Australian Immigration Daily News

The following information has been received by email from SBMP:

The Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs has announced that 10 September 2019 will be the last day for states and territories to be able to nominate and issue invitations for Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa subclass 489 applicants.

Following this announcement, Victoria’s Skilled & Business Migration Program (SBMP) will not be accepting any new subclass 489 nomination applications from 5 September 2019 (11.59pm AEST). This will not affect applications already lodged with our office.

What this means for you:

• SBMP will finalise subclass 489 applications lodged on or before 5 September by 10 September 2019; and
• If your client receives an invitation to lodge a subclass 489 visa with the Department of Home Affairs, please lodge the visa within 60 days of invitation, as our program will be unable to issue you with another nomination from 10 September 2019. 

The subclass 489 visa will be superseded by the subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa.

The subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa will be a new and enhanced points-tested visa to assist regional Australia, for applicants nominated by a state or territory government agency or sponsored by an eligible family member residing in a designated regional area.

The visa will be introduced by the Department of Home Affairs on 16 November 2019. More information on the Victorian nomination process will be announced soon.

Please continue to check the Live in Melbourne website for further details.

Migration Alliance and LTA will be hosting a conference in Sydney on 15 November 2019.  Migration Alliance has asked the Department of Home Affairs to present on the Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa at the conference.  For more details on the conference please click here:

https://legaltrainingaustralia.com/conference-cpd/