The 187 regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa is designed
for skilled workers who wish to work in a regional area in Australia. The RSMS
helps businesses in regional, remote or low population growth areas, outside
the major metropolitan centres to recruit skilled workers to fill positions
that are unable to be filled from the local labour market. This is a permanent
residence visa.
You can only apply for the 187 RSMS visa if your nominated
position is located in regional
Australia. Your sponsoring employer must also be actively and lawfully
operating its business in this regional area. Regional areas are basically
areas that are outside the major metropolitan centres of Brisbane, Gold Coast,
Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and Melbourne. The good news is that the whole
South Australia, Western Australia, Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania and
Northern Territory are classified as regional areas. For eligible postcodes
that is outside of the major metropolitan areas, please check here.
This visa allows you to work in Australia under one of the
three streams:
- the Temporary Residence Transition stream
- the Direct Entry stream
- the Agreement stream.
The Direct Entry stream is for people who have been
nominated by their employer under the Direct Entry stream people who have
never, or only briefly, worked in Australia temporary residents who do not
qualify for the Temporary Residence Transition stream.
The Agreement stream is for subclass 457 visa holders
nominated by an employer through a labour agreement.
Your role must be in a regional area and your nominating
employer needs to operate their business in the regional area. Although the
employer doesn’t need to only operate their business in this area, or have
their registered head office in the regional area. As the nominee, you don’t
have to live in the regional area. You can travel to the regional area for work
purposes. However, you can’t perform your role remotely. You need to be
physically in the regional area to perform your role. For example, if your
occupation is IT based, and you’ve been offered a role in Ballarat but you’re
able to perform this remotely from Melbourne. You are not eligible to lodge the
RSMS visa.
If your role requires you to work in several locations, each
of these location must be located within a regional area. Occasionally
travelling to non-regional areas for meetings, presentations, training etc. is
allowed. But if you need to regularly work outside of regional areas, then the
nomination application won’t be approved under the RSMS pathway.
For more information or if you need assistance with a 187
RSMS Visa, contact us at Nevett Ford Lawyers.
