Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494)

The Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (SESR) visa is a temporary visa that provides a migration pathway to permanent residence via the Subclass 191 Permanent Residence (Skilled – Regional) visa. The visa is designed to respond to labour market shortages in regional Australia. It enables employers to recruit skilled overseas workers who are willing to live and work in regional Australia on an ongoing basis. The visa can only be used if the employer is genuinely unable to source appropriately skilled Australian workers.

There are two streams available under this visa program:

• Employer-Sponsored (ES) stream is for employers in regional Australia to recruit skilled overseas workers to work in specified skilled occupations for five years. Visa holders become eligible to apply for permanent residence after three years; and
• Labour Agreement (LA) stream is for employers in regional Australia who have a labour agreement with the Commonwealth to source skilled overseas workers to work in an occupation specified in the labour agreement for five years. Visa holders become eligible to apply for permanent residence after three years.

SESR visa holders who satisfied the primary criteria:

• must work for the approved sponsor in the approved occupation; 
• must live and work (and, if relevant, study) only in a designated regional area; 
• can bring eligible dependants with them to Australia if those dependants satisfy the secondary criteria — dependants can work and study (but must live, work and study only in a designated regional area); 
• can travel in and out of Australia while the visa is valid.