Australia is divided into three categories of visas: 189, 190 and 491, of which 491 visa is the category with the most optional occupations, and applicants who have been nominated for remote areas can get an additional 15 points in the EOI score.
However, in November 2019, after the Australian Immigration Department just launched the 491 remote area skilled migration policy, the initial response was very lackluster.
Compared with the 189 independent skilled immigration permanent residence visa and the 190 state sponsored skilled immigration permanent residence visa, 491 is only a five-year temporary residence visa, and the permanent residence policy at that time not only had regional restrictions, but also annual income requirements, which discouraged many applicants.
After more than 4 years, Australia's support for 491 has been increasing, and the 491 visa after the policy relaxation is simply a haven for low-scoring applicants for skilled immigrants.
At the end of last fiscal year, the Immigration Bureau announced that it would completely abandon the original 491 to 191 permanent residence, which requires 3 years to meet the mandatory task of minimum annual income, and only needs to complete the 3-year residency requirement to get Australian PR.
For the vast majority of low-scoring applicants for skilled immigration, the problem of income substandard that they were most worried about before has been completely resolved, which is definitely a major immigration benefit.
However, some people are worried that since it is a temporary visa, will there be no way to enjoy any Australian benefits? Not really. In this issue, we will take you to understand the benefits of the Australian 491 visa and the benefits of the permanent residence visa.
Although the treatment of 491 was relatively vague in the early days, as time progressed, the details of the benefits of the 491 visa continued to be clarified and expanded. Some of the benefits that are currently more clear include:Medical Benefits:
Like permanent residence visas, 491 visa holders enjoy Australia's Medicare national health insurance, which can be used free of charge by public medical institutions, and can also enjoy different degrees of discounts at private clinics or medicines.
Home Buying Benefits:
This is a major demand of most friends after immigration, the planning of buying a house can be in accordance with the permanent residence policy, you can trade second-hand houses, reduce stamp duty according to local status, enjoy low-interest loans, but can not enjoy the first home purchase subsidy.
Educational Benefits:
The purpose of many friends to immigrate is for women's education, the 491 visa policy in this regard is the same, children can study in Australian public primary and secondary schools for free, can also apply for student loans to study in private schools, and some states enjoy free or discounted ** to study in TAFE vocational and technical colleges.
Maternity Benefits:
Australia's benefits for children are very generous, 49 holders also enjoy maternity subsidies, subsidies need to be applied for through centerlink according to family circumstances, generally can be maintained until the child is 6 years old, if it is a single-parent family can be extended up to 8 years old.
The above are often encountered by most friends in their lives, as well as paid maternity leave, family tax subsidies, unemployment benefits, etc., which can also be applied for according to the situation.
In general, from the perspective of the policy of the Immigration Bureau, it is not too much to call the 491 quasi-permanent residence visa, and the benefits enjoyed by the holder are getting closer and closer to permanent residence.