187 Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa (subclass 187) – Temporary Residence Transition stream

At a Glance

Item	Details
Visa name	Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme 187
Stream	Temporary Residence Transition
Stay	Permanent
Cost	From AUD6,140
Apply from	Inside or outside Australia
Age	Usually under 45
Eligibility timing	Employer sponsorship: two of three years
Work rights	Work indefinitely in Australia
Study	Study in Australia
Medicare	Eligible to enrol
Travel facility	Five years from grant
Citizenship	May apply if eligible
Family sponsorship	Sponsor eligible relatives
Visa record	Digitally linked to passport
Main requirement	Transitional 457 or 482 worker

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Purpose

This permanent visa is for skilled workers nominated by their employer in regional Australia.

Eligibility

You must:

• Be the primary holder of a subclass 457 or subclass 482 Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa, or hold a Bridging visa A, B or C linked to a pending 482, 186 or 187 application. The bridging visa must have been granted after your 457 or TSS visa expired.
• Be a transitional subclass 457 or transitional subclass 482 worker.
• Have worked full-time for the nominating employer in regional Australia for at least 2 of the 3 years before nomination.
• Have an employer nomination approved within the 6 months before applying.
• Have the skills and qualifications for the nominated occupation. A skills assessment may be requested.
• Hold any mandatory licence, registration or professional membership for the state or territory of employment.
• Usually be under 45 when applying.
• Have at least Competent English, unless exempt.
• Meet health and character requirements.
• Sign the Australian Values Statement if aged 18 or over.
• Have repaid Australian Government debts, or have a formal repayment arrangement.

The Department may consider visa cancellations or previous refusals when deciding eligibility.

Age exemptions

You may be exempt from the age limit if you are:

• An academic nominated by an Australian university.
• A scientist, researcher or technical specialist at ANZSCO skill level 1 or 2, nominated by an Australian scientific government agency or university.
• A medical practitioner who meets specified regional-work requirements.
• A 457 or 482 holder meeting the required high-income threshold criteria.

If you held, or had applied for and were later granted, a subclass 457 visa on 18 April 2017, you may apply if under 50.

English exemption

You are exempt from Competent English if you completed at least 5 years of full-time secondary or higher education taught entirely in English. You must still show Functional English or pay the applicable second instalment.

Stay and rights

This is a permanent visa. You become a permanent resident on the grant date.

You can:

• Live, work and study in Australia indefinitely.
• Enrol in Medicare.
• Sponsor eligible relatives.
• Apply for Australian citizenship if eligible.
• Travel to and from Australia for 5 years from grant.

Newly arrived residents may need to wait before accessing some Australian Government payments and benefits.

Family provisions

You can include family members when applying, or add them before a decision.

Eligible family members include:

• Your partner.
• Your dependent child or stepchild.
• Your partner’s dependent child or stepchild.
• Dependent children or stepchildren of those children.
• Certain subclass 457 or 482 holders granted as your family member.

Family members must meet health and character requirements where required.

Cost

The main applicant charge is AUD6,140. Additional charges apply for each family member.

Second instalment

A second instalment may be payable for applicants aged 18 or over with less than Functional English:

• AUD4,890 for an eligible family member.
• AUD9,800 for the main applicant if exempt from Competent English but unable to show Functional English.

The Department issues an invoice after all other visa requirements are met.

Other possible costs include health examinations, police certificates and biometrics.

Pacific Island and Timor-Leste concession

From 1 July 2026, a lower visa charge applies to eligible applicants holding valid passports from:

• Federated States of Micronesia
• Fiji
• Kiribati
• Nauru
• Palau
• Papua New Guinea
• Republic of the Marshall Islands
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Timor-Leste
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Vanuatu

Eligible family members receive the concession based on the primary applicant’s passport.

Application location

You can apply from inside or outside Australia, but not while in immigration clearance.

If applying in Australia, you must hold:

• A substantive visa; or
• A Bridging visa A, B or C.

You may be inside or outside Australia when the application is decided.

Required documents

Provide clear colour scans or photographs of documents. Translate non-English documents into English and provide both originals and translations.

Typical evidence includes:

• Passport identity pages and national identity card, if available.
• Name-change evidence, if applicable.
• Employer nomination Transaction Reference Number (TRN).
• Required occupational licence, registration or membership.
• Skills assessment, if requested.
• Age-exemption evidence, if applicable.
• Competent or Functional English evidence.
• Australian Federal Police complete disclosure National Police Certificate.
• Overseas police certificates for countries where you spent 12 months or more in the past 10 years since turning 16.
• Military records or discharge papers, if applicable.
• Health examination results, when requested.

Family evidence

For partners, provide identity and character documents plus either:

• A marriage certificate; or
• Evidence of a de facto relationship lasting at least 12 months.

For dependent children, provide identity, relationship and dependency evidence. Applicants aged under 18 require consent from non-migrating persons with legal authority, unless an applicable court order or home-country law supports migration.

For dependants aged 18 or over, provide Form 47a and evidence of financial dependence for at least 12 months.

How to apply

1. Ask your employer to lodge the nomination and provide the nomination TRN.
2. Organise health examinations before applying, or wait for instructions.
3. Gather identity, skills, English, character and family documents.
4. Create or log in to ImmiAccount.
5. Submit the online application, attach documents and pay the visa charge.
6. Record the application Transaction Reference Number.
7. Check ImmiAccount for requests for health examinations, biometrics or further information.

The Department will not process the application until the correct visa application charge is paid.

After applying

• Stay lawful by holding a valid visa.
• If applying in Australia, you are likely to receive a bridging visa when your current visa expires.
• You may travel while the application is being processed, but need a valid visa to return.
• Add eligible family members before a decision.
• Notify the Department of changes to contact details, passport, relationship status, a child’s birth or an application error.
• Use Form 1023 to notify incorrect answers.
• The Department may request a skills assessment, biometrics or further documents.

The employer nomination must be approved before the visa can be granted. Visa application charges are not refunded if the application is refused.

Obligations and conditions

You and family members must obey Australian laws.

You are expected to:

• Work for the nominating employer in regional Australia for at least 2 years.
• Begin employment within 6 months of entering Australia, if granted offshore.
• Begin employment within 6 months of visa grant, if granted in Australia.

The Department may cancel the visa if you do not work for the nominating employer in regional Australia for at least 2 years.

Travel

You can travel freely for 5 years from visa grant.

After the travel facility ends, obtain a Resident Return visa (RRV) to return to Australia as a permanent resident. Check the travel-facility end date through VEVO.

Important warnings

• Provide accurate information and evidence. False or unproven information may affect the application.
• Criminal and civil penalties may apply for benefits exchanged for visa sponsorship.
• Only registered migration agents, legal practitioners or exempt persons may provide immigration assistance.
• New Zealand passport holders should tell border officers they hold a permanent Australian visa and do not want a Special Category visa (subclass 444), as a 444 visa may override permanent status and affect citizenship eligibility.