The said changes are already incorporated into government legislation. Of course, there is a possibility of it being revoked at any time (as with any other legislation), for various reasons (including change in government), but considering all situations, that possibility can be said to be negligible at the moment.
Highlights of the New Skilled Regional Visa Sub-class 491
- The visa subclass 489 (Skilled – Regional (Provisional)) visa will be closed and replaced with visa subclass 491 which translates to the permanent visa of 191 after three years, provided all conditions are met.
- If you apply for the subclass 489 before 16 November 2019, you can still convert to 887 PR two years later if you meet the existing criteria.
- Stay in regional area for 2 years
- The applicant MUST have earned a minimum taxable income for three years and MUST live, work and study in a designated regional area of Australia.
- For the new skilled regional visa, you need to meet the requirements of:
Condition 8578 requires the visa holder to notify Immigration of any change, within 14 days of the change occurring, to the holder’s residential address, an email address of the holder, a phone number of the holder, the holder’s passport details, the address of an employer of the holder, or the address of the location of a position in which the holder is employed.
Condition 8579 requires that while the visa holder is in Australia, they must live, work and study only in a designated regional area.
Condition 8580 requires that, if requested in writing by the Minister to do so, the visa holder must within 28 days provide any or all of the following: the visa holder’s residential address, the address of their employer or employers; the address of the location of each position in which the holder is employed; the address of any educational institution attended by the visa holder.
Condition 8581 requires the visa holder, if requested in writing by the Minister, to attend an interview at a place and time or in the manner specified in the request. The interview may be face to face or undertaken using modern video conferencing applications such as Skype or Facetime.
Source: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2019L00578/Explanatory%20Statement/Text
Comments:
For the Visa 489, it takes just 2 years in order to convert it to PR but for the new 491, there are more requirements for you to meet before you get your PR and it is going to take a longer time.
Also, previously, you could apply for both Visa 489 and 189/190 simultaneously. But under the new legislation, you’ll only be allowed to apply for one at a time.
So, if possible, opt to directly take the Permanent Visa of 189/190.
Act now and score band 79 in PTE to increase your chance of migrating via Visa 189/190.
Contact Master PTE at +6016-361-9357 for more information.
