Victoria’s State Nominated Skilled Visa Program: Are Victorian graduates exempt from living and working regionally for Subclass 491 Visa nomination?
EDIT: This blog post was updated on 19 September 2024 to reflect the Victorian Government's announcement of the same date.On 17 September 2024 and into the early hours of 18 September 2024, the Victorian Government’s Live in Melbourne website briefly stated that recent Victorian graduates who are living in Victoria, hold a Student (Subclass 500) Visa or a Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485) Visa and who obtained a qualification in Victoria would be exempt from the requirement to be working in regional Victoria to be eligible for Subclass 491 Visa nomination. These changes which purportedly exempted Victorian graduates from the requirement to live and work regionally were reflected in the ‘Further eligibility requirements’ part of Live in Melbourne’s outline of Victoria’s Subclass 491 Visa eligibility criteria, as well as on their Skilled visa FAQs page.
As these changes were not otherwise publicly announced by the Victorian Government, our immigration lawyers at Inclusive Migration found it necessary to enquire directly with the Victorian Government about the actual application of these changes before sharing this news with the public and advising our clients about this. In particular, we contacted the Victorian Government on 17 September 2024 to clarify whether recent Victorian graduates were in fact exempt from living in regional Victoria to be eligible to register their interest for Subclass 491 Visa nomination, since the eligibility criteria did not explicitly confirm this beyond stating that Victorian graduates would have to “live in Victoria”.
On the other hand, as of the morning of 18 September 2024, these changes were actually removed from the ‘Further eligibility requirements’ part of Live in Melbourne’s outline of Victoria’s Subclass 491 Visa eligibility criteria, and later also removed from the Skilled visa FAQs page by the afternoon of 18 September 2024.
Nonetheless, as of 19 September 2024, the Victorian Government has now formally announced that in the 2024-25 Skilled Migration Program -
at least 500 subclass 491 visa nomination places (at least 25 per cent of Victoria’s allocation), for international student graduates of Victorian educational institutions - ensuring more opportunities for them to contribute to regional communities; and
Graduates currently living and working in Melbourne will also now be able to submit a Registration of Interest for subclass 491 visa nomination - creating a pathway for international student graduates to relocate and build their careers in regional Victoria.
News published by the Victorian Government on the Live in Melbourne website on 19 September 2024.
The Victorian Government’s Live in Melbourne website has also been updated to confirm that recent Victorian graduates are exempt from living and working in regional Victoria to be eligible for Subclass 491 Visa nomination as long as they currently live in Victoria (including metropolitan Melbourne), currently hold a Student (Subclass 500) Visa or a Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485) Visa, and have obtained a qualification from a Victorian education institution:
An excerpt from the Live in Melbourne Skilled visa FAQs page.
Inclusive Migration has likewise received written confirmation of the above updates from the Victorian Government, including a reminder to all candidates that their current visa type recorded in the Live in Melbourne portal must be up to date and reflect their current visa status, so that the Victorian Government is able to assess your eligibility for Subclass 491 Visa nomination as a recent Victorian graduate.
We take this opportunity to remind all applicants that Australia’s migration program, particularly its General Skilled Migration Program which varies across states and territories, is subject to frequent change with short notice, and that it is essential to keep yourself updated about any changes prior to submitting any Expression of Interest (EOI) and/or Registration of Interest (ROI) to any state or territory government.
Should you wish to discuss your eligibility for skilled visa, please email info@inclusivemigration.com.au or submit an enquiry using the contact form on our website.
