Regional Study Options

This is important for a number of reasons. Firstly, having more time during your 485 visa, it’s a 50% increase! (3 years instead of 2 for Uni graduates) and gives you the ability to work longer, gain more points for Australian work experience and look more appealing to Australian employers (with more time to work for them). So how can this extra time on a 485 visa benefit you and your pathway and points? Well, if you secure relevant employment in your occupation you can claim points as follows: 1-year Australian work experience = 5 points 3-years Australian work experience = 10 points Employer sponsorship (482 info here) requires 2-years of experience in your field so this gives you another backup option to consider if you are not invited under the EOI scheme before your 485 ends Regional Employer sponsorship requires you to have 3 years of experience in your field which is possible if you gain a 3 year 485 visa Secondly. if you prefer to pursue the EOI points-based process towards PR, then State Sponsorship has increasingly become the easiest and sometimes only way to achieve permanent residency in Australia. The graphic below illustrates how each state has approved applicants under the state nominated streams.

Study in regional Australia also has a direct correlation with State Sponsorship. State sponsorship is where different states in Australia choose the occupations they need in their state and place them on their state sponsorship list. Then, each state has their own requirements on what you need to do to be approved for the points via state sponsorship. The majority of states have several ‘in demand’ occupation lists specific to their economies – There is a graduate list as well, which can include waivers (so can be easier to receive nomination points from them) as well as ‘living in’ lists – so if you were to be studying in a regional location you may find that upon completion of your studies you can be eligible to a 3-year post-study work visa, and be considered for nomination under that particular regions ‘graduate list’ and/or ‘living in the area’ list.

The more you can maximise your options at the start of your journey, the more opportunities you can give yourself at graduation. We are running an Education and Migration seminar now and then everything about study in regional Australia. Also, you can talk to our experts for more information on how we can help you with your own strategy to get permanent residency However, there are plenty of other reasons to consider studying in a regional area including the cheaper cost of living and lifestyle.