494 Visa (Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional): Complete 2026 Guide

What Is the 494 Visa?

The Subclass 494 is a five-year provisional visa for skilled workers sponsored by an approved employer located in a designated regional area of Australia. Unlike the points-tested 491 visa, the 494 does not require a points score — eligibility depends on having a genuine job offer from a regional employer, meeting occupation and skills requirements, and being under 45. There are two streams. The Employer Sponsored stream is the main pathway: your regional employer nominates you for a specific role. The Labour Agreement stream is for employers who have negotiated a formal Labour Agreement with the Department of Home Affairs. What you receive: a five-year visa; permission to work for your sponsoring employer in regional Australia; ability to include your partner and dependent children; and after three years, eligibility to apply for the Subclass 191 permanent residence visa. The 494 is an attractive option for skilled workers who have a concrete job offer in regional Australia and want a defined pathway to PR without competing in the points-tested pool.

What Counts as Regional Australia for the 494?

The same regional definition applies to the 494 as to the 491. Designated regional areas cover most of Australia — the excluded zones are the major metropolitan areas: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast-Tweed Heads, Newcastle-Lake Macquarie, Wollongong-Illawarra, Sunshine Coast, and Perth. This means employers in regional New South Wales, regional Victoria, regional Queensland, all of South Australia, all of Western Australia outside Perth, Tasmania, the Northern Territory, and the ACT are eligible to sponsor 494 visa holders. Important: Canberra (ACT) qualifies as regional for 494 purposes despite being the national capital. So does Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. This is a common point of confusion — check the Department's current list before assuming a city is or is not eligible.

Eligibility Requirements

For the worker: you must be under 45 years of age at time of nomination approval; have at least three years of relevant full-time work experience in your nominated occupation; have Competent English — a minimum of IELTS 6.0 in each of the four bands (or equivalent in PTE, TOEFL, OET, or Cambridge); have a positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority for your occupation; meet health and character requirements including medical examinations and police clearances from all countries you have lived in for 12+ months in the last 10 years. For the employer: the employer must be located and operating in a designated regional area; must be an approved Standard Business Sponsor or be party to a Labour Agreement; must demonstrate the role is genuine and at or above the market salary rate; and must complete Labour Market Testing showing no suitable Australian worker was available (for most occupations). The Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy applies: AUD $1,200 per year for businesses with annual turnover under AUD $10 million, or AUD $1,800 per year for larger businesses. Employers cannot pass the SAF levy or sponsorship costs to the worker.

Occupation Requirements: The CSOL

Your nominated occupation must appear on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) or be covered by a Labour Agreement. The CSOL was introduced in December 2024 as part of the Skills in Demand reform and replaced the previous occupation lists. As at 2026, the CSOL contains 456 eligible occupations covering a broad range of industries. Common occupations used for 494 nominations include: civil, structural, and electrical engineers; software developers and ICT professionals; medical and healthcare practitioners including registered nurses, physiotherapists, and radiographers; chefs and cooks; electricians and plumbers (via regional trades programs); early childhood educators; agricultural managers; and mining and resources professionals. Unlike the points-tested stream, you do not need your occupation to appear on a separate regional occupation list — the CSOL applies equally to 482 and 494 applications. What matters is that your specific ANZSCO occupation code is on the CSOL and that your nominated salary meets the threshold for your stream.

Costs, SAF Levy, and Processing Times

Government visa application fee for the primary applicant: AUD $4,640. Secondary applicants: partner/spouse AUD $2,320, dependent child AUD $1,160. The SAF levy is paid by the employer at nomination: AUD $1,200 per year (small business) or AUD $1,800 per year (large business) multiplied by the visa duration. For a five-year visa, this is AUD $6,000–$9,000 paid by the employer at nomination. Additional personal costs include: skills assessment AUD $500–$1,500; English test AUD $300–$450 per attempt; health examinations AUD $300–$600 per person; police clearances AUD $50–$200 per country; and migration agent fees AUD $3,000–$5,000 covering both employer and employee applications. Processing times for a straightforward 494 application: employer sponsorship 3–6 weeks; nomination 4–10 weeks; visa application after nomination approval 4–8 months for 50% of cases, up to 14 months for 90% of cases. Total time from first lodgement to visa grant is typically 6–12 months.

