The 494 Employer-sponsored Regional visa enables employers in regional areas of Australia to address ongoing skill shortages for roles listed on the Regional Occupation List, with access to a broader range of occupations for visa sponsorship.
Compared to the employer-sponsored 482 Visa, the 494 Regional Provisional Visa provides a longer visa period of five years and a more cost-effective pathway to Permanent Residence (PR) for sponsored workers.
494 Regional Sponsor Visa Features
The Visa 494 allows employers in designated regional areas to sponsor skilled overseas workers for positions that are typically difficult to fill in regional areas.
Most locations of Australia outside major cities (Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane) are considered regional for immigration purposes.
Eligible applicants may apply to transition to the 191 Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) Visa after three years of living and working in regional Australia.
Employers must:
- Be operating in a designated regional area
- Be an approved Standard Business Sponsor or Accredited Sponsor
- Obtain Regional Certifying Body (RCB) approval for the nominated position
Visa 494 applicants must:
- Be nominated by an approved regional employer
- Be skilled in an occupation listed on the Regional Occupation List
- Be under 45 years of age, unless exempt
- Obtain a positive skills assessment for the nominated occupation, unless exempt
- Meet English language proficiency standards
- Meet health and character requirements
Compared to the 482 Skills in Demand Visa, the 494 Regional Visa provides:
- Access to a broader occupation list
- A longer visa validity (up to five years), supporting workforce stability
- A direct pathway to PR via the 191 visa after three years of living and working in regional Australia (although the 482 Visa provides access to PR after two years of living and working anywhere in Australia)
- A more cost-effective migration pathway
The 494 Regional Employer Sponsored Visa Process
Sponsoring a worker involves three separate applications: Sponsorship, Nomination and Visa applications.
1. Becoming an Approved Visa Sponsor
Applying to become an approved visa sponsor allows Home Affairs to assess your business’ suitability to sponsor overseas workers. Once approved, the Sponsorship is valid for five years.
2. Regional Certification
A Regional Certifying Body (RCB) will assess and certify the salary offered for the nominated position.
3. Nomination and Skills Assessment
A Nomination Application is required for Home Affairs to evaluate the genuineness, relevance, and terms and conditions of the role being offered.
The worker you are sponsoring must obtain a positive skills assessment before applying for their visa. Limited exemptions apply.
4. Applying for a visa
Home Affairs assesses the worker’s qualifications, experience and eligibility to perform the nominated role and meet the visa requirements.
Once granted, sponsored workers can legally live and work for your business under the terms of their visa. Employers may also sponsor workers for a 494 Regional Visa through a Labour Agreement or Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) under a separate process.
Talk to our registered migration agents to discuss the Visa 494 pathway for regional work.
Managing Sponsorship Obligations:
494 Regional Visa
Employers must continue to meet a range of ongoing obligations to remain compliant with immigration regulations and maintain sponsorship privileges:
Reporting changes to Home Affairs: This is crucial and includes notifying Home Affairs of changes to business or employment circumstances, such as insolvency, company restructuring and if a sponsored employee ceases employment.
Monitoring conditions: Sponsors must ensure visa holders work only in their nominated occupation and receive employment conditions equivalent to Australian workers, including salary benchmarks and written contracts. Discriminatory recruitment practices based on visa status is prohibited.
Maintaining accurate records: This is essential and requires employers retain records of employment conditions, visa costs, and sponsorship compliance activities to provide upon request from the Department. Sponsors also need to cover costs related to sponsorship, recruitment, and return travel.
Non-compliance can lead to suspension or cancellation of sponsorship, fines or being barred from sponsoring future visa holders. Home Affairs monitors obligations, including through site visits and monitoring audits.
Talk to us to explore a migration strategy to support project needs.
Staying Compliant When Sponsoring Visa Holders
Reliable migration advice protects business growth and limits disruption. With the right plans in place, employers can leverage global talent while staying compliant, avoiding unnecessary risk, and keeping projects and staffing plans moving forward.
Interstaff guides you and your employees throughout the 494 Regional Visa process, with a focus on compliance.
STEP 1
Assess and Strategise:
Your 494 Visa Strategy
Interstaff provides dedicated migration advice to help businesses navigate sponsorship and visa eligibility, suitable options and PR pathways.
We support you by:
- Reviewing hard-to-fill roles and the nature of your workforce needs
- Assessing sponsorship and Visa 494 eligibility
- Advising a visa strategy that aligns with your requirements – for example, expected employee start dates and/or project timelines
- Guiding compliance when hiring Subclass 494 Regional Visa holders
STEP 2
Apply and Comply:
494 Nomination and Visa
With a 494 Regional Sponsor Visa strategy in place, Interstaff helps you secure global talent while meeting sponsorship obligations—clearly, consistently, and without unnecessary delays.
Our support includes:
- Advising on key requirements such as local job advertising requirements, salary benchmarks and skills assessments
- Managing all aspects of sponsorship, nomination, and 494 Regional Visa applications and lodgements, including complex cases
- Keeping you and your employees informed at every stage of the process
STEP 3
Retain and Grow:
Staying Compliant and Future-Ready
We help businesses align skilled migration with their broader workforce strategy to boost stability, retain global talent, and support long-term growth.
We support you by:
- Compliance advice during business or employment changes
- Visa expiry alerts to plan future workforce needs
- PR pathway mapping for temporary visa holders
- Advice on developing audit-ready systems for immigration inspections
- Ongoing training on immigration policy impacts
Talk to us to discuss 494 Regional Sponsor Visas and Permanent Residence.
What 494 Regional Visa Applicants Should Know
If you have a business willing to sponsor you, it is essential to understand your eligibility for visa sponsorship. Interstaff provides eligibility assessments to both individuals and employers.
We also advise on skills assessment requirements, 494 Regional Employer-Sponsored Visa conditions, health and character issues and Permanent Residence pathways.
Experience and Insights
494 Employer Sponsored Visa
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Industries
Permanent Residence Planning
Regional Sponsorship Visa 494 Visa FAQs
Employers must have undertaken sufficient local advertising, known as Labour Market Testing (LMT), before sponsoring a worker and generally requires employers to have advertised the job for a specific period on national advertising platforms.
Our Registered Migration Agents can advise if you have undertaken sufficient LMT for visa sponsorship.
Yes – sponsorship is open to actively operating businesses that meet the eligibility criteria. Read more about Standard Business Sponsorship here.
Government fees apply for Sponsorship, Nomination and Visa applications as listed on the Home Affairs website linked here. Migration Agent fees apply in addition to this.