Point Test And Visa Subclass Changes – Nov 2019

Introducing new Regional provisional visas- Subclass 491 & 494 and Regional Permanent visa- Subclass 191. GSM Points test will change on 16th November 2019.

 Key points:

• Three new visas will help expand regional Australia (i.e., designated regional areas).

The designated regional areas are of entire Australia, except for Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Subclass 491 visa – Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) from 16 November 2019

• Replacement of Subclass 489
• Must have been invited to apply for this visa through the EOI system
• Need nomination by a State or Territory government agency or sponsored by relative in designated regional areas
• Age limit- 45
• Must nominate a skilled occupation with skill assessment.

Subclass 191 visa – Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa, from 16 Nov 2022, for 491 holders who meet requirements

• have earned a minimum taxable income (not released yet) for three years as the holder of a regional provisional visa ; and
• have complied with the conditions of the regional provisional visa; in particular, including that the holder must live, work and study in a designated regional area of Australia.
• Must have followed the regional provisional visa conditions, especially living, working and studying in the designated areas of Australia.

Please be noted that if your current visa or your last substantive visa is a Subclass 491 Visa, you must have held that visa for at least 3 years at the time of application (with exception) to apply for other visas such as a subclass 124(Distinguished Talent), 132 (Business Talent), 186 ( Employer Nomination Scheme), 188 (Business Innovation and Investment- provisional), 189 ( Skilled- Independent) and 190 (Skilled- Nominated).

New conditions to 491 & 494 visas:

• Condition 8578 requires the visa holder to notify Immigration of any change, within 14 days of the change occurring, to the holder’s residential address, an email address of the holder, a phone number of the holder, the holder’s passport details, the address of an employer of the holder, or the address of the location of a position in which the holder is employed.
• Condition 8579 requires that while the visa holder is in Australia, he must live, work and study only in a designated regional area.
• Condition 8580 requires that, if requested in writing by the Minister to do so, the visa holder must within 28 days provide any or all of the following: the visa holder’s residential address, the address of their employer or employers; the address of the location of each position in which the holder is employed; the address of any educational institution attended by the visa holder.
• Condition 8581 requires the visa holder, if requested in writing by the Minister, to attend an interview at a place and time or in the manner specified in the request. The interview may be face to face or undertaken using modern video conferencing applications such as Skype or Facetime.

Changes on Points test for General Skilled Migration: (apply to 189, 190, 489, and 491) from 16 November 2019

• 15 points for nomination by a State or Territory government agency or sponsorship by a family member residing in regional Australia, to live and work in regional Australia;
• 10 points for certain Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) qualifications;
• Partner points
  • 10 points for a skilled spouse or de facto partner; Partner need a skills assessment or
  • 10 points for applicants without a spouse or de facto partner or partner is Australia citizen or PR or eligible NZ citizen or
  • 5 points for a spouse or de facto partner with ‘competent English’

For detailed consultation regarding these changes opt our free counselling session by registration on +91 88 66 88 0707 or [email protected]