If you are currently holding a 489 Skilled Regional (provisional) Visa and wish to live and work in Australia permanently, then Skilled Regional Visa Australia is one of your best options. In this article, we are going to give you a comprehensive introduction to this type of visa

What do you Know about Skilled Regional Visa Australia?

This visa is designed for those who have already lived in Australia Regional areas and currently holding an eligible visa (including Skilled Regional Visa). Once you have 887 Skilled Regional Visa, you will be able to:

• Live and work in Australia permanently
• Enroll in Australia public health care scheme (Medicare)
• Sponsor your family member to come to Australia
• Travel from or to Australia as many times as you want
• Apply to become Australia Citizen

Generally, the most crucial benefit from Skilled Regional Visa Australia is permanent residency, which will enable you to receive all kinds of welfare from the government as well as it will open up more employment opportunities to you. Since you are currently on 489 Skilled Regional Visa, it means you have already met the most of criteria to apply for 887 Skilled Regional Visa.

It would be natural to consider 887 Skilled Regional Visa as the pathway towards your permanent residency. In the next section, let’s discuss what exactly the eligibility criteria are to apply for an 887 Skilled Regional Visa. 

Am I Eligible to Apply for Skilled Regional Visa?

In order to apply for 887 Skilled Regional Visa, you need to meet the following conditions:

• You are currently in Australia on an eligible visa. There are a number of visa types, including Skilled Regional Visa Australia, which can be categorised as an eligible visa. For detailed information, please click here
• You must have already lived in an Australia regional area specified in your current visa for over two years
• You must have worked full-time in the occupation specified in your current visa for over one year
• You need to have at least functional English level (average band score of 4.5 in IELTS or equivalent)
• Meet health and character requirement set by Australia Home Affair Department
• You and your family member must not have debts in any form to Australia government
• You do not have your visa cancelled or visa application refused in the past

What is the Step-By-Step Process to Apply for Skilled Regional Visa?

If you meet all the requirements mentioned above, you can start your visa application process right away. To do so, you just need to simply follow the steps below:

• Gather all the documents (including your current visa, evidence of work, evidence of English skill, evidence of residence etc) to prove you are eligible to apply for this 887 Skilled Regional Visa. For the list of all documents you will need, you can find the list from here
• Once you have all the necessary documents ready, you can apply for this visa online through this website https://online.immi.gov.au/lusc/login. You will first need to create an Immigration Account and upload your prepared documents.
• Then pay the fee charged for the visa application. Before you log out, please note your transaction reference number (TRN). This number can be used to check the progress of your application process in the future.
• After you have successfully lodged your visa application, you will be granted a bridging visa while the application is being processed. Once the process is completed, you will be notified of the result of your visa application.

Is There any Other Type of Visa can Provide Permanent Residency than Skilled Regional Visa?

For any reason, you cannot apply for 887 Skilled Regional Visa, there are still plenty of other visa options toward permanent residency. We have such options listed below:

• Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186)
• Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
• Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) 
• Skilled Regional visa (subclass 887)
• Regional Sponsor Migration Scheme (subclass 187) 

Each type of above visa will have different requirements and some of them may require sponsorship. To find the information on other types of visa, you can simply search the visa name from our blog posts.

if you are having trouble with anything involved in the Visa application, our Pathway Education and Visa Service’s registered immigration consultant are happy to help you out!