Are you looking to visit or migrate to Adelaide? The capital city of the State of South Australia offers more opportunities and pathways to settle in Australia permanently based on its classification as a designated regional area of Australia.

What Is A Designated Regional Area?

Most areas in Australia which are located outside of the major cities, such as Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, are classified as designated regional areas for migration purposes.

This ‘regional area’ definition, which consists of three 3 categories, is designed to provide incentives for skilled migrants to migrate to regional locations classified as:

  • Category 2 – Cities and Major Regional Centres; or
  • Category 3 – Regional Centres and Other Regional Areas.

What Incentives Are Available?

Category 2 ‘Cities and Major Regional Centres,’ which is made up of Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Canberra, Newcastle/Lake Macquarie, Wollongong/Illawarra, Geelong and Hobart, offer the following regional incentives:

  • Access to a dedicated 25,000 regional visa places;
  • Priority processing for regional visas;
  • Access to the Regional Occupations List (ROL), which has more jobs eligible for nomination for a skilled visa as compared to the non-regional occupation lists; and
  • International graduates with a bachelor or higher qualification from a regional campus of a registered institution can access an additional year in Australia on a post-study work visa.

Category 3 – ‘Regional Centres and Other Regional Areas’ has access to the following:

  • Dedicated 25,000 regional visa places;
  • Priority processing of regional visas;
  • Access to the ROL;
  • International graduates with a bachelor or higher qualification from a regional campus of a registered institution will be eligible to access an additional 2 years in Australia on a post-study work visa; and
  • Priority in negotiating region-specific Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs).

Which Postcodes Are Classified As Category 2 In South Australia?

Cities and major regional centres comprise the following postcodes:

  • 5000 to 5171
  • 5173 to 5174
  • 5231 to 5235
  • 5240 to 5252
  • 5351
  • 5950 to 5960

Which Postcodes Are Classified As Category 3 In South Australia?

Regional centres and other regional areas comprise all postcodes in South Australia which are not listed under Category 2 ‘Cities and major regional centres’ above.

What Visa Options Are Available For Immigration in Australia Adelaide?

Now that we know what a designated regional area is, what are the options for immigration to Australia Adelaide?

Skilled Regional Visas

Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa

The subclass 491 visa, which was introduced in November 2011, is a skilled provisional visa and requires you to be nominated either by the State of South Australia, or by a relative who resides in the State. ‘Provisional’ means the visa is a temporary one, which may lead to the grant of a permanent visa via the Subclass 191 Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa if you meet certain conditions after three years. The visa term is five years, and you need to pass a points test to be eligible.

Subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa

A similar visa option is the subclass 494 visa, which was introduced at the same time as the subclass 491 visa. The key difference is that it requires sponsorship by an employer in South Australia to be eligible. It has the same visa term of five years; however, it is not points based.

Both the subclass 491 and 494 visas allow your eligible family members to accompany you to Australia. You will also all be required to live, work and where relevant, study, only in a designated regional area of Australia.

More Information

To learn more about the subclass 491, 494 and 191 visas, please see the following articles:

New Skilled Regional Visas to be introduced

Skilled Regional Sponsored Visa

Further Regulations released for the new regional sponsored visas to commence from 16 November 2019

Applications for the new provisional regional sponsored visas are now open

For more information about the subclass 491 visa specifically, please see the following articles:

Subclass 491 Regional Visa

491 Visa Adelaide

State Sponsored Visa

Subclass 190 Skilled (Nominated) Visa

For a state sponsored visa option which does not require you to settle in a designated regional area, but only within the State or Territory where you are being sponsored, you may like to consider a subclass 190 visa. Given South Australia’s classification as both a State and a designated regional area for migration purposes, there is essentially no difference in this regard. Whether it is state or regional based, South Australia is eligible.

This visa is also points based, permanent residence visa, which requires nomination by the State of South Australia to be eligible. You will need to commit to living and working in the State for two years from visa grant.

More Information

For further information on the Subclass 190 visa, please see the following:

Subclass 190 State Sponsorship Visa

Adelaide 190 Visa

Roadmap for skilled applicants – which road should I take?

Employer Sponsored Visa

Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Subclass 482 Visa

Apart from the subclass 494 visa, another option for an employer sponsored visa is the subclass 482 visa, a temporary visa which provides a pathway to permanent residency after three years via the Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa under the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream. Alternatively, the Direct Entry stream of the ENS visa programme grants immediate permanent residence.

Recently introduced initiatives also now make it easier for certain employers in South Australia to sponsor overseas workers under this visa programme under the labour agreement stream. These are the Horticulture Industry Labour Agreement, and the following Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMA):

More Information

For more information about DAMA’s in South Australia, see the following articles:

DAMA South Australia

South Australia DAMA

DAMA Adelaide

South Australia DAMA Occupation List

DAMA South Australia Occupation List

Skilled Independent Visa

Subclass 189 Skilled (Independent) Visa

A non-state or regional based permanent skilled visa option is the subclass 189 visa. this is similar to the subclass 190 visa discussed above, with the exception that it does not require State Sponsorship.

See our Roadmap for skilled applicants – which road should I take? article for more information.

For a more detailed discussion about these, and other visa options available for Australia immigration Adelaide (including temporary visas), please see our Spotlight on South Australia article, which also talks about what’s it like to travel and live in South Australia.

For more information about South Australia and what is has to offer, see our article on Why should you consider SA skilled regional sponsorship visa as a pathway to live the Australian dream.

How Can PAX Migration Australia Help You?

Being based in Adelaide, PAX Migration Australia is uniquely placed to advise and assist on all matters pertaining to migrating to Australia, and to South Australia in particular. Its team of migration agents has the in-depth knowledge and experience to guide you through your visa options for Australian immigration in Adelaide. Contact the team today to discuss your needs and to discuss how they may be able to assist you.

For more information about how a migration professional like PAX Migration Australia can assist you in immigration to Australia Adelaide, please see the following articles:

Selecting a migration agent in Australia

Should I use a migration agent or immigration lawyer for my application?

Migration Agent in Adelaide

Immigration Agent Adelaide

Best Migration Agent In Adelaide

PAX Migration Adelaide

Migration Agent Elizabeth

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Sources/Links:

Immigration South Australia – Skilled and Business Migration – DAMA Occupation List – Adelaide City Agreement

https://migration.sa.gov.au/occupation-lists/dama-occupation-list#metro

Immigration South Australia – Skilled and Business Migration – DAMA Occupation List – South Australian Agreement

https://migration.sa.gov.au/occupation-lists/dama-occupation-list#regional

Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs – Immigration and Citizenship – Visas – Working in Australia – Regional migration – Designated regional areas

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/regional-migration/eligible-regional-areas

Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs – Immigration and Citizenship – Visas – Working in Australia – Skilled occupation list – Designated regional area postcodes

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skill-occupation-list/regional-postcodes