Requirements Checklist For Visa Subclass 491

The 491 visa application checklist is a long one. It involves several steps. Check how many of these you have covered:

• Have you been invited to apply?
• Have you been nominated or sponsored?
• Are you under the age of 45?
• Is your Skills Assessment done?
• Do you have 65 points or more on the points test?
• Do you have a Competent English level?
• Do you meet the Skills requirement?
• Do you meet the Health requirement?
• Do you meet the Character requirement?
• Have you cleared any debt or money you need to pay back to the Australian government?
• Have you signed the Australian Values Statement?

Each of these steps has many 491 visa requirements that you need to fulfil.

To receive the invitation to apply for the visa, you first need to submit the Expression of Interest (EoI) in SkillSelect to tell the immigration authority of Australia that you wish to work there for the next five years. In your EOI, you need to clarify if you have a relative there who will sponsor you or if you wish to be nominated by the state or territory government.

If you indicate that you will be sponsored by an eligible relative, the state or territory government agencies do not nominate you. But if you do not have a sponsor and have enough points, they may nominate you to work in their region or designated area. These regions include:

• Western Australia
• Victoria
• Tasmania
• South Australia
• Queensland
• Northern Territory
• New South Wales

Each of these state or territory agencies has their nomination criteria. You can contact them directly to ask for the 491 nomination checklist they follow.

The eligible relative who can sponsor you may include your:

• parent,
• child,
• step-child,
• brother or sister,
• adoptive brother or sister,
• stepbrother or sister,
• aunt or uncle,
• adoptive aunt or uncle,
• step-aunt or uncle,
• nephew or niece,
• adoptive nephew or niece,
• step-nephew or niece,
• a first cousin, or
• a grandparent.
• In any case, your eligible relative must be:
• 18 years or older,
• a citizen or permanent resident of Australia or New Zealand, and
• the resident of a designated area of Australia.

The 491 visa checklist also asks you to be under 45 to be invited to apply for visa 491. If you turn 45 years old after you submit your EOI but before you receive the invitation, you may automatically become ineligible for the invitation. But if you receive the invitation and then turn 45, you can still apply for the visa.

The subclass 491 checklist asks for a Skills Assessment done by the relevant authority along with your visa application. If you are a medical practitioner, you need full medical registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. A conditional specialist registration with the agency will only allow you to practice your speciality.

The legal practitioners will have to be admitted to practice law in the relevant territory or state.

One thing to note in the case of Skills Assessment is that it should be done within the three years before the date of the invitation.

The 491 visa checklist requires the main applicant to have the English Language competency of 'Competent English' level. It means the minimum 491 visa IELTS requirement is at the band level of 6 for each of the four components of reading, writing, speaking and listening. This is equivalent to:

• the TOEFL iBT level of 12 for Listening, 13 for Reading, 18 for Speaking, and 21 for Writing,
• the Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic level for at least 50 points for each of the four components,
• the Occupational English Test (OET) B grade for each of the four components, and
• the Cambridge C1 Advanced test with 169 points in each component.

Citizens of the UK, the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Ireland do not need to provide evidence of this requirement.

The family members of the main applicant of the 491 visa must have 'Functional English' level. It is equivalent to the IELTS band of 4.5 in each of the four components or a total band score of 32 on the TOEFL iBT.

Our V2I visa experts can help you understand these requirements in greater detail.