Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa (subclass 187)

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Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa (subclass 187)

Features
This visa is a permanent residence visa for skilled workers who want to work in regional Australia. It allows you to work in Australia under one of three streams:

  • ·         the Temporary Residence Transition stream
  • ·         the Direct Entry stream
  • ·         the Agreement stream.




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Eligibility
You must:
  • ·         be nominated by an approved Australian employer for a job in regional Australia (anywhere except the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong or Melbourne)
  • ·         are under 50 years of age, if you are applying under the Temporary Residence stream, or you are under 45 years of age if you are applying under the Direct Entry stream.
  • ·         meet the skills, qualifications and English language requirements of the position
  • ·         meet the other requirements of one of the streams of this visa.


The process

Processing time
Stream
75 percent of applications processed
90 percent of applications processed
Temporary Residence Transition stream
9 Months
15 Months

Direct Entry stream
14 Months
15 Months

Agreement stream
Unavailable due to the low volume of applications.
Unavailable due to the low volume of applications.
Last updated 18 September 2017 (for month ending  31 August 2017)
Processing times vary.
For more information read: https://www.xiphiasimmigration.com/australia-skilled.html
The streams
Temporary Residence Transition stream
The Temporary Residence Transition stream is for subclass 457 visa holders who have worked for at least two out of the three years (before the nomination is made), while holding a subclass 457 visa, in the same occupation with their nominating employer (who is not subject to a labour agreement and who has lodged a valid nomination with us under the Temporary Residence Transition stream), who wants to offer them a permanent position in that occupation.

Direct Entry stream
The Direct Entry stream is for:
  • ·         people who have been nominated by their employer under the Direct Entry stream
  • ·         people who have never, or only briefly, worked in Australia
  • ·         temporary residents who do not qualify for the Temporary Residence Transition stream.
  • ·         Agreement stream
  • ·         The Agreement stream is for subclass 457 visa holders nominated by an employer through a labor agreement.

Eligibility - All streams
  • ·         Who could get this visa
  • ·         You might be able to get this visa if you:
  • ·         have been nominated by an approved Australian employer in regional Australia (outside of the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong, and Melbourne) within six months before you apply
  • ·         are under the age of 50, if you are applying under the Temporary Residence stream, or are under the age of 45 if you are applying under the Direct Entry stream.
  • ·         at time of application lodgement, have the required skills and qualifications for the position you have been nominated for – you must hold any mandatory registration, license or professional membership, or you must already be fully assessed as suitable by the relevant body
  • ·         at time of application lodgement, have appropriate English language skills for Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream and Direct Entry (DE) stream.
  • ·         meet health and character requirements
  • ·         meet the requirements of the stream in which you apply.

Age

  • If you are older than 50 years of age, you can still apply for this visa.
English language requirements

  • You can show that your English is adequate by providing evidence at the time of application.
Health
  • You must meet certain health requirements. The results of your health examinations are generally valid for 12 months.
  • This applies to all members of your family unit included in your application, whether they are migrating or not.
  • You are able to organize your health examinations upfront before lodging a visa application.
Character
  • You must meet certain character requirements. You must be prepared to provide a police certificate from each country you have lived in for 12 months or more during the past 10 years after you turned 16 years of age. Do not arrange for police certificates until we ask you to.
  • This applies to you and all members of your family unit listed in your application, whether they are migrating or not.

Additional eligibility
Temporary Residence Transition stream
You might be able to get this visa under the Temporary Residence Transition stream if:

  • you are the holder of a Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457) and you satisfied the primary criteria for that visa.
  • At the time you make your application, you must provide evidence with your online application.
Direct Entry stream
You might be able to get this visa under the Direct Entry stream if one of the following applies to you:
  • have been nominated for a position under this stream and that nomination has been approved
  • you have never, or only briefly, worked in Australia
  • you hold a Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457) but do not qualify for the Temporary Residence Transition stream
  • you are applying directly from outside Australia.
  • At the time of application lodgement, you must provide evidence with your online application that you:
  • have at least competent English (unless you are exempt from this requirement)
  • meet the skills requirements, unless you are exempt.

