Overview

The Skilled Regional (Residence) visa (Subclass 887) enables provisional regional visa holders to transition to permanent resident status after living and working in regional Australia.

Key Features:

• Grants permanent residence to holder and family members.
• Requires applicants to have held provisional regional visa for at least 2 years.
• Mandates minimum period living and working full-time in a regional area.

Eligibility Factors

To apply, applicants must satisfy:

• Holding of prescribed provisional regional visa for 2 years
• 2 years living in specified regional Australia
• 1 year full-time work in regional area
• Still living in regional area when applying

Other Conditions

• Must meet health, character and security checks
• Valid application usually requires onshore lodgement

Successful applicants gain:

• Unrestricted rights to live/work anywhere in Australia
• Access to Australian healthcare and education
• Ability to sponsor eligible family members

Conclusion

Providing a pathway from provisional to permanent residence, the Subclass 887 visa aims to facilitate greater settlement of migrant families who commit to regional communities long term.