Living in a regional area of Australia has several benefits. Besides low living costs and a less busy life, there are some permanent residence visas granted to applicants who have stayed and worked in any of these areas. One of these visas is the Skilled Regional Visa Subclass 887, which allows the holders to stay and work anywhere in the Land Down Under once granted. Read this blog to know all the eligibility requirements and documents checklist you need to apply.
What does this visa let a holder do?
As the 887 Visa Australia is a permanent residence visa, the holder can stay in Australia permanently and enjoy the following privileges.
- You can study in your favorite Australian institution and work for an Australian employer.
- Like all other permanent residents, you can enroll in Australia’s public health care scheme, Medicare. Medicare covers health treatments at public hospitals, home health care, medications, lab tests, surgery, etc.
- You can include your close family members (your partner or spouse and dependent children) in the application.
- You can sponsor your eligible relatives willing to come to Australia to stay with you.
- For the next five years after the visa grant, you can travel in and out of Australia whenever you want.
- You can also apply for Australian citizenship after staying for a few years.
What are the eligibility criteria for the visa?
If you want to fulfill your dream to become a permanent resident of Australia with the Subclass 887 Visa, you must meet the following eligibility criteria.
Holding the eligible visa
Note that you have to apply for this visa while physically present in Australia. So, at the time of application, you have to hold an eligible visa, which may be:
- Subclass 475, 489, 496, 487, or 495 Visa, or,
- BVA or BVB after an application for the 487, 495, or 489 Visa is made
You must also remember that you should have held the eligible visa for a minimum of 2 years before making the 887 Visa application.
Residence Requirement
Staying in a regional area of Australia is the key requirement for the 887 Visa. But, there are specific classifications in these regional areas, and your region of stay is determined according to your sponsoring entity.
- If a territory or state government authority has nominated you for the eligible visa, you should have stayed in a low-population growth metropolitan area.
- If an eligible relative has sponsored you, staying in a designated regional area is necessary.
At least 2 years of stay is mandatory.
Work Requirement
You should have worked for at least one year in a regional area. Here also, you must have remained compliant with the regional area requirement.
- Working in a low-population growth metropolitan area is required if you have received your nomination from a territory or state government authority for the previous temporary visa.
- If an eligible relative has sponsored you, you should have worked in a designated regional area.
Note that only those are granted who have worked full-time (35 hours of work per week)
Having complied with the conditions attached to your eligible visa
You should have remained compliant with the conditions attached to your previous visa. Note that this requirement applies to your family members, too, who were included in the visa.
Health and character requirements
Both primary and dependent applicants must meet the necessary health requirements. If the Department of Home Affairs asks you, you may undergo relevant health examinations.
For all applicants aged over 16, meeting the character requirements is mandatory. Remember that family members not included in the application may also need to meet this requirement.
No debts to the Australian Government
This requirement applies to most Australian visa applications. You and none of your family members must have any debts to the Government of Australia.
No records of visa cancellation
The Department of Home Affairs will not grant you the visa if you have any records of visa application rejection.
Which documents should you submit to make a complete application?
For a complete 887 Subclass Visa application, it is important to submit all the documents properly. Your application checklist will usually include the following information.
Work documents
Evidence that you have worked as a full-time employee must include the following documents.
- Employment references, which should be written on company letterhead and contain important information such as your employment position, weekly work hours, and employment period
- Notices of assessment issued by the ATO (Australian Taxation Office)
- Superannuation documents
- Bank statement copies showing salary and wage deposits
- Payslips covering the employment period
- Contracts
If you have been self-employed, you must submit the following documents.
- Taxation documents, including BAS
- Business registration evidence
- Audited financial statements
- Account statement as proof of business activity
- Contract evidence
- Marketing and advertising information
Residence Documents
You must submit the following documents to prove that you have stayed for 2 years in a regional area for a proper application.
- Rental or lease agreements
- Bills of utility services like gas, electricity, and telephone
- Title deeds to your residence
- School reports, if you have dependent children under 18
Identity documents
As an overseas applicant, essential identity documents will include:
- Copies of pages of passport that include personal details and your photo
- A national identity document
- Proof of name change (marriage certificate or any other document issued by relevant authority), if applicable
Relationship documents
Based on whether you are married, in a de facto partnership, divorced, or separated, you have to submit a relevant certificate.
English language document
The main applicant must have a Functional level of English to be eligible for the visa. If you score at least 4.5 in each component of IELTS, you will qualify. The minimum requirements for applicants who have appeared for TOEFL iBT and PTE Academic are overall band scores of 32 and 30, respectively.
Documents required for your partner
The Department of Home Affairs will want to check evidence of your partner’s identity and your relationship with them. For identity, required documents will include:
- Identity documents
- Character documents
- English language documents
To prove your relationship is genuine, you must submit:
- Marriage certificate, if you are married
- Relationship registration certificate, if you are in a de facto relationship
- Join bank account evidence
- Joint mortgages and leases
- Billing accounts in joint names
Documents required if you include dependent children
Your dependent children are expected to be under 18 to be included in the application. However, you can include dependent children aged over 18 but under 23.
For dependent children under 18, documents will include:
- Birth certificate copies or family books containing names of both parents
- Adoption papers, if they are adopted
- Parental consent form (Form no. 1229)
If their age is over 18, you must show that they are financially dependent on you or your spouse or partner.
Documents required if you take professional help
If you hire a registered immigration agent in Perth for application help, a filled-out Form 956 must be submitted along with the application.
Note that if you apply online, scanned copies of these documents are required for uploading.
Contact a migration firm in Perth
Reputed firms have been providing top-class Migration Services Perth for years. If you want to contact the best migration agent to take care of your application, you may get in touch with any of the firms.