By Peter Toms, Principal Lawyer · Updated 12 November 2026
The Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (subclass 494) visa lets businesses in regional Australia sponsor skilled workers for up to five years. After three years, it provides a pathway to permanent residence through the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) (subclass 191) visa.
It suits employers who cannot find the skills they need locally, and workers who are willing to live and work in regional Australia.
The short answer: the 494 can be a good pathway, but only if you are prepared to live and work in regional Australia for several years.
Why choose a 494?
For employers, it gives access to skilled workers where there is a genuine regional shortage.
For workers, it offers a clear path to permanent residence through the 191, once the residence, work and income requirements are met. Partners and dependent children can generally be included, with work and study rights.
The obligations
- Live, work and study in a designated regional area for the whole time you hold the visa (condition 8579).
- Work for your sponsor, in the nominated role, on the terms set out in the nomination.
- If your employment ends, you generally have up to 180 days at a time (and 365 days in total over the visa) to find a new sponsor, apply for another visa, or leave Australia. Going over that limit breaches condition 8608.
Expect the Department to check compliance. It can ask for evidence of where you live and work, so keep good records of your address, duties, hours, pay and dates.
Who needs to qualify: the business, the role and the person
The business. The employer must be lawfully and actively operating in a designated regional area, be (or become) an approved sponsor, and be able to sustain the position financially.
The role. The position must be genuine, located in a regional area, in an eligible occupation, and paid at least the market salary rate and the TSMIT ($79,423 for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026). The employer usually needs advice from a Regional Certifying Body about the salary and the regional need, and Labour Market Testing is usually required.
The person. Generally, you need a positive skills assessment for the occupation, at least three years of relevant full-time experience, and Competent English. You must be under 45 when you apply, unless an exemption applies. Health and character requirements also apply.
How the process runs
- Sponsorship: the employer applies to become a sponsor, if it is not already approved.
- Regional Certifying Body advice: the employer obtains advice on the salary and the regional need.
- Nomination: the employer nominates the position, with evidence of the duties, salary, market rate, Labour Market Testing and location.
- Visa: the worker lodges the visa application, with the skills assessment, experience, English, health and character evidence.
You do not have to wait for one stage to be approved before lodging the next, but a later stage cannot be approved unless the earlier one is.
494 or 482?
If the role and salary fit the regional framework, and you can meet the 494 requirements, the 494 offers a defined path to permanent residence through the 191. If the job is in a metropolitan area, or the regional obligations do not suit the employer or the worker, the 482 Skills in Demand visa may be the better option, with permanent residence through the 186.
Age and timing
For some people, age is the deciding factor. If you are close to 45, you may not be able to complete two years on a 482 before you are too old for the 186. Provided you are under 45 when you apply for the 494 (or an exemption applies), you can complete your three years regionally and then apply for the 191, which has no upper age limit. For people in their early 40s, this can be the difference between having a pathway to permanent residence and not having one.
The pathway to permanent residence (subclass 191)
After holding the 494 for at least three years, living and working in a regional area and meeting the taxable income requirement in at least three income years, you may be able to apply for the 191. You must have complied with your visa conditions, and you must meet all the criteria in force when you apply.
Where cases go wrong
- Generic salary data, or advertisements that do not comply with Labour Market Testing rules.
- Duties that do not match the nominated occupation.
- Living or working outside a designated regional area.
- Going over the 180-day or 365-day limit after employment ends.
- A skills assessment or English result that is missing, expired or at the wrong level.
- Changing employer before a new nomination is in place.
Related guides
- Salary requirements to nominate an overseas worker
- The 482 (Skills in Demand) Visa
- Stopped working for your sponsoring employer? What you need to know
- Looking for a pathway to permanent residency in Australia?
How we can help
Contact us if you are an employer in regional Australia, or a worker considering a 494. We can assess whether it is the right pathway.
Book a consultation, email us at info@leytonstonelaw.com, or call +61 (02) 8114 4577.
Disclaimer: This article is general information only and is not legal advice. Immigration law and policy change often, and every case depends on its own facts. Please seek advice about your individual circumstances before making any decision.