Information current to 16 October 2026. Fees and salary figures reflect the Department of Home Affairs settings that started on 1 July 2026.

The 494 visa requirements in 2026 come down to three things: a regional employer willing to sponsor you, a role and salary that meet the rules, and your own skills, age, English and experience. Get those right and the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494) gives you five years to live and work in regional Australia, with a pathway to permanent residency through the subclass 191 after three years.

This guide covers what changed in 2026 (higher fees from 1 July, a higher salary floor and new processing priorities from September), the full cost for a family, the step-by-step process, and the mistakes we see most often from applicants in India and Malaysia.

494 visa requirements 2026: key facts at a glance

• Visa type: Provisional, valid for up to 5 years. You must live, work and study only in a designated regional area (condition 8579).
• Streams: Employer Sponsored stream and Labour Agreement stream.
• Age: Under 45 when you apply, unless an exemption applies.
• English: At least Competent English, for example IELTS 6.0 in each band, or PTE Academic Listening 47, Reading 48, Writing 51, Speaking 54.
• Skills: A positive skills assessment and at least 3 years of relevant full-time work experience in the nominated occupation.
• Salary floor: The Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) is AUD 79,423 for nominations lodged on or after 1 July 2026, and the salary must also match the market rate.
• Visa fee: AUD 6,140 for the main applicant from 1 July 2026.
• Processing: Home Affairs data from late September 2026 shows the Employer Sponsored stream at 8 months for 50% of applications and 12 months for 90%.
• PR pathway: Subclass 191 after holding the 494 for at least 3 years, living in regional Australia and meeting the income evidence rules.

What the 494 visa is, and who it suits

The 494 is the regional version of employer sponsorship. A business located in a designated regional area nominates you for a skilled position, and you work for that employer in that area. It replaced the old Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187) in November 2019.

It suits people who:

• Have a job offer from a regional employer but do not yet have the points or invitation needed for a 189, 190 or 491 visa.
• Work in an occupation that regional employers struggle to fill, such as trades, nursing, aged care, agriculture, hospitality management and engineering.
• Want a clear route to PR that is not tied to a points test or an annual state nomination round.

If you are comparing options, our guide to the 491 visa requirements for 2026 explains the state-nominated regional alternative, and the 186 visa guide covers the permanent employer-sponsored route.

What counts as "regional"?

For the 494, every part of Australia is regional except the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane metropolitan areas. That means Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Newcastle, Wollongong and Geelong all qualify, along with smaller regional towns. Postcodes decide this, not the city name, so always check the business's work location on the Home Affairs designated regional areas list before you sign anything.

The two 494 visa streams

Stream	Who it is for	Key difference
Employer Sponsored	Workers nominated by an approved regional sponsor	Standard rules on age, English, skills, salary and labour market testing apply
Labour Agreement	Workers nominated by an employer that has a labour agreement with the Commonwealth, including Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs)	The agreement can vary some requirements, such as age, English or salary, for specific occupations

Most applicants use the Employer Sponsored stream. If your employer is in a DAMA region, ask whether a labour agreement gives you concessions you would not otherwise get.

494 visa requirements for the applicant

1. Age

You must be under 45 when you lodge the visa application. Limited exemptions exist (some Labour Agreement concessions, for example), but most applicants should treat 45 as a hard cut-off. If you are 43 or 44, timing matters: the nomination and visa lodgement need to move quickly.

2. English language

You need at least Competent English. For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, Home Affairs uses updated score tables. The Competent minimums are:

Test	Listening	Reading	Writing	Speaking
IELTS (General or Academic)	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0
PTE Academic	47	48	51	54

The test must be taken within 3 years before you apply. Passport holders of the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand and the Republic of Ireland are generally exempt. Check the full score table on the Home Affairs English language requirements page, because other accepted tests have their own minimums.

3. Skills assessment

You need a positive skills assessment from the assessing authority for your occupation (for example Engineers Australia, ACS, VETASSESS, TRA or ANMAC), unless an exemption applies. The assessment must be obtained before you lodge the visa application. Processing times at assessing bodies vary from a few weeks to several months, so start this early.

4. Work experience

You generally need at least 3 years of full-time work experience in your nominated occupation or a closely related one. Part-time work is usually counted on a pro-rata basis. The experience must line up with the duties of the ANZSCO occupation your employer nominates, not just your job title.

