NSW Skilled Work Regional Visa (subclass 491) and 190 Visa Update

The Subclass 491 visa is a provisional visa for skilled workers. The NSW Government may nominate eligible skilled applicants who meet the eligibility criteria and are willing to working in critical sectors in regional New South Wales. The NSW governments are currently nominating applicants under the following streams:

Applicants under Stream 1: Living and working in regional NSW.

• To be eligible for NSW nomination under this stream you must:
• · hold a valid skills assessment for an occupation that appears on your nominated occupations list;
• · have been living in a designated regional area of NSW for at least the previous 12 months; and
• · have been working in your nominated occupation, or a closely related occupation, in a designated regional area of NSW, for at least the previous 12 months.

Applicants under Stream 2– Recently completed a study in regional NSW.

• To be eligible for NSW nomination under this stream you must:
• Hold a valid skills assessment for an occupation that appears on your nominated region’s occupation list;
• Have completed study or education with an education provider, where:
• The study was completed within the previous 24 months;
• The education provider is in a designated regional area in NSW;
• The study meets the Australian study requirement (as determined by Home Affairs); and
• The qualification obtained from this study was assessed as closely related to your nominated occupation by the relevant assessing authority; and
• Have lived in a designated regional area of NSW while completing your study.

Applicants under Stream 3–Living and working outside of regional NSW can no longer apply.

From February 2021, Regional Development Australia (RDA) offices have begun assisting NSW Treasury in managing the subclass 491 visa. Each RDA office will accept and assess applications and determine eligible occupations for their respective regions; however, nomination criteria are consistent across all regions.

RDA offices will focus on nominating applicants who are undertaking skilled work in critical sectors. These applicants are a priority for the Government in supporting economic recovery following the impacts of COVID-19.

NSW is currently working from reduced skilled occupation lists at the direction of the Department of Home Affairs. These lists are subject to change without notice. NSW does not release information about the overall quota of nomination places, or allocation of places to each occupation.

Click on the participating regions for a list of eligible occupations: ·

List of participating regions 

• Central Coast
• Central West
• Far South Coast
• Far West
• Hunter
• Illawarra
• Mid North Coast
• Northern Inland
•  Northern Rivers
• Orana
• Riverina
• Southern Inland (including Murray region)
• Sydney

Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)

Subclass 190 Visa is a permanent visa for points-tested skilled workers who are nominated by a state or territory government agency. NSW may nominate applicants if you can meet all of the below criteria:

• You must be under 45 years of age
• You must obtain a minimum score of 65 points in your SkillSelect EOI.
• At the time of invitation, you must have an English score of at least competent English or hold a passport from an eligible country.
• You must hold a valid skills assessment in an occupation that is on the NSW subclass 190 visa occupation list.
• You must be currently residing in NSW.

Click on the NSW 190 occupations list for a list of eligible occupations:

NSW Skilled Nominated (Permanent) visa (subclass 190) occupations

For further assistance with applying for your NSW nomination, please get in touch with the Registered Migration Agents at Better Life Migration on 0415 419 414 or visit www.betterlifemigration.com.au. 

 Source: NSW Business