494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Visa
The Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (SESR) visa (subclass 494) is a temporary visa that allows employers in regional Australia to sponsor skilled workers. The main purpose of this visa program is to help regional businesses located in designated regional areas address labour shortages by attracting skilled workers to areas where they can’t find suitable Australian workers.
If you therefore wish to sponsor overseas workers under this visa program, you must first obtain approval as a standard business sponsor with access to a 494 sponsorship agreement and then nominate a position on the skilled occupation list for the worker to fill.
In addition, the following criteria must be met:
- You must conduct labour market testing before nominating the position to prove that you are unable to find an Australian to perform the work, unless an exemption is applicable,
- You must offer the annual market salary rate (AMSR)for the nominated position and a Regional Certifying Body must also assess the annual market salary rate,
- Prove that the Employment conditions are equivalent to Australian workers, and
- Demonstrate that the nominated position is genuine and consistent with the nature of your business.
IMMIGATE specializes in sponsored work visa programs, making us experienced to assist your business in addressing skill shortages by recruiting and sponsoring overseas workers. Reach out to us for a complimentary assessment of your business and guidance on how to nominate your chosen candidates.