Eligibility
 
Employer

Eligibility for certification of the position

Criteria
Requirement
The business must be actively and lawfully operating in regional Australia.
  • there must be a need for a paid employee
  • the employer's business must be established and actively engaged in the activity for which it is registered in the regional area
  • all areas of Australia except for, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne or Perth.
The position must be full time and available for 2 years.
  • the position is a genuine full-time vacancy
  • the position is available for at least 2 consecutive years.
The business requires a person with diploma level qualifications or higher.
the position requires a person with qualifications equivalent to at least Australian diploma level (unless exceptional circumstances apply)
Note: a Trade Certificate with full apprenticeship is accepted as equivalent to or higher than a diploma qualification.
Employee

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible for a permanent visa under the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme, the employee must:

  • have the relevant qualifications for the nominated position, which are equivalent to at least an Australian diploma leve
  • meet any mandatory licensing, registration or professional membership requirements
  • have been offered a position for a fixed term of at least 2 years (supported by evidence of a contract or letter of appointment signed by both the employer and the employee)
  • be under 45 years
  • have Functional English language ability.

Health and character requirements

The employee and their dependent family members must meet the health and character requirements.

Limitation of applications

Applicants who are already in Australia may have a restriction on their current visa that prevents them from making an application for another visa.

Australian Values Statement

All visa applicants aged 18 years or over, are required to sign an Australian values statement. The statement is included in the visa application form and all applicants aged 18 years and over will need to sign it. Before signing the statement, applicants for this visa are required to have read, or had explained to them, material made available by the government on life in Australia which is contained in the Life in Australia book.

The Life in Australia book provides more information on the values that Australians share and their way of life.