Australia Releases 6 Categories of Visas Available For Migrants
- Australia's Department of Home Affairs offers two categories of skilled regional provisional visas for migrants who want to live and work outside major cities
- Several work visa options require employer or government sponsorship, while some pathways remain open only to existing holders
- Migrants on provisional regional visas must meet residency and work requirements before they can qualify for permanent residence
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Australia's immigration system provides skilled migrants with multiple visa pathways to live and work in the country, ranging from temporary regional arrangements to permanent residence options.
The Australian government lists ten work-related visas across several categories, covering regional employment, temporary skilled roles, working holidays, Pacific labour schemes, and post-study graduate stays.
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Regional visas for skilled workers
Two provisional visas are designed specifically for skilled migrants willing to settle in regional Australia. The Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa, subclass 491, is open to applicants nominated by a state or territory government or sponsored by an eligible family member. The Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa, subclass 494, targets those sponsored directly by a regional employer.
Holders of either provisional visa can apply for the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa, subclass 191, provided they can show they lived and worked in a regional area while holding their provisional visa.
Temporary and permanent skilled visas
The Skills in Demand visa, subclass 482, remains open to applicants but requires employer sponsorship. The older Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa, subclass 489, is closed to new applications, though the extended stay pathway and subsequent entrant pathway remain available to eligible existing holders.
On the permanent side, the Regional Sponsor Migration Scheme, subclass 187, is also closed to new applications. Only the Temporary Residence Transition stream remains open, and exclusively to transitional 457 and 482 workers. The Skilled Regional visa, subclass 887, is separately available for eligible applicants.
Working holiday and Pacific work options
Two working holiday visas are on offer: the Work and Holiday visa, subclass 462, and the Working Holiday visa, subclass 417. Both allow migrants to work while travelling in Australia.
For Pacific workers, the Temporary Work (International Relations) visa, subclass 403, under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility stream, provides access to the PALM scheme, though an endorsement is required before applying.
Graduate pathway for regional study leavers
A second Temporary Graduate visa, subclass 485, under the Post-Study Work stream, is available to graduates who already hold a first subclass 485 Post-Study Work stream visa. To qualify, applicants must have graduated from a CRICOS-registered education provider located in a designated regional area and must have continued living in that regional area after completing their studies.
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Paraguay president resigns as bank collapses
Legit.ng earlier reported that Paraguay President Santiago Peña announced his resignation after the country's lower house of Congress voted to pursue an impeachment trial against him.
The crisis began when Ueno Bank, a financial institution linked to Peña, collapsed and froze operations, leaving millions unable to access their accounts.
Lawmakers accused Peña of conflicts of interest, citing his past shareholding in the company that owned the failed bank.
Source: Legit.ng
