If you’ve been residing and working in designated regions of Australia and aspire to pave your way to permanent residency, the skilled regional visa subclass 887 presents you with the chance to establish a permanent home in Australia. Let’s look at what this visa has to offer you and what makes you eligible to apply for it.
The skilled regional visa subclass 887 is for visa holders who have already been living and working in specific regional areas of Australia. Their visas render them eligible to apply for the skilled regional visa subclass 887. Before we dive into knowing which visas hold one eligible for applying for subclass 887, let’s first explore its features.
Here’s a special note for New Zealand passport holders regarding clearance at the border. Inform the immigration officer that you have a skilled regional visa subclass 887 and do not want a Special Category Visa (SCV) Subclass 444. This is so that you are not granted a subclass 444 that will cease your permanent visa. The SCV visa allows you to enter Australia to visit, work, or study as long as you remain a New Zealand citizen. It also allows you to apply for a permanent visa if you meet the eligibility criteria. However, if you hold a skilled regional visa subclass 887 but are also granted the SCV subclass 444 at the border, your permanent visa won’t hold you eligible to apply for Australian citizenship.
The skilled regional visa subclass 887 costs AUD 465 for the primary applicant. Additional charges apply for adding an eligible family member that if granted will amount to AUD 4,890. You may have to incur other costs as well, including biometrics, obtaining police certificates, and health checks.
You can apply for subclass 887 in or outside of Australia and even when the decision is being made regarding your application. However, you must be in Australia during the immigration clearance process. Also, to understand the 887-visa processing time, refer to the visa processing time guide tool which will show you the time taken to process recently applied subclass 887 applications.
The 887-visa processing time is based on:
The Skilled Regional Visa Subclass 887 is not the first visa you get to apply for to work, study, or live in Australia. You should hold an eligible visa that opens a pathway for you to apply for the subclass 887 visa. Let’s explore the criteria that make you eligible for a skilled regional visa subclass 887.
Criteria | Description |
Hold an eligible visa for a total of 2 years before making a subclass 887 application | The eligible visas include the following subclasses:
Alternatively, if you applied for visas 489, 495, or 487 but did not get through, you can try applying for the bridging visa. A Bridging visa, namely Bridging Visa A or Bridging Visa B. This applies after making a valid application for a subclass 489, 495, or 487 visa. |
Meet the residence criteria of living two years in Australia | While applying for the subclass 887 visa, the applicant should have lived in Australia for a total of 2 years. This applicant should have held one or more eligible visas in a regional or designated area of Australia. For the regional area or low-population growth metropolitan area, the state or territory government would have nominated you to enable you to live in that area. The designated area includes a condition that you were sponsored by a family member. |
Meet the full-time work criteria of a minimum of 12 months | You should have worked full-time for at least 12 months while holding an eligible visa. Your work or job existed in a regional or low-population growth metropolitan area where you were nominated by the state or territory government to work in that area. The designated area includes a condition that you were sponsored by a family member. |
Complied with conditions concerning your eligible visa | To be eligible for the subclass 887 visa, you must make sure to comply with the conditions that apply to the eligible visas in the two years that you lived in Australia. |
Meet the English language requirements | You should have functional English. Alternatively, you should have paid the second instalment of the visa application charge for your eligible visa, or when asked for it. |
Meet health requirements | You may have already undertaken a health examination while you applied for the eligible visa. So, in most cases, you may not be asked to provide the same again. |
Meet the character requirements |
Feel free to reach out to our counsellors for more information on your suitability to apply for a skilled regional visa subclass 887 at Expert Education.
Yes, the eligible visa is also granted to those whose spouse or de facto partner has fulfilled this primary criterion of holding the eligible visas, that is the 489, 495, 496, 475, or 487 visas for at least two years in Australia.
If you were nominated by a state or territory government of a low-population growth metropolitan area, and you lived in that area for two years, then you are eligible to apply for subclass 887.
You have to work full-time which means 35 hours per week. You may also combine work with part-time employment to meet the work requirement. You may be permitted to work in your nominated or any other occupation.
Your visa application can be rejected if you do not meet the eligibility criteria. Secondly, if you have previously had a cancelled or refused visa, your application is most likely to get rejected.
The Skilled Regional Visa Subclass 887 is a permanent resident visa as it allows you to stay permanently in Australia.
You and your family members applying for the subclass 887 visa must meet the standard Australian character requirements. This applies even to the family members who won’t be accompanying you to Australia. |