A brief overview on RSMS:
If you have a job offer from an Australian employer in a regional area of Australia, you may be eligible to apply for permanent residency under the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS), subclass 187.
Q. Who is eligible for this visa?
You may be eligible for this type of visa if you:
- Have been nominated by an Australian employer in a regional area of Australia (regional areas are all areas of Australia other than Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Newcastle, Wollongong and the Gold Coast) to fill a skilled position with the business;
- are under the age of 50 at time of application lodgement, unless you are exempt;
- have the required skills and qualifications for the position you have been nominated for. You must hold any mandatory registration, license or professional membership, or you must already be fully assessed as suitable by the relevant body;
- have appropriate English language skills, unless you are exempt;
- meet health and character requirements;
- meet the requirements of the stream in which you apply.
Yes! This visa allows the primary applicant to be accompanied by their partner and dependent children.
All your dependent family members must also meet the health component of this visa. Depending on their age, character and English Language requirements must also be met. In some circumstances, there may be opportunities to seek a waiver of these requirements, however it is best that you have a confidential discussion with your Visa Solutions consultant to determine the specific and tailored approach for your circumstance.
Q. What does this visa let me do?
This visa leads to Australian Permanent Residence status for the visa holder and their dependent family members.
It allows the visa holder to stay in Australia indefinitely, work and study in Australia, enrol in the various government benefits such as Medicare and Centrelink, be eligible to pay local school fees for school-aged children, and potentially sponsor other family members for permanent residence.
The visa holder may also apply for Australian Citizenship after satisfying the necessary requirements.
Q. Does my age matter? What if I am over 50 years old?
This visa is better suited for persons under the age of 50 years. There are some exemptions to this requirement.
Q. What are the requirements for the employing company?
The average processing time for this type of application is around 5-7 months from the date of lodgement of the application with the Department of Immigration & Border Protection (DIBP).The company must actively and lawfully operate a business in regional Australia (regional Australia does not include the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong or Melbourne).
There is a genuine need for a paid employee to fill a skilled position. The position being offered must be full time and ongoing for at least two years. There is also a requirement of the level of salary being offered to the person being sponsored. The rate of pay must comply with Australian immigration and workplace relations laws. Finally, there can be no adverse information known about the business or any person associated with the business.
Q. How can Visa Solutions help the visa applicant and the sponsoring company?
Many times, Visa Solutions is contacted by a visa candidate who is eligible to apply through the Employer Nomination Scheme. In instances like these, Visa Solutions would first review and assess the visa applicant t determine if they are eligible to apply for this type of visa.
Secondly, Visa Solutions will then contact the employing company, and determine whether the business will support this application, and if the business meets the criteria determined by Immigration.
In the instance the employee is a Client of Visa Solutions, our team will also maintain confidentiality of information for the sponsoring company.