5. Health and character

You and every family member included in the application must meet health and character requirements. That means health examinations and police certificates from each country where you have lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16.

494 visa requirements for the employer

Your visa can only be as strong as your employer's nomination. The business must:

• Be an approved Standard Business Sponsor. If it is not, it applies first. We cover this in our employer sponsorship (SBS) service.
• Be located in a designated regional area, with the position also based in that area.
• Offer a genuine, full-time position in an occupation on the regional occupation list, available for at least 5 years.
• Get advice from a Regional Certifying Body (RCB) in the Employer Sponsored stream, confirming the salary and conditions are in line with the local market.
• Complete labour market testing, unless an exemption applies. Our explainer on labour market testing walks through the advertising rules, which work the same way for regional nominations.
• Pay the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy. The employer must pay this and cannot recover it from you.

Salary: the 2026 threshold

For nominations lodged on or after 1 July 2026, the TSMIT is AUD 79,423, up from AUD 76,515 in 2025-26. Your guaranteed annual earnings must be at least the higher of the TSMIT and the annual market salary rate for the role in that location. Non-cash benefits such as free accommodation or a car do not count towards the threshold.

The threshold that applies is the one in force when the nomination is lodged. If your employer is preparing a nomination now, the 2026-27 figure applies.

494 visa cost in 2026: full fee table

Visa application charges rose on 1 July 2026. These are the main costs a family should budget for:

Cost item	Amount (AUD)	Who pays
Visa application charge, main applicant	6,140	Applicant
Additional applicant, 18 and over	3,070	Applicant
Additional applicant, under 18	1,535	Applicant
Standard Business Sponsorship application	420	Employer
Nomination charge	Nil	Employer
SAF levy (one-off), turnover under AUD 10 million	3,000	Employer
SAF levy (one-off), turnover AUD 10 million or more	5,000	Employer

A couple with one child pays AUD 10,745 in visa application charges alone (6,140 + 3,070 + 1,535). On top of that, budget for the skills assessment, English tests, health checks, police certificates and certified translations. A second instalment charge also applies to any adult family member who cannot show functional English.

Confirm the current figures on the Home Affairs visa pricing table before you pay, or estimate your family's total with our visa cost calculator.

How to apply for the 494 visa: step by step

1. Check the occupation and location. Confirm the occupation is eligible for the 494 and the workplace postcode is in a designated regional area.
2. Get your skills assessment and English test done. These usually take the longest on your side, so start them while the employer works on sponsorship.
3. Employer becomes a Standard Business Sponsor, if it is not one already.
4. Employer completes labour market testing and obtains RCB advice on the salary and position.
5. Employer lodges the nomination in ImmiAccount and pays the SAF levy.
6. You lodge the visa application, linked to the nomination, with your identity, skills, English, employment, health and character documents.
7. Complete health examinations and biometrics when requested.
8. Receive the decision. If granted, move to (or stay in) the regional area and start work with your sponsor.

You can lodge from inside or outside Australia. If you are onshore, check that your current visa does not carry a "No Further Stay" condition that would stop you applying.

494 processing times and the September 2026 priority changes

Home Affairs figures published in late September 2026 show the Employer Sponsored stream at 8 months for 50% of applications and 12 months for 90%. Check the global visa processing times tool for the latest figures, as they update monthly.

In September 2026, Ministerial Direction 122 replaced the previous skilled processing direction. It covers the 494, 186, 189, 190, 191 and 491, and applies to applications already lodged. Applications are now processed in this order:

1. Occupations in priority sectors: construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources, plus law enforcement and defence.
2. Primary applicants who were in Australia when they applied.
3. Offshore applicants applying without family members.
4. All other applications.

Practically, an offshore applicant from India applying with a partner and children in a non-priority occupation sits in the last group. That does not change eligibility, but it should change how you plan your move date, notice period and family timing. Our September 2026 migration rules summary covers the wider package.

Living on a 494: conditions you must follow

• Regional residence (8579): You must live, work and study only in a designated regional area. Moving to Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, even briefly for work, can breach your visa and damage your 191 eligibility.
• Working for your sponsor: You must work in your nominated occupation for your sponsoring employer, or another approved regional sponsor if you change jobs.
• If the job ends: You have up to 180 days at a time, and up to 365 days in total across the visa, to find a new sponsor, apply for a different visa or leave Australia. You can work for other employers during that period.
• Address updates: You must tell Home Affairs about address changes within 14 days.
• Health insurance: You must keep adequate health insurance unless you are eligible for Medicare. 494 holders can generally enrol in Medicare.

