Designated Regional Areas
Most locations of Australia outside major cities (Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane) are classed as Designated Regional Areas for migration purposes.
The regional definition is comprised of 2 categories and offers regional incentives for skilled migrants who migrate to locations classified as Category 2 ‘Cities and Major Regional Centres’ or Category 3 ‘Regional Centres and Other Regional Areas’:
- Category 2 – ‘Cities and Major Regional Centres’ of Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Canberra, Newcastle/Lake Macquarie, Wollongong/Illawarra, Geelong and Hobart have access to the following regional incentives:
- Priority processing of regional visas
- Access to the Regional Occupations List – more jobs compared to non-regional lists
- Category 3 – ‘Regional Centres and Other Regional Areas’ will also have access to the dedicated 11,200 Regional places, priority processing of regional visas, and the Regional Occupations List. Additional incentives include:
- Priority in negotiating region-specific Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs)
Postcode list
A list of postcodes that specify designated regional areas is available and applies to the following visas:
Regional visas:
- Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)*#
- Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494)
- Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489)* – designated regional areas only apply to visa holders nominated by a State and Territory government agency whose visa was granted after 16 November 2019. See other specified regions for the invited pathway and subsequent entrant pathway.
Skilled visas:
- Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)*
- Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)*
Employer sponsored visas:
- Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa (subclass 187) – the Temporary Residence Transition stream of the RSMS visa remains open to transitional 457 or Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) workers.
- Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186) – if the position is located in regional Australia, the nomination fee is waived.
- Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482) – if using an occupation on the Regional Occupation List for this subclass.
Temporary graduate visa:
- Second Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485)
Business investment visas
- Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) visa (subclass 888)
- State/Territory Sponsored Business Owner visa (subclass 892)
Note:
# additional 5 points (from 10 -15) under the Skilled Migration Points Test if nominated to live and work in a designated regional Australia.
* 5 points if study completed in a designated regional area and meets the Australian Study Requirement.