Streams

• Employer Sponsored (ES): for approved standard business sponsors in designated regional areas nominating a specified occupation.
• Labour Agreement (LA): for sponsors with an executed labour agreement that specifies eligible occupations and any concessions.

Both streams use the same visa (Subclass 494); your stream is set by the approved nomination.

What the 494 visa lets you do

• Live, work and study only in designated regional areas
• Work only in your approved occupation for your approved sponsor
• Change sponsors inside the 494: allowed once your new nomination is approved (you must not change employer before approval, unless your occupation is in a small exempt list).
• Start work promptly and do not cease for long periods.
• Travel in and out of Australia while the visa is valid.
• Include eligible family members; they must also live/study in regional areas.

Quick Summary:

• Approved nomination (same stream as your visa; still in effect at decision).
• Genuine position and genuine intent to perform the nominated occupation.
• Age: under 45 at time of application (exemptions exist; see below).
• English: Competent English at time of application (no general exemptions).
• Skills: Suitable skills assessment at time of application (see exemptions below).
• Experience: 3 years’ full-time skilled employment at the required level (can be pro-rated from part-time; casual not counted) see exemptions below.
• Onshore applicants: must hold a substantive or BVA/BVB/BVC and not be barred.

RCB advice & salary (AMSR/LMT) = nomination matters handled by the employer. They are not visa criteria (but your visa can’t be granted without a valid nomination).

Stream specifics

Employer Sponsored (ES) stream

• Direct employer (or associated entity) is required on-hire/labour supply to unrelated businesses is not permitted (unless your occupation is in the exempt instrument).
• Skills assessment: required at time of application, not a Subclass 485 assessment.
• Experience: 3 years full-time at the correct skill level (can be cumulative).
• English: Competent English (IELTS 6 in each band or equivalent; eligible passports accepted).
• Age: under 45 (unless an age-exempt category applies).

Labour Agreement (LA) stream

• Occupation must be in the labour agreement.
• Age, English, skills/experience are as specified in the agreement concessions may apply.
• Terms & conditions must be no less favourable than for Australians in equivalent roles.

Exemptions (who can be excused from some rules)

Certain cohorts can be exempt from age, skills assessment, and/or 3-year experience, including:

• Academic applicants (Australian universities; Lecturer/Faculty Head)
• Regional medical practitioner applicants (specified regional service history on 457/TSS).
• Science applicants (researcher/scientist/technical specialist) nominated by eligible agencies/universities.
• Subclass 444/461 workers (NZ citizen or their eligible family member) meeting the specified 2-in-3 employment with the nominator.
• Subclass 457/482 high-income workers meeting the FWHIT each of the required years with the nominator.

(Exemption scope differs: some waive age, others skills assessment and/or experience. We check your exact facts against the current legislative instrument.)

English language (Competent English)

Provide one of the following within 3 years before lodgement:

• IELTS 6.0 in each band
• PTE Academic 50 in each band
• TOEFL iBT: L 12, R 13, W 21, S 18
• OET: B in each component
• Cambridge C1 Advanced: 169 in each band
• OR a passport from the UK, USA, Canada, NZ, or Ireland.

No at-home/online test variants are accepted.

No general English exemptions apply to 494 ES (LA can have concessions if written into the agreement).

Skills assessment important rules

• Must be suitable for the exact 6-digit ANZSCO.
• A Subclass 485 skills assessment is not acceptable.
• For trades, assessments via TRA (or OSAP RTO overseas where required) count.
• If registration/licensing is also the skills assessment (e.g., some AHPRA Board cases), full registration can satisfy the skills assessment requirement.

Work experience: how the 3 years are counted

• Must be full-time (generally 38 hrs/week, or award-consistent 32–45 hrs), paid, and at the required skill level.
• Can be cumulative (not necessarily continuous; can include overseas).
• Part-time can be pro-rated; casual does not count.
• Study-related placements can count only where they meet skill-level rules (e.g., PY internship, medical internships/clinical placements).
• Performing-arts “performance experience” can count where appropriate.

Regional conditions & work condition

• Must live, work and study only in designated regional areas and notify changes.
• You must work only in your nominated occupation for your approved sponsor; start work promptly and do not cease for extended periods; you cannot change occupation without a new 494 visa and new nomination; and you cannot change employer before the new nomination is approved (except for limited exempt occupations).

Breaches of conditions can lead to visa cancellation.

Visa length & family

• Visa is granted for 5 years from approval.
• Family members (secondary applicants) get the same end date and must also live/study regionally.
• Secondary Applicant (18+) without Functional English pay a second VAC before grant.

Pathway to PR: Subclass 191 (Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional))

You may apply for Subclass 191 after you:

1. hold your 494 for at least 3 years,
2. comply with your 494 conditions, and
3. show taxable income while holding the 494.

Restrictions on other permanent visas

To steer 494 holders toward the 191 pathway, legislation limits access to several other permanent visas for 3 years after grant (e.g., 186, 189, 190, some talent and business visas), and you cannot validly apply for a Partner 820 until you’ve held the 494 for 3 years, unless a specified exception applies.

Application process (simple view)

1. Sponsorship (or Labour Agreement)
2. Nomination (occupation, AMSR/LMT/RCB as required [employer’s step])
3. Visa (you + family)

You can lodge visa and nomination close together, but the visa cannot be granted until the nomination is approved.

Fees & costs

• Visa Application Charges (VACs): primary, each adult secondary, and each child secondary.
• Second VAC applies to adults without Functional English.
• SAF levy is payable by the employer at nomination (rates depend on turnover and, for 494, may be reduced when changing sponsors mid-visa).
• Government fees are indexed periodically; we confirm the current schedule before lodgement.

FAQs

Do I (the applicant) need to get RCB approval?

No. RCB advice (where required) is part of the employer’s nomination process. It is not a visa criterion.

Is there an annual cap of 10,000 places?

Planning levels are set by government and can change. They are not part of visa criteria.

Is GTE relevant?

No. GTE is a student visa concept and does not apply to Subclass 494.

Can I switch employers?

Yes, after your new nomination is approved (unless you’re in an exempt occupation). You must stay in the same occupation, otherwise you need a new 494 visa.

How is “regional” defined?

All of Australia except Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane. Perth and the Gold Coast are regional.