489 Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489) – Subsequent entry pathway

At a Glance

Item	Details
Visa name	Skilled Regional (Provisional) 489
Pathway	Subsequent entry pathway
Stay	Until family member’s visa ends
Cost	From AUD6,140
Eligibility timing	Apply and decision: in/outside Australia
Work rights	Work in specified regional areas
Study	Study in specified regional areas
Medicare	Not stated in the source
Travel facility	Multiple entry while valid
Citizenship	Not stated in the source
Permanent residence	May qualify for subclass 887
Family sponsorship	Family unit of eligible holder
Visa record	Digitally linked to passport
Age limit	No age limit
Application method	Online through ImmiAccount

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Purpose

This temporary visa is for a member of the family unit of a holder of a Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489), or a subclass 475, 487, 495 or 496 visa.

Eligibility

You must:

• Be a member of the family unit of an eligible visa holder.
• Meet health requirements, with applying family members.
• Meet character requirements if aged 16 or over.
• Have functional English, or pay the second instalment when requested.
• Sign the Australian Values Statement if aged 18 or over.
• Repay, or arrange to repay, Australian Government debts.
• Meet immigration-history requirements; past refusals or cancellations may affect eligibility.

If applying in Australia, you must hold:

• A substantive visa; or
• Bridging visa A (subclass 010), B (subclass 020), or C (subclass 030).

You may be in or outside Australia when applying and when a decision is made, but not in immigration clearance.

Stay and regional conditions

The visa remains valid until the eligible family member’s visa ends. It cannot be extended.

You must live and work in the area that applies to the primary visa holder:

Primary visa holder’s circumstances	Required area
State/territory nominated; granted before 16 November 2019	Regional and low population growth metropolitan area
State/territory nominated; granted after 16 November 2019	Designated regional area
Sponsored by eligible relative	Designated area

Check the visa grant letter or VEVO for your specific conditions.

Cost

• Main applicant: from AUD6,140.
• Additional charges apply for each accompanying family member.
• A second instalment of AUD4,890 may apply to applicants aged 18 or over without functional English.
• The second instalment is payable only if requested before grant.
• Other costs may include health examinations, police certificates and biometrics.

Pacific Island and Timor-Leste concession

From 1 July 2026, a lower visa application 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 accompanying family members may receive the concession based on the primary applicant’s or eligible visa holder’s passport.

Rights

While the visa is valid, you can:

• Stay in Australia.
• Live, work and study in the required regional area.
• Work in any occupation and for any employer, subject to visa conditions.
• Travel to and from Australia as often as you wish.
• Attend free Adult Migrant English Program classes, if eligible.
• Apply for the Skilled Regional (Residence) visa (subclass 887), if eligible.

Time outside Australia does not extend the visa.

Family provisions

You can include family-unit members when lodging the application. You can add a dependent child after lodgement but before a decision.

All applying family members must meet health and character requirements. Non-accompanying family members may also need to meet health requirements and must meet character requirements.

If a partner or dependent child is not included, explain why.

Dependent children

A child aged over 18 must be:

• Under 23 and dependent on you or your partner; or
• Aged 23 or over, dependent due to physical or cognitive limitations.

A child turning 18 or 23 during processing must still meet the relevant dependency requirements.

Required documents

Provide clear colour scans or photographs of all documents. Non-English documents must include English translations. Do not certify documents.

Identity and relationship evidence

Provide:

• Current passport bio-data pages.
• National identity card, if held.
• Name-change evidence, if applicable.
• Marriage, divorce, separation or death documents, where relevant.
• Evidence of your relationship to the eligible visa holder.

For partners, provide identity, relationship and character documents. De facto partners must provide either:

• Registered relationship evidence; or
• Evidence of at least 12 months’ de facto relationship before applying.

Evidence of a genuine and continuing relationship can include joint accounts, bills, leases, mortgages and shared-address evidence.

Character documents

Provide:

• An Australian Federal Police complete disclosure certificate if you spent 12 months or more in Australia during the last 10 years since turning 16.
• Overseas police certificates for each country where you spent 12 months or more during that period.
• Military service records or discharge papers, if applicable.
• Form 80.
• Form 1221.

Australian police certificates are valid for 12 months from issue.

Children’s documents

For children under 18, provide birth certificates, family-book records or adoption papers.

For a child under 18 migrating without a person with legal parental responsibility, provide:

• Form 1229; or
• A statutory declaration giving consent; or
• Relevant court orders or home-country legal evidence.

For dependent children aged 18 or over, provide:

• Dependency evidence, including financial support records.
• Form 47a.
• Medical evidence where dependency is due to disability.

How to apply

1. Gather identity, relationship, character and English evidence.
2. Arrange health examinations if possible before applying.
3. Create or log in to ImmiAccount.
4. Lodge the application online.
5. Attach documents for each applicant.
6. Pay the first visa application charge.
7. Keep the transaction reference number (TRN).
8. Check ImmiAccount for requests, health examinations or biometrics.

The Department may decide the application without requesting further documents.

After applying

• Remain lawful in Australia by holding a valid visa.
• If applying in Australia, a Bridging visa A may take effect when the current visa expires.
• Do not ask for your current visa to be cancelled; this may make you unlawful and cause the Bridging visa A to cease.
• Tell the Department promptly about changes to contact details, passport, relationship status, a child’s birth or withdrawal intentions.
• Use Form 1023 to correct incorrect application answers.
• Use Form 1436 to add an eligible child after lodgement.

If applying outside Australia, do not arrange travel, leave employment or sell your home until written visa grant advice is received.

Obligations and health insurance

You and your family must comply with all visa conditions and Australian laws.

Health insurance is recommended. You are personally liable for healthcare costs in Australia. Some countries have reciprocal healthcare arrangements with Australia.

Travel and visa evidence

You may leave and re-enter Australia as many times as you wish while the visa remains valid.

The visa is digitally linked to your passport; no visa label is issued. Use VEVO to check visa validity and conditions.

Important warnings

• This visa cannot be extended.
• Regional residence and work conditions apply.
• Time outside Australia does not extend validity.
• Visa refusal does not result in a refund of the application charge.
• New Zealand passport holders should tell border officers they hold this visa and do not want a Special Category visa (subclass 444). A subclass 444 grant might affect subclass 887 eligibility and later permanent residence or citizenship eligibility.