The Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 494) enables regional Australian employers to address severe local labour shortages by sponsoring skilled overseas professionals. This pathway is utilised when businesses cannot source an appropriately skilled Australian worker within their designated regional territory. Expert Education and Visa Services delivers expert immigration advice to help both businesses and applicants navigate this regional sponsorship framework seamlessly.
What the Subclass 494 Visa Offers
Live, work, and study within a designated regional area of Australia for up to five years. One Planet Migration Law
Enrolled primary visa holders and their immediate family members enjoy immediate access to Australia's public healthcare scheme. Visa Empire
Travel to and from Australia as frequently as you wish for the entire five-year validity of the visa.
Transition cleanly to permanent residency after three years of complying with regional visa conditions via the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) Visa (Subclass 191).
The Three Active Application Streams
The Subclass 494 visa framework operates across three distinct pathways depending on your employer's sponsorship profile:
1. Employer Sponsored Stream
This standard pathway is for skilled workers who have a genuine full-time job offer from an approved regional business sponsor.
You must be under 45 years of age at the time of your visa application, unless an explicit exemption applies. Skilled Occupation: Your profession must be present on the relevant regional skilled occupations list.
You must possess at least 3 years of full-time, relevant post-qualification work experience in your nominated occupation. Skills Assessment: A valid, positive skills assessment from your occupation's authorised assessing body is mandatory prior to lodging the visa application. Language Threshold: You must meet the "Competent English" benchmark (equivalent to an IELTS minimum score of 6.0 in all bands or a matching PTE Academic score).
2. Labour Agreement Stream
This stream applies if your nominating regional employer has secured a formal, customised Labour Agreement negotiated directly with the Australian Government.
Age limitations, English proficiency minimums, and specific skills requirements are uniquely dictated by the terms of the individual corporate Labour Agreement under which you are sponsored.
3. Subsequent Entrant Stream
This stream is designed specifically for immediate family members (partners and dependent children) who are applying separately to join a primary Subclass 494 visa holder already working in regional Australia.
Subsequent entrants are granted the same visa expiration date as the primary holder and receive full work and study rights within designated regional zones.
Secondary applicants aged 18 or older must demonstrate a basic level of "Functional English". If they cannot provide certified test results, a mandatory secondary instalment charge of AUD 4,890 must be paid prior to visa grant.
2026 Government Fees & Wage Thresholds
From AUD 4,910 for the primary applicant, AUD 2,455 for each dependent aged 18 and over, and AUD 1,230 for each dependent under 18.
Sponsoring regional employers must prove that the offered salary meets the Annual Market Salary Rate (AMSR) and complies with the updated Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT). The baseline threshold is $76,515 (indexed to $79,499 from 1 July 2026), excluding superannuation.
Disclaimer: Visa fees and minimum salary thresholds are subject to change due to government indexation and policy updates. Because amounts vary, please verify current figures on the official Australian Department of Home Affairs website or consult our migration agents before applying.