Skilled Independent Regional (SIR) Provisional Visa

Most skilled visa categories enable you to reside in any area of Australia providing that you meet the basic visa requirements and satisfy the relevant points test.

In certain instances, it may be possible to rely on state/territory sponsorship to qualify under the Skilled Independent Regional (SIR) Provisional Visa. This visa type has a lower pass mark of 110 which can include the 10 bonus points which can be claimed upon obtaining sponsorship from a participating state/territory government.

Under the SIR visa category, “Regional area of Australia” means anywhere in Australia except in:

• Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and the Central Coast in New South Wales

• Brisbane and the Gold Coast in Queensland

• Perth in Western Australia

• Melbourne in Victoria

• The Australian Capital Territory

Note: all States and Territories (with the exception of the Australian Capital Territory) currently participate in the SIR visa program.