We prefer you to contact by Email: [email protected]
Call us 24/7 in Australia: 1800 847 243
Australia: +61-7-3186 1467
India: +91-7598 338 336
We prefer you to contact by Email: [email protected]
Call us 24/7 in Australia: 1800 847 243
Australia: +61-7-3186 1467
India: +91-7598 338 336
Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme Visa
You may have to wait before you can access certain Australian Government payments and benefits.
This is a permanent visa – it lets you stay in Australia indefinitely.
You become a permanent resident on the day the Australian immigration officers at the Department of Home Affairs grant the visa.
Your permanent residency for citizenship purposes starts:
Include family in Subclass 187_RSMS Visa
You can:
For this visa, your family members are:
You can also include someone who holds a subclass 457 visa or subclass 482 visa if the Department of Home Affairs granted them that visa on the basis they are a member of your family.
Family members who apply for the visa with you must meet health and character requirements.
Family members who do not apply for the visa with you might also have to meet the requirements.
The visa costs AUD4,045 for the main applicant.
There is also a charge for each family member who applies for the visa with you.
Second instalment
You will need to pay an extra charge called a second instalment for any family member aged 18 years or older who:
The second instalment for family members who apply for the visa with you is AUD4,890.
To be eligible for this visa as the main applicant, you must be able to show the department of Home Affairs you have Competent English unless you are exempt. If you are exempt from showing the department of Home Affairs you have Competent English, you must still show you have Functional English. If you can’t show the department of Home Affairs you have Functional English you must also pay a second instalment of AUD9,800 when the Australian immigration officers at the Department of Home Affairs ask you to.
If you need to pay the second instalment, the Australian immigration officers at the Department of Home Affairs will send you an invoice after you have met all other requirements for the visa.
Other costs: Subclass 187_RSMS Visa
You might also have to pay other costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
To work out what your visa will cost use the Visa pricing estimator. The estimator does not take into account the second instalment or other costs.
Apply for this visa from in or outside Australia. If you are in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa or a bridging visa A, B or C.
You can be in or outside Australia when the Australian immigration officers at the Department of Home Affairs decide on your application.
Your application can take longer to process if:
The case officers at the Department of Home Affairs cannot process your application if you don’t pay the correct visa application charge. The Australian immigration officers at the Department of Home Affairs will notify you if this is the case and if necessary, return your application.
You and your family members must obey all Australian laws.
The Australian immigration officers at the Department of Home Affairs expect that you will work for your nominating employer in regional Australia for at least 2 years. If you don’t, the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs might cancel your visa.
You agree to begin your employment within 6 months of:
The Australian immigration officers at the Department of Home Affairs will digitally link your visa to your passport. You will not get a label in your passport.
You must have the required skills and qualifications needed to perform the tasks of the nominated occupation.
The Australian immigration officers at the Department of Home Affairs might ask you to get a skills assessment to show you have these skills.
You must be licensed, registered or a member of a professional body if it is mandatory in the state or territory you intend to work in.
Be nominated by the employer who sponsored your temporary work visa
Your employer must have sponsored you to work full-time on your subclass 457 or subclass 482 visa for at least 3 of the 4 years prior to nominating you for the subclass 187 visa.
If you held (or had applied for and were later granted) a subclass 457 visa on 18 April 2017, your employer must have sponsored you to work full-time for at least 2 of the 3 years prior to nominating you for this visa.
If the business ownership of the subclass 457 or subclass 482 sponsor has changed in the last 3 years – for example, due to a business sale, takeover or restructure – you might still be able to count the time you worked for the previous business.
You must be nominated by an Australian employer whose business is actively and lawfully operating in Australia.
You must apply for the visa within 6 months of the nomination being approved.
The position must be in regional Australia.
Find out if your employer is eligible to nominate you.
The Australian immigration officers at the Department of Home Affairs can’t grant you a visa if:
The case officers at the Department of Home Affairs can’t link a new nomination to your existing visa application. If this happens one possible option is to withdraw your first visa application and submit a new visa application in relation to the new nomination.
