The new Skilled Independent Regional Visa

From July 1st the new SIR visa is available for eligible applicants. This visa is an excellent option for applicants who do not meet standard skilled migration points requirements. The visa is a 3 year visa, and successful applicants may become eligible for Permanent Residency after 2 years living in Australia and 12 months full time work

Priority Processing
SIR visa applications will receive priority processing through the Adelaide skilled processing centre. This means they will be processed ahead of other applications for general skilled migration

Regional Australia
Living in regional Australia or a low population growth metropolitan area means that SIR visa holders can live anywhere in Australia except in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, the NSW Central Coast, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Perth, Melbourne or the ACT.

Criteria for Applicants outside of Australia
These applicants must:

• Be under 45 years of age at the time of lodgment;
• Have vocational level English;
• Obtain sponsorship from an authorized state or territory government or their appointed Regional Certifying Body;
• Score at least 110 points of the general skilled migration (GSM) points test;
• Nominate an occupation listed on the Skilled Occupations List (SOL);
• Provide evidence that they have a positive skills assessment from a relevant assessing authority;
• Have the relevant recent work experience for their nominated occupation or be eligible for an exemption;
• Pay the relevant visa application charge; and
• Meet health and character requirements for permanent entry.