Your partner can work and study with no occupation restriction, but they are also bound to live in regional Australia.

From 494 to PR: the subclass 191

The Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa subclass 191 is the PR step. To apply you must:

• Have held a 494 (or 491) visa for at least 3 years.
• Have lived, worked and studied in a designated regional area during that period, in line with your visa conditions.
• Provide Australian Taxation Office notices of assessment for at least 3 income years while you held the provisional visa.
• Have complied with your visa conditions.

As at September 2026, the Home Affairs 191 page states there is no minimum taxable income requirement. Some websites still quote an older proposed figure; that is not the current rule. What matters is that you lodge your tax returns every year and keep your residence and work history clean, because the three notices of assessment are your core evidence.

494 vs 482 vs 186: which one fits?

	494 (Regional)	482 (Skills in Demand)	186 (ENS)
Visa type	Provisional, 5 years	Temporary, up to 4 years	Permanent
Location	Regional only	Anywhere in Australia	Anywhere in Australia
Main applicant fee from 1 July 2026	AUD 6,140	AUD 4,015	AUD 6,140
Salary floor (2026-27)	TSMIT AUD 79,423	CSIT AUD 79,423 (Core Skills)	CSIT AUD 79,423
PR route	191 after 3 years	186 Temporary Residence Transition	Already PR

For a deeper look at the 482, read our guide to 482 visa eligibility, fees and PR pathway.

Common mistakes that delay or sink 494 applications

• Wrong ANZSCO code. The nominated occupation must match your skills assessment and your real duties. A mismatch between the nomination, the assessment and your employer reference letters is one of the most common refusal grounds.
• Salary just below the threshold. An offer of AUD 78,000 met the old TSMIT but fails the 2026-27 figure. Check the threshold on the day the nomination is lodged.
• "Regional" business with a metro worksite. A company with a regional head office but a Sydney or Melbourne work location does not meet the rules.
• Weak experience evidence. Reference letters need dates, hours, duties and salary on company letterhead, supported by payslips, tax records or bank statements.
• Expired English results. Results older than 3 years at lodgement do not count.
• Leaving the region. Taking a job or renting in a metro city during the 494 years can put your 191 application at risk.
• Paying the employer's costs. It is unlawful for a sponsor to pass the SAF levy or sponsorship costs on to you. Any offer that requires you to pay for sponsorship is a serious red flag.

Tips for applicants from India and Malaysia

• Experience letters: Indian employers often issue short relieving letters. Ask for a detailed reference letter listing duties that match the ANZSCO description, signed by a manager, with contact details the case officer can verify.
• Police certificates: Indian applicants need a police clearance from India, and Malaysian applicants need one from Malaysia, plus certificates from any other country lived in for 12 months or more. Build in time for these; delays are common.
• Translations: Any document not in English, such as Tamil, Hindi or Malay certificates, needs a certified English translation.
• Family timing: Under the September 2026 priority order, offshore family applications sit behind single applicants. Some families choose to plan the move date and notice period around the 12-month mark rather than the 8-month median.
• Job offer scams: Be wary of recruiters asking for large upfront payments for a "guaranteed" regional sponsorship. Verify the employer's ABN and sponsorship status before you pay anything to anyone.

How EazyViza can help

Frequently asked questions

What is the age limit for the 494 visa?

You must be under 45 when you apply. Limited exemptions apply, mainly through labour agreements.

How much does the 494 visa cost in 2026?

From 1 July 2026, the main applicant fee is AUD 6,140, with AUD 3,070 for each additional adult and AUD 1,535 for each child under 18.

Can I get PR from a 494 visa?

Yes. After holding the 494 for at least 3 years and meeting the regional residence and tax evidence rules, you can apply for the subclass 191.

What salary must a 494 employer pay?

At least the TSMIT of AUD 79,423 for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026, or the market rate if that is higher.

Disclaimer: This article is general information only and is not legal or migration advice. Visa rules, fees and processing times change often. Check the Department of Home Affairs website or speak with a registered migration agent or lawyer about your circumstances before you apply. Information current to 16 October 2026.