You might be eligible for a refund of the visa application charge depending on the circumstances.
Usually, you must be under 45 years of age when you apply.
You are exempt from this age criteria if any of the following applies to you:
If you held (or had applied for and were later granted) a subclass 457 visa on 18 April 2017, you can still apply for this visa if you are under 50 when you apply.
You must currently be the primary visa holder of either:
The bridging visa must be the one you were granted after your subclass 457 or TSS visa expired.
You and any family members who apply for the visa with you must meet health requirement.
Other family members will also need to meet the requirement.
You and family members aged 16 years and over who apply for the visa with you must meet chartacter requirement.
Other family members will also need to meet the requirement.
If you are 18 years of age or older, you must:
Have this level of English language
You must have at least Competent English.
You are exempt from this requirement if you have completed at least 5 years of full-time study in a secondary or higher education institution where all tuition was delivered in English.
Have paid back your debt to the Australian government
If you owe the Australian Government money, you must have paid it back or have a formal arrangement to pay it back.
Not have had a visa cancelled or a previous application refused
You might not be eligible for this visa if you have had a visa cancelled or refused while you were in Australia. Check if visa cancellation affects your eligibility.
You need to have health examinations. You can complete them before you apply or you can wait until after you apply.
Find out the examinations you need and how to arrange them if you want to have them before you apply.
You don’t have to use a migration agent to apply for any visa. But if you want to, see how to find a registered migration agent.
Anyone can help you fill out forms or give you general help with your application. But you must let the department of Home Affairs know if you want someone to:
Make sure your employer has submitted a nomination application. They will receive a nomination Transaction Reference Number (TRN) when they do.
Ask your employer for the TRN. You need it to apply for the visa.
Criminal and civil penalties can be applied to anyone who asks for, receives, offers or provides a benefit in exchange for visa sponsorship. Learn more about work visa scams.
Provide accurate information. See what happens if you can’t prove your identity or don’t provide true information.
Provide the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details, and passport issue and expiry dates.
Also provide:
Documents that prove a change of name include:
Provide evidence of any licence, registration or professional membership mandatory to perform the nominated occupation in the state or territory you intend to work in, if applicable.
The case officers at the Department of Home Affairs will ask you to undertake a skills assessment if you are required to do so.
If you are 45 years old or older, provide documents to show you are exempt from the age eligibility criteria.
Provide documents that show you have Competent English at the time you submit your application.
You are exempt from having to show the department of Home Affairs you have Competent English if you can instead show The department of Home Affairs you have completed at least 5 years of full-time study in a secondary or higher education institution where all tuition was delivered in English. If this is the case you must still show the department of Home Affairs you have Functional English or pay the second instalment.
You do not need to provide health documents. If you have had medical exams, the results are sent to the department of Home Affairs by your doctor.
Provide an Australian police certificate. The case officers at the Department of Home Affairs only accept complete disclosure National Police Certificates issued by the Australian Federal Police . The case officers at the Department of Home Affairs do not accept standard disclosure certificates or national police certificates issued by Australian state or territory police. For immigration purposes, Australian police certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of issue.
Also provide:
To nominate someone to:
See more about getting help with your application.
Provide:
Provide either:
Documents that prove a de facto relationship include:
You must show that your partner has Functional English.
If you can’t show that your partner has Functional English, you will need to pay the second instalment when the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs ask you to.
For every dependant under 18 years old who is applying with you, provide:
You must get consent for any applicant under 18 years of age to migrate to Australia from anyone who:
They must complete either:
Include a document with the signature and photo of the person who completed the form or declaration, such as a:
Alternatively, you can show:
Include:
For every dependant 18 years old or older who is applying with you, provide:
You need to prove that this person is a family member and/or dependent on you. Provide:
You must also prove this person has been financially dependent on you for at least 12 months before you apply. You could provide:
For other family members, if applicable, provide evidence the person:
You must show the department of Home Affairs your family member has Functional English.
If you can’t show your family member has Functional English, you will need to pay the second instalment when the case officer at the Department of Home Affairs ask you to.
