SKILLED REGIONAL SPONSORED (Provisional) Subclass 475 Introduction The Skilled Regional Sponsored visa is for skilled people

who wish to live and work in a regional or low population growth area in Australia. The visa was developed in consultation with state and territory governments and is designed to assist regional areas attract, and retain, skilled migrants to fill skill shortages and boost development in regional communities. This is a temporary visa valid for a period of 3 years. Applicants for this visa will be required to sign an undertaking that they, and the members of their family unit, will live, work or study in regional Australia or a low population metropolitan centre for the duration of their visa. Applicants for a Skilled Regional Sponsored visa (SRS) visa must have state or territory government sponsorship. Through a two-stage visa process, SRS visa holders must live and work in a low population growth metropolitan area for at least 2 years before they can apply for permanent residence. There is no restriction on the type of work that you may undertake. You could work for an employer or yourself. The only restriction is that the employment must be both of the following:

full time undertaken in a Specified Regional Area in Australia.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines a 'full time position' as one in which employment is normally for 35 hours a week. There may be some occupations, however, where full time employment is for less than 35 hours a week. If this is the case for your occupation then you must provide details. Any employment that is less than 30 hours a week will not be regarded as full time. However, you are allowed to work in up to two (2) concurrent part time jobs to meet the one (1) year (35 hours a week) full time work requirement. Two stage process to permanent residence Skilled applicants who are sponsored by a state or territory government and who can obtain 100 points on the general skilled migration points test can apply for permanent residence through a two stage process: Stage 1 - SRS (Provisional) visa stage - successful applicants will be granted a 3 year temporary visa to live and work/study in regional Australia. SynchronicityOne
Danny Trestian & Mira Flomin, P O Box 1750, Byron Bay, NSW 2481, Australia Tel ++61-2-66884081 Mobile: ++61-417-735187 e-mail: info@synch1.com www.synch1.com

Stage 2 - Permanent residence stage - SRS visa holders who have met the SIR visa conditions of: having lived in regional Australia for at least 2 years; and having been employed full time (including self employed) for at least 12 months in regional Australia; have complied with the conditions on the SRS visa

may apply for permanent residence under the Skilled Regional (Residence) visa Subclass 887. The Skilled Regional Residence visa allows you and any secondary applicants included in your visa application to live as permanent residents in Australia. Australian permanent residents can:

live and work in Australia on a permanent basis 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.

Priority processing SRS visa applications will receive priority processing through the Adelaide Skilled Processing Centre. This means they will be processed ahead of other applications for general skilled migration. The average processing time would be 6 months. Regional Australia Living in regional Australia or a low population growth metropolitan area means that SRS visa holders can live anywhere in Australia except in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, the NSW Central Coast, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Melbourne or the ACT. A detailed list of specific area codes in which it is possible to live can be provided.

All SRS (Provisional) visa applicants must meet the same basic requirements as other general skilled migration categories plus some additional requirements. Applicants can apply offshore or onshore. There are different requirements for each category. All applicants for the SRS (Provisional) visas must be sponsored by a state or territory government authority. Applicants must provide evidence of their sponsorship when they apply for a SRS (Provisional) visa. The sponsorship requirements for a SRS (Provisional) visa in each state are different. Applying for a second SRS (Provisional) visa If a SRS (Provisional) visa is due to expire and the holder is unable to satisfy the requirements to be granted a permanent visa, they may be eligible to apply for a second SRS (Provisional) visa in an attempt to meet the requirements. A second SRS (Provisional) visa will be granted only if the holder can demonstrate that they have abided by the conditions of their visa. A person can only ever have held a total of 2 SRS (Provisional) visas. SUMMARY The Skilled Regional Sponsored visa (SRS) enables people who cant apply for permanent residence through the Skilled Independent category to arrive to Australia on a temporary visa and later obtain their permanent residence provided they satisfy the requirements stated above. We will be happy to be of assistance to you if you decide to apply for a SRS visa and look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours faithfully SynchronicityOne

Mira Flomin Registered Migration Agent (0210295) info@synch1.com