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Pathway

Australia Regional Employer-Sponsored Visa

Australia Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

Australia's Subclass 494 is a provisional employer-sponsored route for skilled workers nominated by an employer in designated regional Australia. It generally requires a regional employer nomination, an eligible occupation, relevant experience, competent English, and a suitable skills assessment.

Type
Employer-sponsored residence
Employer fit
People with an employer ready to sponsor them in Australia
Core requirements
Employer sponsorship, job terms, and qualifications
Renewal / path
Renewal depends on continued employment and may count toward long-term residence.
Salary requirement
AUD 76,515
Job offer required?
Yes (regional)

Summary

The Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (Subclass 494) lets an approved employer in designated regional Australia sponsor a skilled worker for up to 5 years. It has an Employer Sponsored stream and a Labour Agreement stream.

This is a provisional regional visa, not permanent residence. After holding it for at least 3 years, a compliant holder may be able to apply for permanent residence through Subclass 191.

For migration purposes, "regional" includes much of Australia outside Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, but the official postcode instrument controls. Both the position and the visa holder's residence, work and study must meet the applicable regional conditions.

Pathway fit check

Eligibility

In the Employer Sponsored stream, the main applicant usually must:

The employer must operate in a designated regional area, demonstrate a genuine position and meet labor-market, market-salary and sponsorship requirements. A regional certifying body generally assesses the annual market salary rate for the position.

For nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 through 30 June 2027, the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold used for Subclass 494 is AUD 79,423. The worker must also receive at least the annual market salary rate. Thresholds are indexed and labor agreements can contain specific concessions, so check the nomination-date rule.

The Labour Agreement stream follows the agreement's occupation, age, English, skills and salary terms. It is not available simply because the ordinary Employer Sponsored criteria are difficult.

What This Route Allows

The visa permits the holder and eligible accompanying family to live, work and study in designated regional areas for 5 years and travel while the visa is valid.

After at least 3 years, an eligible holder may apply for Subclass 191 permanent residence. Current 191 rules require three ATO notices of assessment but do not impose a minimum income amount.

What This Route Is Not

Subclass 494 is not unrestricted work permission. The main holder must begin work within the required 90-day period and generally work only in the nominated occupation for the nominating employer or associated entity, unless an exemption applies.

It is not automatically permanent after 3 years. The holder must make a separate Subclass 191 application and prove visa-condition compliance, tax assessments, health and character.

"Regional" is not a casual description. A postcode outside a capital city's center may still need checking, and remote work for a regional employer does not necessarily satisfy where the holder must live and work.

Next Steps

  1. Check the job location against the official designated-regional postcode list.
  2. Confirm the occupation, assessing authority, 3 years of experience, age and English requirements.
  3. Have the employer establish sponsorship status, labor-market testing, regional-certifying-body advice and annual market salary rate.
  4. Use the AUD 79,423 threshold only for nominations in the 2026–27 period; check current indexation for later lodgment.
  5. Make sure the nomination and visa evidence use consistent duties, occupation code, salary, location and employment terms.
  6. After grant, retain address, employment, tax and notification records from day one for a future 191 application.
Compare your options

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Sources