Agreement stream
  • You might be able to get this visa under the Agreement stream if you are being sponsored by an employer through a tailored and negotiated labor agreement.
  • Your employer can advise if such an agreement is in place for your industry or occupation.
  • You must meet the age, skills and English language requirements stated in the agreement.

The visa
About this visa:
  • The Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa (subclass 187) is for skilled workers who want to work in regional Australia. This visa involves a two-step process, firstly, nomination by an approved Australian employer and then an application under the nominated stream. It is part of the Permanent Employer Sponsored Visa program.
  • You can apply for this visa only after you have been nominated by an employer in regional Australia – this means an area that is not on the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong, and Melbourne.

What this visa lets you do
This visa allows you and your family to live in Australia and work permanently in a regional area. A regional area is anywhere other than the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong, and Melbourne.
This is a permanent residence visa. It allows you and any family members who have also been granted this visa to:
  • stay in Australia indefinitely
  • work and study in Australia
  • enroll in Medicare, Australia's scheme for health-related care and expenses
  • apply for Australian citizenship (if you are eligible)
  • sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
  • travel to and from Australia for five years from the date the visa is granted (after that time, you will need a resident return visa or another visa to return to Australia).

Expression of interest
If you do not have an employer who will nominate you, you can submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) through SkillSelect. Prospective employers and state and territory governments can then view your details and decide whether to nominate you for skilled migration.
Your EOI must specify which stream you want to be considered for. No supporting documents are required at this time. You can lodge your EOI while you are in or outside Australia.
Information about business and employment in various states and territories is available:
  • ·         Australian Capital Territory
  • ·         New South Wales
  • ·         Northern Territory
  •  
  • ·         South Australia
  • ·         Tasmania
  • ·         Victoria
  • ·         Western Australia.

·         Location
  • You can be in or outside Australia when you apply. If you are in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa or a bridging visa A, B or C.

How long the visa lasts
  • This visa is a permanent residence visa.

Family
  • You can include the following people in your visa application at the time of lodgement:
  • your partner
  • your child/step-child or your partner’s child/step-child.
  • For detailed information regarding who you can include in your application see including family members in your application.
  • The application must include documentary evidence of their relationship to you.
  • Members of your family unit must be able to show that they meet health and character requirements.

Workers in Australia
  • Workers in Australia – including visa holders with permission to work – have rights under Australian workplace law.
  • The Fair Work Ombudsman’s Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT) provides information on pay rates, shift calculations, leave arrangements and notice and redundancy entitlements.
  • See also: Workplace rights for all visa holders working in Australia

Your obligations
  • You and your family must comply with all visa conditions and Australian laws.
  • We might cancel this visa if you do not make a genuine effort to begin employment with your employer within six months of:
  • your first entry to Australia if you were granted this visa while you were outside of Australia; or
  • the visa being granted if you were granted this visa while you were in Australia.
  • We might also seek to cancel this visa if you begin employment but do not remain in the position for the full two years.
  • If this happens, you will have a chance to explain, in writing, why your visa should not be canceled.

Employers
  • Information for employers who want to nominate a skilled worker (and members of their family unit included in their application), for this visa.

Who can nominate a skilled worker for this visa
You can nominate a skilled worker for this visa if:
  • you actively and lawfully operate a business in regional Australia (regional Australia does not include the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong or Melbourne)
  • you have a genuine need for a paid employee to fill a skilled position
  • you offer a skilled position in the applicant's field that is full time and ongoing for at least two years
  • you pay a market salary rate
  • you comply with Australian immigration and workplace relations laws
  • there is no adverse information known about your business or any person associated with your business.
  • You must nominate the applicant in one of the three streams and meet the requirements of that stream.
  • Temporary Residence Transition stream
  • Direct Entry stream
  • Agreement stream

Market salary rate
  • You must provide terms and conditions of employment that are no less favorable than those that would apply to an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident doing equivalent work in the same workplace.
  • You must prove to us that you will pay your skilled worker the market salary rate.
For more info:
https://www.xiphiasimmigration.com/australia-skilled.html