491 Visa NSW Program

491 Visa NSW Application Process

Step 1 – Seek Professional Assistance

Seeking professional migration advice about your eligibility for Australian immigration and the action plan.

Step 2 – EOI for New South Wales 491

You must submit a valid EOI (Expression of Interest) for New South Wales 491 and ensure the information in the EOI is accurate and up to date.

Step 3 – Registration of Interest for New South Wales 491 During A Submission Window

You must also to submit an application for Registration of Interest (ROI) for the New South Wales 491 program. Submission windows for the 2021-22 financial year are the months of August, October, January, and March. You can only registered your interest within those 4 months. If you are not invited to apply for nomination during a submission window, you must submit a new ROI in the later submission windows you wish to be considered in.

Step 4 – State Nomination Application for New South Wales 491

Once the New South Wales Government accepts your ROI, you will receive an invitation to apply for the New South Wales 491 state nomination. Please note, this is not the visa application, but an extremely critical step in getting the invitation for the later on 491 visa application.

Step 5 – Apply for 491 Visa

Once your state nomination application is approved, you will receive the approval letter and also the invitation to lodge an application for the 491 skilled visa.

Step 6 – Respond to any RFI requests by the Immigration

When Department of Home Affairs assess your visa application, they may send a number of RFI (Request for Further Information) to ask for more information for verification before making a decision on your visa application. It is critical that you fully understand the 491 visa requirement before you lodge the application.

491 Visa Requirements – Federal Government

You and your dependant family must satisfy the Department of Home Affairs requirements:

• • must be under age 45 when being nominated
  • obtain a full skills assessment for the skilled occupation that you have nominated
  • have competent level of English Language
  • scored at least 65 points or higher on the skilled migration point test

Nomination Requirements for 491 Visa NSW – State Government

There are 3 streams for New South Wales 491 visa. You must meet all criteria in one of the following three nomination streams to be eligible for NSW nomination.

Stream 1 – currently living and working in Regional NSW

To be eligible under Stream 1, one must meet the following criteria:

• obtained a valid skills assessment for an occupation on the Stream 1 Combined Occupation List
• has been living and working in his/her nominated (or closely related) occupation in a designated regional area of NSW for the past twelve months

As defined by the Department of Home Affairs, a closely related occupation falls within one unit group classified under ANZCO. These unit groups are identified by the first four digits of the ANZCO code for the occupation.

Stream 2 – recently completed study in Regional NSW

To be eligible under Stream 2, one must meet the following criteria:

• obtained a valid skills assessment for an occupation on one’s preferred region’s occupation list
• had completed study or education with an education provider, where:
  • the study was completed within the previous 24 months;
  • the education provider is in a designated regional area in NSW;
  • the study meets the Australian study requirement (as determined by Home Affairs);
  • the qualification obtained from this study was assessed as closely related to your nominated occupation by the relevant assessing authority
• has lived in a designated regional area of NSW while completing your study

Stream 3 – skilled in an occupation required in Regional NSW

To be eligible under Stream 3, one must meet the following criteria:

• obtained a valid skills assessment for an occupation on one’s preferred region’s occupation list
• currently living in an Australian state or territory

Please note the New South Wales Government states that they will not accept offshore applications. In other words, you must be currently residing in Australia to be eligible for NSW nomination.

Ausdirect Migration for 491 Visa NSW

Our team at Ausdirect Migration is very experienced in managing migration programs in relation to New South Wales Visa applications. We have provided top quality migration services to onshore and offshore clients to support them study in NSW and apply for migration through NSW.

Book a consultation with us today. We look forward to hearing from you and the opportunity to assist you in managing your immigration journey.