You must meet the criteria in one of the following three streams to be eligible for NSW nomination.

1. Living and working in regional NSW;
2. Recently completed study in regional NSW; or
3. Skilled in an Occupation Required in Regional NSW

Full details on the eligibility criteria are available from the Nomination Criteria below.

The eligible skilled occupations for each region will be different, so it is important that you check that your occupation is currently being accepted for our region. This list is updated regularly and sometimes needs to be changed without notice. Your occupation must be on this list when you submit your application.

It is important that the skilled occupation on your application to the Mid North Coast matches the occupation that is entered into SkillSelect. If these do not match, you cannot be nominated to apply for the 491 visa by the NSW Government.

Please note that nominations are limited for each occupation and region and not everyone who applies will be selected, even if they meet the eligibility criteria.  As the occupation list is updated regularly, there may be variances between the list below and the copy provided by the NSW Government. The list below is the current edition, and applications need to adhere to this list. Occupations that are on the copy provided by the NSW Government but not on this list will not be accepted.

Our occupation list is available on our occupation list for the Mid North Coast

As part of accepting a nomination from the NSW Government, applicants commit to live and work in NSW. According to visa regulations, the applicant must have a genuine commitment to live and work in the nominating region.

This commitment is a condition of the NSW Government’s nomination.

If you are interested in relocating to the Mid North Coast, we encourage you to learn about it. Online information can be found at this web address: https://rdamnc.org.au/our-region/mid-north-coast/

To be able to receive an invitation to apply from the NSW Government, you must have an EOI number from Skill Select by the Department of Home Affairs.

You can find out more and apply for your EOI on their website.

To apply for a 491 Visa, you must be invited to apply by the NSW Government. To receive an invitation to apply, interested applicants must lodge their details through their online form.  Registering your interest in NSW Nomination is NOT an application.

Further information about how to register your interest with the NSW Government and the online form is available on their website. We also recommend reading through their frequently asked questions about the ROI process.

In the 2021-22 financial year, ROI rounds will be held:

• 1st to 31st of August
• 1st to 31st of October
• 1st to 31st of January
• 1st to 31st of March

Registrations of interest to the NSW Government must be submitted in the designated months, any submissions outside this time will not be considered, even if the form is available.

Please note that we are unable to assist applicants with this stage of the process, as it is managed by the NSW Government.

Any queries about this process or the online form should be directed to the NSW Government via the contact details on their website.

The NSW Government will select applicants from the pool that have applied for a ROI. Successful applicants will be notified within 7 days of the end of each round of ROIs.

If you have received an invitation to apply from the NSW Government – congratulations! You have 14 days to submit your application to one region that requires your skills.

If you want to apply to the Northern Rivers region, and you are applying under Stream 1 you can now proceed through steps 7 to 10 and submit a full application. If you are applying under Stream 2 or 3, you need to check if your occupation is on the occupation list for the Mid North Coast before proceeding to steps 7 to 10.

If you are wanting to apply to another region, you must follow the instructions on the website of the RDA for that region.

Please note we are unable to provide you information about the status of your ROI application, as these are assessed by the NSW Government, not RDAMNC. While we understand that some potential applicants are facing difficult circumstances, we are unable to accept any applications without an invitation to apply from the NSW Government.

The application form and required documentation for each stream is different, so it is important that you select the correct stream to avoid delays in processing your application.

Application forms and document checklists for each of the streams are available through the links below for:

Stream 1: Living and working in regional NSW

https://rdamnc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Stream-1-Living-and-working-in-regional-NSW.docx

Stream 2 – Recently completed study in regional NSW

https://rdamnc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Stream-2-Recent-study-in-regional-NSW.docx

Stream 3 – Skilled in an Occupation Required in Regional NSW

https://rdamnc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Stream-3-Australian-resident.docx

Please note that RDA Mid North Coast has a very limited number of sponsorships available and as such we will only be accepting applications under “Stream 1” initially.  Priority will be given to people currently living and working in this region

All applications should be addressed to our Skilled Migration Project Officer.

