About Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS)
Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme permanent residence visa for skilled workers who want to work in regional Australia.
- It allows you to work in Australia under one of three PATHWAYS.
- the Temporary Residence Transition stream.
- the Direct Entry stream.
- the Agreement stream.
How does Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme(RSMS) Work?
- Temporary Residence Transition: where applicants have worked with their employer on a 457 Visa for the last 2 years in the same position. In this case, no Regional Body Certification is required,
- Direct Entry Stream: for people who have never, or only briefly, worked in Australia,
- Agreement Stream: where the employer has a Labour Agreement.
What are English Requirements for Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme?
| Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| TOEFL iBT | 12 | 13 | 21 | 18 |
| PTE Academic | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| OET | B | B | B | B |
Eligibility Criteria of RSMS Visa
- Are under 45 years old (unless you’re exempt)
- Have been nominated by an employer for a job in a regional area
- Have the skills and qualifications to do the job you’ve been nominated for, at the time you apply
- Meet the English language requirements
- Meet health and character requirements
- Meet the requirements of the stream under which you are applying.
RSMS Regional Areas
List of Regional areas for RSMS sponsorship:
- Entire Western Australia.
- Entire South Australia
- Entire Tasmania
- Entire ACT
- Entire Northern Territory
- New South Wales (NSW) – all areas excluding Sydney, Newcastle, and Wollongong
- Victoria – all areas excluding Melbourne
Queensland- all areas excluding Brisbane, Goldcoast
Process step of RSMS Visa
This visa involves a three step process:
- Regional Certification Board (RCB) approval
- Nomination by an approved Australian employer and,
- A Subclass 187 visa application by the skilled worker.
The applicant can be in or outside Australia when an application is made for this visa. The applicant must have a valid substantive visa or a bridging visa A, B, or C to apply for this visa in Australia.
Benefits of RSMS Visa
There are several benefits of RSMS visa those are listed as below.
- Work and live in Australia indefinitely
- Opportunity to study in Australia
- RSMS is the highest priority visa in the skilled migration stream
- It is possible to apply for RSMS in a wider range of occupations
- The employer does not need to meet the training requirement
- access to Medicare and will not have to pay international school fees (like many 457 visa holders have to)
- Opportunity to apply for Australian Citizenship
- sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residency
- Travel in and out of Australia as you often want
Comparison
| RSMS | 457 visa |
|---|---|
| Permanent Visa | Temporary Visa – Lasts up to 4 years |
| Medicare and all welfare benefits that comes with Permanent Residency | No welfare benefits eg: Medicare |
| Work for sponsor up to 2 years to keep Permanent Residency | Work for sponsor up to 2 years to get Permanent Residency |
| IELTS requirement is 6 for direct entry | IELTS requirement is just 5 bands |
| Can only work in Regional Australia this does not include Gold Coast, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong or Melbourne | Can work anywhere in Australia |