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Fact Sheet 26 - State Specific Regional Migration

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The Australian Government, in consultation with state and territory governments and regional development authorities introduced a range of State Specific and Regional Migration (SSRM) initiatives designed to help state and territory governments to:

These initiatives include flexible criteria which recognise the special circumstances of rural and regional areas. They aim to attract young, skilled, English speaking migrants to areas of Australia where they are most needed. They receive priority processing and rely on sponsorship by regional employers, state and territory governments or family members. This enables state and territory governments and regional employers to influence the number and profile of skilled migrants settling in their areas in line with their skill needs and development objectives.

Research into population distribution in Australia shows three major factors in determining where migrants settle:

The SSRM initiatives are consistent with these findings and are described below.

Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) visa

The Skilled – Regional Sponsored visa is for skilled people who wish to live and work in a Specified Regional Area ('designated' or 'regional' area) in Australia but are unable to meet the criteria to be granted a permanent visa.

Applicants for this visa must be sponsored by an eligible Australian relative living in a designated area or nominated by a state or territory government agency. Successful applicants are granted a three year temporary visa to give them time to satisfy the residence and employment criteria for a permanent visa.

To be eligible, applicants must pass the General Skilled Migration (GSM) points test and meet a range of basic requirements. Generally, applicants must be under 45 years of age, have good English ability, must nominate an occupation from the Skilled Occupation List and have their skills assessed by the relevant assessing authority.

Applicants must live, work and study only in a Specified Regional Area of Australia.

Pathway to permanent residence

When a Skilled – Regional Sponsored (provisional) visa holder has held their visa for at least two years they can apply for the permanent Skilled - Regional (subclass 887) visa provided they have lived for two years and worked full time for at least one year in a Specified Regional Area in Australia.

Skilled – Regional Sponsored visa holders also have the option of applying for a permanent visa with the support of a regional employer in regional Australia at any time. For information on the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme see below.

Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS)

The RSMS is specifically designed to assist regional employers nominate skilled migrants to fill a full time vacancy (available for at least two years) when there is a genuine need for a paid employee in a business located in regional Australia. Potential migrants may be identified through the Skill Matching Database.

The RSMS category is not points tested and applicants can be overseas or already in Australia on a qualifying temporary visa. All areas of Australia are covered except Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne and Perth.

Generally, applicants under the RSMS need to be less than 45 years of age, have functional English and hold a relevant trade, diploma or higher qualification.

The age, English language and skill requirements may be waived if the applicant can demonstrate that exceptional circumstances apply. An employer may also seek approval to waive the skill requirement for positions that are so unusual or highly specialised that the employer is unlikely to find anyone with the necessary formal qualifications.

Regional Certifying Bodies (RCBs)

RCBs assist employers to sponsor permanent or temporary skilled workers. Through their knowledge of the local labour market, they certify the nomination before it is submitted to the department for approval. Currently there are more than 50 gazetted RCBs covering regional areas in all Australian states and territories.
See: Regional Certifying Bodies

Visa cancellation provisions

RSMS visa cancellation provisions apply where:

If an employee's visa is cancelled, the visa for people who accompanied the employee to Australia may also be cancelled.

Cancellation of an RSMS visa will not occur where a nominated employee has made a genuine effort to complete the two years employment with the approved employer.
See: Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme

Business

State/Territory sponsorship for Business Skills Applicants

The State/Territory Sponsored Business Skills visa allows Australian state and territory governments to attract business people to assist in the economic development of specific areas. In particular, State and Territory Governments are actively encouraging Business Skills migrants to set up business in regional, rural or low population growth areas.

Under this category the majority of Business Skills migrants will enter Australia on a Business Skills (Provisional) temporary visa for four years.

After satisfactory evidence of a specified level of business or investment activity, holders of Business Skills (Provisional) visas may apply for permanent residence under the Business Skills (Residence) visa class. There is provision for business owners, senior executives and investors.

The State/Territory Sponsored Business Skills visas are not points-tested and applicants are able to take advantage of more flexible criteria in relation to age, business assets, English language ability, business turnover and investment levels at both the provisional and permanent residence stage. Each State and Territory Government has its own criteria for deciding who they will sponsor and the areas in Australia for which they will provide sponsorship.

Generally business migrants need to be less than 55 years of age, unless the business is determined to be of exceptional economic benefit.

Temporary Entry Initiatives

In addition to the Regional Migration initiatives discussed above, which lead to permanent residence in Australia, the following initiatives relate to temporary residence.

Temporary Business Long Stay Visa (Regional 457)

The Temporary Business Long Stay visa (Regional 457) incorporates flexible criteria to support Australian companies in regional areas seeking to sponsor skilled workers for up to four years.

Concessions to the usual skill and salary requirements may be made if an RCB certifies that the position in the area is necessary to the operations of the business and that the vacancy cannot reasonably be filled from the local labour market.
See: Booklet 11 Sponsoring a temporary overseas employee to Australia (230KB PDF file)

Medical practitioner

Australian organisations may sponsor medical practitioners from overseas for temporary entry of up to four years to fill positions that cannot easily be filled by an Australian doctor.

Doctors have been able to apply for the Temporary Business Long Stay visa (subclass 457) since April 2005. This is the preferred temporary visa pathway for doctors entering Australia. It allows applicants to take advantage of streamlined processing arrangements which include the ability to lodge applications over the internet using a special online application form.

The subclass 422 Medical Practitioner visa is still available as an alternative temporary entry visa for doctors. In certain situations, such as where a rural community or local council is seeking to sponsor a doctor to work in a sole person practice without a direct employer, the subclass 422 visa will continue to be the most appropriate visa category to use.

Applicants for temporary entry need to possess appropriate qualifications and at least have conditional registration to work in Australia as a medical practitioner. Medical practitioners with full medical registration may also be eligible to apply for permanent residence under any of the GSM categories.

Medical practitioners were placed on the SOL and the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) in 2004.

Investor Retirement visa

The Investor Retirement visa enables state and territory governments to sponsor self-funded retirees to settle in regional, rural and low population growth areas of Australia.

Applicants must be 55 years or older, have no dependents other than a spouse, significant assets and investment or pensions that can be used to establish a lifestyle in Australia and to generate income. They will be required to pay a second visa application charge to offset the possible cost of accessing aged care or nursing home services at a future time.

Working Holiday visa

People who do a minimum three months of specified work in regional Australia, on their first Working Holiday visa, may apply for a second Working Holiday visa. This encourages more people on Working Holiday visas to work in regional Australia and will also help make the Australian tourism industry more competitive in attracting these valuable tourists.

Where to get more advice

If you would like to know more about any of the topics in this fact sheet, please contact one of the following numbers in your state or territory:

Australian Capital Territory 02 6274 4541
New South Wales 02 9893 4915
Northern Territory 08 8946 3131
Queensland 07 3136 7414
07 3136 7441
South Australia 08 8237 6876
Tasmania 03 6220 4227
Victoria 03 9235 3808
03 9235 3822
Western Australia 08 9415 9074

Australian state and territory governments encourage more skilled migrants to settle in many regions of Australia.
See: Regional Initiatives – Overview

Further information is available on the department's web site.
See: www.immi.gov.au

The department also operates a national telephone service inquiry line.
Telephone: 131 881
Hours of operation: Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm (recorded information available outside these hours) for the cost of a local call anywhere in Australia.

Fact Sheet 26. Produced by the National Communications Branch, Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Canberra.
Revised 1 September 2007.

© Commonwealth of Australia 2007.