QLD Skilled Regional Provisional Visa 491

Updated on 27 Oct 2021 

This is a 5-year points-tested visa which leads to permanent residency and requires nominated skilled workers to be employed and live in regional Queensland.

Applicable Regions

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for Queensland nomination, you must meet both the Australian Department of Home Affairs (DHA)  criteria and Skilled Migration Queensland (SMQ) criteria for your chosen visa category.

BSMQ  - Working in Regional Queensland 

• have a points test result of 65 or higher, inclusive of state nomination points
• have an occupation on the QSOL ‘Working in Queensland’ list
• have a positive skills assessment in your nominated occupation
• be under 45 years of age
• meet the minimum English language requirement of PROFICIENT, unless a higher level is required by your assessing authority
• Provide evidence that you have been living in regional Queensland and undertaking full-time post-qualification employment (minimum of 35 hours per week) over the past 3 months in your nominated occupation immediately prior to submitting your EOI.
• Commit to living and working in Queensland for 3 years from 491 visa grant
  
  Businesses must have an office in Queensland. A virtual office will not be accepted

Occupation grouping	Occupations	Quota
Finance	Accountant (General), Finance Manager, Management Accountant	50 each 150 total
Engineers	Civil Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Engineering Technologist	50 each 200 total
ICT	Software Engineer, Developer Programmer, ICT Business Analyst, Software & Application Programmers NEC	50 each 200 total
Quantity Surveyor	Quantity Surveyor	30 each/total
Nurses	Aged Care, Critical Care & Emergency, NEC nurses	50 each 150 total
Trades	Motor Mechanic, Cook	30 each 60 total

Caveats

Accountants
Preference will be given to applicants employed in an accounting firm
Must be a CPA or are studying towards become a CPA.
Internal and External Auditors must have a job as an Auditor (not an Accountant).

Cooks and Chefs
No takeaway or fast-food businesses.

BSMQ  - Graduate in Regional Queensland

If you are a postgraduate student from Queensland then BSMQ criteria requires you to meet the following criteria:

PhD Graduates 491

• Have an occupation on Skill Occupation List 
• Finished 100% of course in Queensland and has had a decision on thesis or graduated in the last 2 years
• No job required

Masters and Bachelor Graduates 491 

• Studied at a Queensland university/Institute
• Have an occupation on Skill Occupation List 
• Completed 100% of course
• GPA 6.0 or higher
• Have Proficient English or higher
• Have a minimum of 3 months’ work experience of at least 20 hours per week (after graduation) in the nominated or closely related occupation
• Job offer for a minimum of 20 hours per week for 12 months

All applicants agree to commit to living and working in Queensland for two years from visa grant.

BSMQ  Operating Small Business in  Regional Queensland Criteria  

From 1 April 2021 – the pre-existing business purchased will need to have been in operation for 2 years instead of 1 year.

There will also need to be a minimum purchase price of $100,000 (rather than total investment in the business).

Furthermore, sub-leases of franchises (such as petrol stations), and home-based businesses (such as courier and cleaning businesses) will not be considered.

These requirements are aimed at ensuring the program is sustainable in the long-term.

Please note: businesses that have been purchased prior to 1 April 2021 are not subject to these requirements.

• Have an occupation on Skill Occupation List 
• Operate the business successfully for at least 6 months prior to EOI or 2 years for start-ups.
• Be on a visa that allows full-time work and operation of the business (minimum of 35 hours per week);
• Have purchased an existing business in regional Queensland;
  • Note: This is not available for home-based businesses. Franchise businesses must have been operating for at least 2 years prior to purchase in the current location.
• Purchased a business for a minimum of $100,000, OR have been operating a profitable start-up for a minimum of 2 years with a turnover of $200,000 in the year directly prior to application.
• have 100% ownership of the business – partnerships or joint ventures are not eligible;
• Have been trading in the business for 6 months before application;
• Employ 1 employee who is an Australian resident, working a minimum of 20 hours per week
• Australian citizen or New Zealand citizen on a subclass 444 Special Category visa.
• provide evidence of sufficient settlement funds.

Application process

Step 1: Review your eligibility criteria, visa conditions and document checklist (see below) and on the DHA website. Ensure you meet both the DHA criteria and BSMQ criteria, and have all your documentation prepared before you apply.

Step 2: For Queensland State nomination, submit an EOI with SkillSelect. Please ensure all information, such as work experience, is included in your EOI. Preference will be given to applicants who select “Queensland” as their nominating state of choice.

Step 3: BSMQ assesses all EOIs that meet the HA and BSMQ criteria. If you are successful, will receive an email invitation to lodge an application and be requested to provide the BSMQ required documents.  Documents are to be uploaded electronically, through the Document Portal link provided in your invitation email. We no longer accept attachments sent to us by email.You can only upload one document per file. If you have multiple documents, please merge and save as one file.

Step 4: When you have uploaded your documents, you will be required to pay a non-refundable application fee to BSMQ, in order to finalise your application. BSMQ will review your application and may request further documentation.

Please note: you will be given two weeks to finalise your application from the date of invitation. Applications not finalised within this time frame will be closed and applicants will need to submit a new EOI if they wish to re-seek Queensland nomination. Applicants must wait for a further 6 months before being eligible for a new nomination.

Step 5: Once your completed BSMQ application is received and approved, you will receive an invitation from HA to lodge your visa application. You will be given 60 days to lodge your application with the DHA.

State nomination application fees:

BSMQ will only begin assessment of your application for Queensland state nomination after you have completed the below steps:

1. Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) or registration
2. Await invitation from BSMQ to apply for state nomination
3. Upload documents
4. Make payment.

 

Visa type	Application fee (if paid from overseas)	+ 10% GST** (if paid from within Australia)
Skilled Nomination (Permanent) visa (Subclass 190)	A$200	A$20
Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (Subclass 491)	A$200	A$20
Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (Subclass 491) – Small Business Owners Pathway	N/A	A$440 (total cost as only available onshore)
Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa – Business Innovation stream (Subclass 188)	A$500	A$50

Please note:

* Fees will not be refunded under any circumstance. This includes changes to your personal circumstances or if you change your mind and do not apply for an Australian visa or if your application for a visa is not approved by the Australian Government.

** GST is an additional charge added to applications lodged in Australia only.

Apply for the nomination:

Guidelines:

FAQ

Contact Details:

Business and Skilled Migration Queensland (BSMQ)

Postal Address:
PO Box 15168
Brisbane City East QLD 4002

Street Address:
Level 8
111 George Street
Brisbane
C/- Decipha
2 Duncan Street
West End

Phone: [phone]

Office Hours

9AM – 4PM AEST (GMT +10)