Subclass 187

Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme

Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme Subclass 187

This visa is for skilled workers who want to work in regional Australia. This visa involves a two-step process, firstly, nomination by an Australian employer and then an application under the nominated stream.

This visa has two streams:

Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream:

This stream may be available if your employer wishes to sponsor you for permanent residence.

You may be eligible under this stream if you are the holder of a Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa (subclass 482) or a Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457) (not granted under labour agreement arrangements) or a related associated Bridging visa and you have worked for your employer for at least:

three out of the previous four years (before the nomination is made) in the same position that they have nominated you for or
two out of the previous three years before the nomination is made, if transitional arrangements apply because you either held, or were an applicant for, a subclass 457 visa (which was subsequently granted) on 18 April 2017.

Direct Entry (DE) stream:

If you do not meet the requirements under the TRT stream (for example, because you have never, or only briefly worked in Australia), this stream may then be available if your employer still wishes to sponsor you for permanent residence.

Eligibility:

You might be able to get this visa if you:

have been nominated by an Australian employer in regional Australia and this nomination has been approved within six months before you apply - see Employers
are under the age of 45 years at the time of application
at time of application lodgement, have the required skills and qualifications for the position you have been nominated for – including holding (or being eligible for) any mandatory registration, license or professional membership
at time of application lodgement, have appropriate English language skills
meet health and character requirements
meet the requirements of the stream in which you apply.

Nomination:

You can apply for this visa only after you have been nominated by your employer in Australia. You must lodge your application within six months of the nomination being approved. You must apply for the visa in the stream and occupation in which your employer nominated you, or your application could be refused.

Age:

Even if you older than 45 years of age, you can still apply for this visa in certain circumstances - see Age, Skill and English requirements and exemptions.

Important: you may also be able to apply for a visa under the TRT stream if you are over 45 years of age but under 50, if transitional arrangements apply because you either held, or were an applicant for, a subclass 457 visa (which was subsequently granted) on 18 April 2017.

English language requirements:

You can show that your English is adequate by providing evidence at the time of application.

Skills, qualifications and experience:

You must have the required skills and qualifications for the position you have been nominated for.

Important: These requirements are different depending on the stream that you are nominated for.

Health:

You must meet certain health requirements. The results of your health examinations are generally valid for 12 months.

This applies to all members of your family unit included in your application, whether they are migrating or not.

You can organise your health examinations upfront before lodging a visa application.

Character:

You must meet certain character requirements. You must be prepared to provide a police certificate from each country you have lived in for 12 months or more during the past 10 years after you turned 16 years of age. Do not arrange for police certificates until we ask you to.

This applies to you and all members of your family unit listed in your application, whether they are migrating or not.

What this visa lets you do:

It lets you and any member of your family unit who has also been granted this visa to:

live in Australia and work permanently in regional Australia
stay in Australia indefinitely
work and study in Australia
enrol in Medicare, Australia's scheme for health-related care and expenses
apply for Australian citizenship (if you are eligible)
sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
travel to and from Australia for five years from the date the visa is granted (after that time, you will need a resident return visa or another visa to return to Australia).

Where can I lodge this visa?

You can be in or outside Australia when you apply. If you are in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa or a bridging visa A, B or C.

This visa is a permanent residence visa.