Have all non-English documents translated into English.
Translators in Australia must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters .
Translators outside Australia do not have to be accredited. But on each translation, they must include their:
These details must be in English.
Note: You do not need to have any documents certified.
Scan or photograph all documents (English and non-English) in colour.
The scans and photos must be clear.
If a document is more than one page, save it all as one file.
Attach a document only once, even if you are using it to show more than one thing.
Provide accurate information. See what happens if you can’t prove your identity or don’t provide true information.
See what you can and must do after you apply.
The case officers at the Department of Home Affairs will let you know when they have received your application.
There are other things you need to know and might need to do.
The case officers at the Department of Home Affairs can’t give updates on applications within the standard processing time.
You can check if they need more information from you in ImmiAccount.
If you are in Australia, you don’t have to tell the department of Home Affairs if you want to travel outside Australia while they process your application. This is because you can be outside Australia when the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs decide on your application.
But if you leave Australia, make sure you have a valid visa to return.
Learn about visa expiry.
Learn about Bridging visas.
If you didn’t have health examinations before you applied, the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs will let you know if you need them. Check ImmiAccount.
The case officers at the Department of Home Affairs might ask for Biometrics (fingerprints and photo). The case officers at the Department of Home Affairs will let you know if you need to provide them.
If you didn’t attach all documents when you applied, attach them as soon as possible in ImmiAccount.
The Australian immigration officers at the Department of Home Affairs might also ask you to provide more information.
Make sure you stay lawful by holding a valid visa while the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs process your application.
When you apply for this visa in Australia, you are likely to be granted a bridging visa. If your current visa expires before The case officers at the Department of Home Affairs decide your application, the bridging visa will start. You can stay in Australia on the bridging visa while the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs process your new visa application.
Learn more about visa expiry.
If you need to pay a second instalment the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs will send you an invoice after you have met all other requirements for the visa.
You can add family to your application after you apply but before the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs decide on your visa.
For the purposes of adding family to your application after you apply, your family members are:
Find out what to do if your child is born after you apply.
Let the department of Home Affairs know as soon as you can if you made a mistake on your application.
Complete Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers (168KB PDF) .
Let the department of Home Affairs know if you no longer want someone to:
See more about withdrawing your appointment.
Things you need to let the department of Home Affairs know about after you submit you application include:
See what to do if your situation changes
The Australian immigration officers at the Department of Home Affairs might ask you to get a skills assessment.
You can be in or outside Australia when the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs decide on your application.
The case officers at the Department of Home Affairs will let you know their decision in writing.
If the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs grant your visa, they will tell you:
Keep a copy of the decision.
If the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs refuse your visa, they will tell you:
The Department of Home Affairs will not refund the visa application charge if the case officer refuses your application.
From the date the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs grant this visa, you can travel to and from Australia for up to 5 years.
After that period, you will need a Resident Return (RRV) visa to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident.
If you leave Australia after the expiry date of your travel facility, without being granted another permanent visa with a valid travel facility, for example a Resident Return (RRV), you might not be able to return to Australia as a permanent resident.
To see when your travel facility ends, use VEVO.
To prove you have a visa and show your conditions to someone, use VEVO
To prove you have been in Australia, request your international movement records by completing Form 1359 – Request for international movement records (195KB PDF)
When you work in Australia, you are protected by Australian workplace law. See your workplace rights and entitlements .
As an Australian permanent resident, you might be able to sponsor eligible relatives to come to Australia.
To find a visa for your family member, explore visa options.
After a certain time, you might be eligible for Australian citizenship. Find out more about becoming a citizen.
For citizenship purposes, your permanent residency starts on the day:
From the date the case officers at the Department of Home Affairs grant this visa, you can travel to and from Australia for up to 5 years.
After that period, you will need a Resident Return (RRV) visa to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident.
If you leave Australia after the expiry date of your travel facility, without being granted another permanent visa with a valid travel facility, for example a Resident Return (RRV), you might not be able to return to Australia as a permanent resident.
To see when your travel facility ends, use VEVO.