Australia 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.

Requirements:

You might be able to get this visa if you:

• have been nominated by an approved Australian employer for a job in regional Australia (regional Australia does not include the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong or Melbourne)
• are younger than 50 years of age, unless you are exempt
• meet the skills, qualifications and English language requirements, unless you are exempt
• apply under the stream for which you were nominated.

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.

The visa is a permanent resident visa. 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.

The visa has three streams:

• • The Temporary Residence Transition stream is for subclass 457 visa holders who have worked for two years, while holding a subclass 457 visa, in the same occupation with their nominating employer (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.

• 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 briefl​y, worked in Australia
  • temporary residents who do not qualify for the Temporary Residence Transition stream; or
• The Agreement stream is for people nominated by an employer through a labour agreement.

Before You Apply:

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 in the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong and Melbourne.

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
Queensland
South Australia
Tasmania
Victoria
Western Australia.
No further stay

Contact us if you are not sure whether your current visa conditions prevent you from applying for a further visa while you are in Australia. Applicants holding substantive visas with no further stay condition may be able to lodge applications for this visa in certain circumstances.

Your passport

You need a valid passport or other travel document for this visa. If you plan to get a new passport, you should do so before applying for your visa. If you get a new passport after you have lodged your application, give the details of your new passport to one of our offices.

You might be able to update your passport details using ImmiAccount.