Australia
Regional Sponsored
Migration Visa

The Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) enables employers in regional Australia to nominate staff from overseas or temporary residents currently in Australia to fill full-time, permanent, skilled positions they are unable to fill from the local labour market.

The employees applying for a visa can be either of the following:

• skilled workers from overseas
• skilled temporary residents

The Australia Regional Sponsored Migration Visa allows you and any dependent family members included in your visa application to:

• live and work in Australia as permanent residents;
• study in Australia at school or university;
• receive subsidised healthcare through Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS);
• access certain social security payments (subject to waiting periods);
• be eligible for Australian citizenship (subject to the residency eligibility criteria);
• sponsor people for permanent residence.

Under this scheme, regional Australia is considered to be any area outside of Brisbane, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong and Melbourne

Yes. You can apply for the Australian skilled migration visa onshore or off shore.

The validity period of the nomination is 6 months and if the visa is granted it is permanent.

To be eligible for this Australian Regional Sponsorship Scheme the job must meet the following requirements:

• It is located in a regional area;
• It cannot be filled by an Australian employee;
• It is a genuine, full-time vacancy;
• It is available for at least 2 consecutive years;
• It requires a person with qualifications equivalent to at least Australian diploma level (unless exceptional circumstances apply).

Our partner Traveltowork can open your Australian bank account before you leave home. Traveltowork partners ANZ and will provide you with your account details by email within 4-5 working days of your application. Once you arrive in Oz, you simply present your passport or driver's licence at any ANZ branch to access your account. Apply now to get your account set up.

You will need an Australian Tax File Number (TFN) to work and pay tax in Oz.
With the Visa First Tax Saver Pack we'll start organising your TFN before you leave home so you can start working and earning as soon as you arrive in Australia. Apply for your Tax File Number here.

Thousands of customers choose Visa First to organise their work visas every year because:

• We make getting the visa you need fast and hassle-free.
• We are the only company with an online visa status engine which allows you to check the status of your visa 24/7. Check your status now.
• We're visa experts and have organised over 130,000 visas for people like you.
• Our visa guarantee means no visa – no fee!*
• We don't just do visas, we sort out everything you'll need overseas – from accommodation, bank accounts, airport pick up, jobs and much more.

After four years as a permanent resident of Australia you can apply to become a citizen of Australia. The Australian Government allows for dual nationality, so you may be able to retain your current passport and jointly hold an Australian passport. Please check with the rules of your own country to ensure they also allow dual nationality.