost is AUD2,455; for children under 18, the cost is AUD1,230. The subclass 494 visa in Australia is a massive opportunity for skilled migrant workers who wish to live and render work in Regional Australia. To help set proper expectations, here is the general processing time for 494 visa applications under the employer-sponsored stream.
One of the benefits of holding a 494 visa is the prospect of attaining a permanent resident status through an appropriate PR visa, the most common of which is the subclass 191 permanent visa.
In order to qualify for PR, the following conditions must first be met:
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Parish Patience has been in existence as an Australian law firm since 1888. In the 1980s when substantial changes to immigration law were implemented, Parish Patience specialised in visa and all things immigration and has been serving international students, refugees, skilled migrant workers, and more since then.
With our extensive law and visa practice, you can rest easy knowing you’re in the hands of certified professionals.
Work only with a registered visa agent or an immigration lawyer who can expertly guide you through the entire visa application procedure.
While processing times vary case by case, you can at least assure that your application wouldn’t be frustratingly denied on the basis of incorrect information and missing documents, which mostly stem from the lack of professional assistance.
Just applying for a visa can cost you a significant amount of money, but make it all worth it by ensuring your application is successful the first time with a visa specialist’s assistance.
Our customers are always happy to share their thoughts with us.
Here is what some of them have said!
The team at parish Patience Immigration Lawyers were incredibly helpful throughout the application process. Their assistance made our lives so much less stressful and their expertise cleared up any confusion we had. They remained engaged with us the whole time and quickly responded to any questions with thoughtful, detailed answers. Special thanks to Usman Ali and Shan . We highly recommend the team at Parish patience immigration lawyer for anyone considering help regarding any kind of visa .
Highly recommended lawyers! Extremely professional and reliable service, with outstanding outcomes. A special thanks to Mr Thong and Marlene, for helping us with our difficult case. Not only did they ensure that everything was ready to go, but their professionalism came in favor when we were granted our visa within just under 6 months!
Thong and Marlene helped my partner gain permanent residency in Australia. We did the application ourselves but it turned out lots of information we needed to provide was missing. Thong and Marlene picked our case up and helped amend it. I really appreciate their help and guidance and look forward to contacting them again in the future. I am pleased by their efforts and professionalism.
Successfully handled my case. He had been prompt, caring and very professional in dealing with my case. I am glad to have received very strong support, guidance and service from them. I would highly recommend Parish patience immigration lawyers. I wish the best for their future prospects.
I’m really thankful for the guidance and assistance I’ve received regarding my Partner visa from Shan and his assistance Asha at Parish Patience. They handled my matter professionally and there were clear instructions from the beginning till end. I got my partner visa 820 granted in less than 7 months, thanks to their knowledge and expertise. I wish them all the best and highly recommend Parish Patience Immigration Lawyers for any sort of immigration matters.
The prospect of working and living in the beautiful backdrop of Regional Australia is absolutely exciting, but the stressful process of acquiring a visa may dampen your spirit. Allow our highly experienced immigration specialists to deal with the hassle of processing your visa. Let’s discuss your case more and assess your eligibility in a consultation.
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Both visa types are employer-sponsored that have individual advantages. In terms of age requirement, a 482 visa is better as there is no age limit. If you’re eyeing to obtain permanent residency, meanwhile, a 494 visa might be considered more preferable as it does not require employer sponsorship for the permanent 191 visa application.
If you need more detailed advice for your visa application, consult with a migration specialist from Parish Patience.
In order to qualify for a provisional 494 visa, one of the key eligibility requirements is to pass a mandatory skills assessment for the nominated regional skilled occupation.
The 494 visa English requirements specify that you must have a ‘competent’ level of English which, if you take the IELTS, means having a score of no less than 6.0 on each part of the test.
After being a 494 visa holder for at least three (3) years, you can apply for a permanent visa under subclass 191. Aside from the minimum residency and work requirements, you must also have an annual taxable income of at least AUD $53,900 for each year. You may have to work more than one job in your regional area to meet this income requirement, but it’s definitely worth it.
