Permanent Residency (subclass 857)

The Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) allows employers in regional or low population growth areas of Australia, to sponsor employees who are foreign nationals for a permanent visa to work in Australia.

The University can nominate employees for permanent residency, but the employee must have at least 2 and half years left of their current employment contract at the time the nomination is submitted.

The 857 visa can take 5-7 months to be approved, employees must have 2 years leaft of their current employment contract at the time of approval. This is why employees must have at least 2 and half years left of their current employment contract at the time the nomination is submitted. 

Who is this visa for?

This visa is for employers operating in regional and low population growth areas of Australia, who want to sponsor skilled workers to fill skilled vacancies in their business.

The employees applying for a visa can be either of the following:

• skilled workers from overseas
• skilled temporary residents currently in Australia.

Visa applicants who are currently living and/or working in Australia on a qualifying visa can apply for the onshore RSMS (subclass 857) visa. If you do not hold a qualifying visa, you may still be eligible to apply in Australia if you last held a qualifying visa no more than 28 days prior to lodging an application.

What does this visa let me do?

This visa allows you and any dependent family members included in your visa application to live as permanent residents in Australia.

Australian permanent residents can:

• live and work in Australia on a permanent basis
• study in Australia at school or university
• receive subsidised healthcare through Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
• access certain social security payments (subject to waiting periods)
• be eligible for Australian citizenship (subject to the residency eligibility criteria)
  sponsor people for permanent residence.

Please contact the HR Service Centre if you have any further queries, telephone 8313 1111.