Skilled–Independent Regional (Provisional) Visas

The Skilled–Independent Regional (Provisional) (SIR) 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, boost development in regional communities, and counter the population decline in rural areas.

The SIR (Provisional) visa is a temporary visa valid for a period of 3 years.

Applicants for the visa will be required to sign an undertaking that they, and 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 the visa must have state or territory government sponsorship.

Through a two-stage visa process, visa holders must live and work in or a low population growth metropolitan area for at least 2 years before they can apply for permanent residence.

Two stage process to permanent residence

Skilled applicants who are sponsored by a state or territory government and who can obtain 110 points on the general skilled migration points test can apply for permanent residence through a two stage process:

Stage 1

SIR (Provisional) visa stage - successful applicants will be granted a 3 year temporary visa to live and work/study in regional Australia.

Stage 2

Permanent residence stage - SIR visa holders who have met the SIR visa conditions of:

• having lived in regional Australia for at least 2 years; and
• having been employed (including self employed) for at least 12 months in regional Australia;

may apply for one of the following permanent residence visas:

• Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS)
• State/Territory Nominated Independent (SNTI)
• State/Territory Sponsored Business Owner

Priority processing

SIR 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.

Regional Australia

Living in regional Australia or a low population growth metropolitan area means that SIR visa holders can live anywhere in Australia except in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, the NSW Central Coast, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Perth, Melbourne or the ACT.

All SIR (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. For specific requirements that must be met in each category -

All applicants for the visas must be sponsored by a state or territory government authority.

This is a list of state and territory governments participating in the SIR (Provisional) visa program. This information will be updated as required.

New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia.

Visa Information | General Information