Regional Sponsorship Dos and Don’ts

Important notice for all Regional Sponsored visa applicants: It has recently come to our attention that former clients of ours have run into trouble with the Australian visa authorities. They were granted a sponsored regional visa, sponsored by a family member. This entitled them to live in a designated area of Australia. Unfortunately, once in Australia, they subsequently moved to a different area located just outside of the designated area and faced the wrath of the Immigration Department. Had they remained within the designated area for two years, they would have been eligible to apply for permanent residency. The rules are very clear. If you are granted a Regional Sponsored (Provisional) visa (subclass 489) you must live in a designated area if sponsored by an eligible family member. If sponsored by the State or Territory Government, you must live in a regional area. Designated and regional areas do not always cover the same post codes. If you are applying for a Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) visa, and you are being sponsored by an eligible relative, your sponsor must be usually a resident in one of the following designated areas: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/designated-areas.htm If you are applying for a Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) visa and you are being sponsored by a participating State or Territory Government then the following post codes apply: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/regional-growth.htm If you have any questions or would like to apply for a Regional Sponsored visa, please contact us at enquiries@my-oe.com or call or Skype us for further details.