It is preferable to submit your application by email, as this can reduce the processing time for your application.

Email applications, with all supporting documents clearly identified and in separate files to 491visa@rdamnc.org.au

You will receive an automated reply from our email system to acknowledge receipt of your application.

Alternatively, you can send a hard copy of your application to us by mail to:

Attn: Migration Officer
RDA Mid North Coast
PO BOX 83
MACKSVILLE NSW 2447

f we have sponsorships available we will contact you, via the email address your application was submitted from, for payment and provide the payment instructions.

Payment is required as part of your application, and we will not commence assessment of your application until your payment can be verified.

Note that payment of your application assessment fee does not guarantee a positive outcome for your application.

Our assessment fees are:

Skilled Regional State Nominated (491 visa): AUD $800.00

Applications will be processed in the order in which complete applications are received and will be completed within 6 weeks.

We will be in contact with you to request further information if required documents were not included in your application submission or to advise you on the outcome of your application.

If your application is successful, we will provide you with information about the next steps in the process.

Once we have advised the NSW Government that we have offered you nomination, it will take up to 4 working days (Monday to Friday and excluding NSW public holidays) for the nomination to be processed. You will then receive an invitation to apply from SkillSelect.

You must meet all the criteria in one of the following three streams to be eligible for NSW nomination:

1. Living and working in regional NSW;
2. Recently completed study in regional NSW; or
3. Skilled in an Occupation Required in Regional NSW

Applicants who do not meet the criteria in one of these three streams may be refused unless otherwise agreed with Investment NSW

‘Closely related occupations’ are defined as those having the same ANZSCO unit group, i.e. sharing the same first four digits.

‘Designated regional areas’ are determined by the Department of Home Affairs. Please see the Department of Home Affairs website for a list of regional NSW postcodes.

While there are three streams for eligibility, the NSW Government has advised that preference is given to migrants registering their interest under stream 1 when considering invitations to apply.

You must be currently residing in Australia to be eligible to register your interest in NSW nomination. Applications are not being accepted from overseas applicants.

1. Living and working in regional NSW

To be eligible for NSW nomination under this stream you must:

• hold a valid skills assessment for an occupation that appears on your nominated region’s occupation list;
• have been living in a designated regional area of NSW for at least the previous 12 months; and
• have been working in your nominated occupation, or a closely related occupation, in a designated regional area of NSW, for at least the previous 12 months.

2. Recently completed study in regional NSW

To be eligible for NSW nomination under this stream you must:

• hold a valid skills assessment for an occupation that appears on your nominated region’s occupation list;
• have completed study or education with an education provider, where:
  • the study was completed within the previous 24 months;
  • the education provider is located in a designated regional area in NSW;
  • the study meets the Australian study requirement (as determined by Home Affairs from time to time); and
  • the qualification obtained from this study has been assessed as closely related to your nominated occupation by the relevant assessing authority; and
• have lived in a designated regional area of NSW while completing your study.

Applicants that wish to apply to the Mid North Coast under this steam will need to apply as one of the occupations on our occupation list.

3. Skilled in an occupation required in regional NSW

To be eligible for NSW nomination under this stream you must:

• Hold a valid skills assessment for an occupation that appears on your nominated region’s occupation list
• Be currently residing in an Australian state or territory

Applicants that wish to apply to the Mid North Coast under this steam will need to apply as one of the occupations on our occupation list.

• Central Coast
• Central West
• Far South Coast
• Far West
• Hunter
• Illawarra
• Mid North Coast
• Northern Inland
• Northern Rivers
• Orana
• Riverina
• Southern Inland (including Murray region)
• Sydney*

*Designated regional postcodes within the RDA Sydney area can be found on the Department of Home Affairs website.

NSW nomination for the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) is just one of a number of visa options for prospective skilled migrants. There is a range of visas offered by the Department of Home Affairs, including both temporary and permanent employer nominated visas.

You may also wish to seek advice from a registered migration agent. A list of registered migration agents is available on the Migration Agents Registration Authority website.