The 191 Permanent Residence Pathway

The Subclass 191 Permanent Residence (Regional) visa is the PR endpoint for 494 holders — the same pathway available to 491 visa holders. To be eligible, you must: have held the 494 visa for at least three years; have lived and worked in a designated regional area for those three years; and have earned at least AUD $53,900 per year in each of those three years (income threshold reviewed periodically). The income threshold is particularly important for 494 holders because employer-sponsored workers in some regional roles — especially in healthcare support, hospitality, and some trades — may earn close to this figure. Confirm your proposed salary covers the 191 threshold before accepting a sponsorship arrangement. Unlike the 482-to-186 pathway, the 494-to-191 pathway does not require a continued relationship with your original employer. After three years of regional work and meeting the income threshold, you can apply for the 191 regardless of who you are currently employed by — provided your employment has been in regional Australia throughout.

How the 494 Compares to the 482

Both visas are five-year employer-sponsored temporary visas using the CSOL. The key differences: the 494 requires a regional employer; the 482 can be with any Australian employer including in major cities. The 494 requires three years of skilled work experience; the 482 requires only one year. The 494 has a direct PR pathway via the 191 with a three-year regional residency requirement; the 482-to-186 TRT pathway requires two years with the same employer but has no regional restriction. The 494 requires a skills assessment; the 482 Specialist Skills stream (salary-based) does not. If you have a choice between a regional employer sponsoring you on a 482 versus a 494, the 494 is generally preferable because the 191 pathway is more straightforward and more certain than the 482-to-186 transition. However, if your employer is in an excluded metropolitan area, the 494 is simply not available.

How a Migration Agent Can Help

The 494 involves three separate application stages — sponsorship, nomination, and the visa application — each with its own requirements and evidence. Common failure points include: an employer who is unaware of the SAF levy or the Labour Market Testing obligation; an occupation code mismatch between your work experience and the nominated ANZSCO code; a salary that meets the CSOL threshold but falls short of the 191 income requirement; and skills assessment documentation that does not align with the ANZSCO task descriptions. A migration agent experienced in employer-sponsored regional migration can brief your employer on their obligations, manage the sponsorship and nomination lodgements, prepare your personal application evidence, and ensure your arrangement is structured to support the 191 application from day one. At Migratio, you describe your case once and are matched with MARA-registered agents who specialise in regional employer-sponsored migration. Start your free case brief.

Can my employer in Adelaide sponsor me for a 494?

Yes. Adelaide is in South Australia, which is a designated regional area for 494 purposes. The same applies to Darwin, Hobart, and Canberra — these state and territory capitals qualify as regional despite being capital cities.

Do I have to stay with the same employer for the full five years?

No. You can change employers, provided your new employer is also an approved sponsor based in a regional area and nominates you. Unlike the 186 TRT pathway, the 494-to-191 transition does not require continuous employment with a single employer.

What skills assessment body is responsible for my occupation?

It depends on your ANZSCO code. Common bodies: Engineers Australia for engineering; ACS for ICT; ANMAC for nursing; VETASSESS for many general professional occupations; TRA for trade occupations; AACA for architects. A migration agent can confirm the correct body for your specific code.

Can I include my children in the 494 visa?

Yes. Dependent children can be included as secondary applicants. They receive the same visa conditions and can attend school in regional Australia. If they are adults (18+), they must meet their own health and character requirements.

What happens if my employer closes or makes me redundant?

If your employment is terminated, you are in breach of your 494 visa conditions. You have 60 days to find a new regional sponsoring employer or depart Australia. Contact a migration agent immediately — there may be options to find a new sponsor and have your nomination transferred.

Is the 494 available for hospitality and trades workers?

Yes, for eligible occupations. Chefs and cooks are on the CSOL. Some trades (electricians, plumbers, carpenters) are also eligible. However, some lower-skilled hospitality roles are not covered by the CSOL. Check your specific ANZSCO code before assuming eligibility.