Overview of Subclass 491 visa
Do you know the Australian immigration government is constantly updating its immigration requirement for skilled professionals? Yes, one of the result is change of subclass 489 to subclass 491. The Skilled – Nominated (Provisional) visa has been replaced with Subclass 491 visa. It is an Australian state sponsored visa for professionals who wish to live, work and settle in the low populated regional areas of the country.
The states and territories which take part in this Subclass 491 visa are:

• New South Wales
• Northern Territory
• Queensland
• South Australia 
• Tasmania
• Victoria
• Western Australia

What are the features of Subclass 491 visa?

The subclass 491 visa is recently replaced visa type of subclass 489. During the time of getting replaced, the visa had a few changes and the rest of the features remained same.

• The visa allows the eligible skilled candidates to live, work, and settle in the designated reginal areas for  years
• After completing the 3 years, the candidates are eligible to apply for Australia PR
• TO be eligible for the visa, it is needed to obtain a nomination by an Australia state/territory government agency (or)
• Should have a sponsorship from eligible family members who are residing in Australia (or)
• After submitting the (Expression of Interest) EOI in SkillSelect, need to get invited by a designated regional area

What can be a sponsor for subclass 491 visa?

The eligibility requirements to sponsor for this visa type are:

• Should be above the age group of 18
• Must have occupation listed in the MTSSL occupation list
• Can be a resident in Australia’s designated area 
• Be a citizen or permanent resident of Australia or be an eligible New Zealand citizen
• Can be an eligible relative of your partner 

Who is an eligible relative to sponsor for subclass 491 visa?

The eligible relatives who can sponsor for the visa type are:

• Applicant’s parent
• A child or step-child
• A first cousin
• A brother, A sister, adopted sister or brother, step-brother or sister
• An uncle, aunt, adopted uncle or aunt, step-uncle or aunt
• A niece, nephew, adopted nephew or niece, or step-niece or nephew
• A grandparent

How to apply for Subclass 491 visa?

The step-by-step process to apply for subclass 491 visa are:

Step 1: Submit your EOI through Skillselect

Step 2: Gather the required documents to support your visa application and declare that you are eligible to apply for the visa

Step 3: Obtain an invitation to apply to submit your application for PR visa. After obtaining the ITA, you will be provided with 60 days to submit the application with required information and details

Step 4: After applying to the visa application, you need to wait to get your application receive the visa grant from the Australia immigration departments

Step 5: The decision of the visa performance will be stated by the immigration officer. While granting the application, you will be provided with the information related to visa grant number, date of the visa commencement, visa conditions to move ahead

What type of documents should be submitted for visa success?

The documents that are required for processing the application for subclass 491 visa are:

• Identity proofs
• Documents related to relationship status
• Character documents
• Language proficiency test results
• If spouse is accompanying need to provide partner documents
• If dependents are accompanying, need to provide their documents
• Skills Assessment
• Documents submitted during EOI
• Sponsoring documents
• Nomination related documents

What is the minimum score requirement on the point’s grid for subclass 491 visa?

It is very important to score at least 65 points on the point’s test to qualify for the visa application. There are many factors such as age, education, work experience, language proficiency to obtain a score. Along with these, there are even more factors that help you to score more, such as 

• Extra 10 points can be obtained for a skilled partner
• 5 Points can be obtained for spouse’s language competency
• 15 Points for obtaining a nomination from state or territory’
• 15 Points if having a family member to sponsor 
• Meeting the STEM occupation, helps to score at least 10 points
• If having a partner in Australia as a citizen or permanent resident, then allowed to score 10 points

Does my profile meet the eligibility of subclass 491 visa?

Australia is updating its changes regularly to meet the eligibility needs of the candidates. Applying for the application without considering the requirement can create problems in the application. Hence, it is crucial to process the application with the best guidance or from expert immigration consultants. This will help to reduce the loss of the application and benefit for the application success.