Skilled Regional visa

• stay in Australia permanently
• work and study in Australia
• attend free English language classes through the Adult Migrant English Program, if eligible
• enrol in Australia's public health care scheme, Medicare
• sponsor your relatives to come to Australia
• travel to and from Australia for 5 years
• if eligible, apply for Australian citizenship

Newly arrived residents may need to wait before they can access certain Australian Government payments and benefits.

This is a permanent visa. It lets you stay in Australia indefinitely.

The visa has a travel component that expires 5 years after the date of visa grant.

For citizenship purposes, your permanent residence starts on the day:

• we grant the visa if you are in Australia.
• you enter Australia on this visa if you are outside Australia.

You can include members of the family unit in your application if they currently hold an eligible visa. You must include each family member who is eligible to apply for this visa at the time you lodge your application. You can't add family members after you have submitted your application.

You can include family members who no longer meet the standard definition of member of the family unit provided they hold an eligible visa that was granted on the basis that they were a member of your family unit. This provision would apply, for example, if you want to include a child in your application who has turned 23 years of age since they were granted an eligible visa.

Family members included in your application must meet our health and character requirements. Family members not accompanying you to Australia may also need to meet our health and character requirements.

Newborn children

If you have a child who was born either in or outside Australia since you were granted your current visa you must tell us about your child before you lodge this application. Find out what to do if your child is born after we granted your current visa. If we have not linked your child’s current visa to their passport you will be unable to lodge their application online.

The visa costs AUD630.00 for the main applicant (concessions apply in limited circumstances).

There is also a charge for each family member who applies for the visa with you.

You might have to pay an extra charge for any member of the family unit applicant 18 years old or older who has less than functional English. This charge is called the second instalment charge. Pay it only when we ask you to. We ask for the charge only if we are going to grant the visa.

The second instalment charge is AUD4,890.

To work out what your visa will cost use the Visa Pricing Estimator. The estimator does not take into account the second instalment or other costs. You might also have to pay other costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.

Cost concession for eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste visa applicants

From 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid visa application.

We will charge eligible applicants the lower visa application cost during the application process in ImmiAccount. We will recognise eligible applicants by the valid passport from the specified countries used in the application when they apply.

Family members are also eligible for the lower visa cost. We base this on the passport of the primary applicant (or visa holder who satisfies the primary visa criteria).

The primary applicant must hold a valid passport issued by one of the following countries:

• Federated States of Micronesia
• Fiji
• Kiribati
• Nauru
• Palau
• Papua New Guinea
• Republic of the Marshall Islands
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Timor-Leste
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Vanuatu

All applicants must be in Australia and hold an eligible visa at the time a subclass 887 visa application is made unless COVID-19 concessions apply.

For an indication of processing times for this visa, use the visa processing time guide tool. This will show the processing times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application.

We assess applications on a case-by-case basis, and actual processing times can vary due to individual circumstances including:

• whether you have lodged a complete application, including all necessary supporting documents
• how quickly you respond to any requests for additional information
• how long it takes to perform required checks on the supporting information provided
• how long it takes to receive additional information from external agencies, particularly in relation to health, character, and national security requirements
• how many places are available in the migration program

You and your family must follow Australian laws.

You can travel in and out of Australia as many times as you want for 5 years from the date we grant the visa. After 5 years you will need a Resident Return visa (RRV) to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident.

We will digitally link your visa to your passport. You will not get a label in your passport.

COVID-19 concessions to lodgement and eligibility requirements are available to eligible prospective Skilled – Regional visa (subclass 887) applicants where they meet criteria set out below.

Applicants outside of Australia

Eligible prospective subclass 887 visa applicants can make their visa application outside Australia during the concession period and be granted the visa while they are outside Australia. Applicants outside of Australia who lodge during the concession period are given access to shorter employment requirements and shorter residence requirements.

These applicants must provide evidence of at least:

• 9 months full-time work in a specified regional area (or, if the Minister specifies a shorter period in a legislative instrument, that shorter period), and
• 18 months residence in a specified regional area (or, if the Minister specifies a shorter period in a legislative instrument, that shorter period).

Applicants inside Australia

Eligible prospective subclass 887 applicants inside Australia who lodge during the concession period are given access to shorter employment requirements.

These applicants must provide evidence of at least:

• 9 months full-time work in a specified regional area, and
• 2 years of residence in a specified regional area.

All applicants must be in Australia and hold an eligible visa at the time a subclass 887 visa application is made unless COVID-19 concessions apply.

An eligible visa is a:

• subclass 489, 495, 496, 475 or 487 visa, or
• Bridging visa A or Bridging visa B, after having made a valid application for a subclass 489, 495 or 487 visa, or where a subclass 887 visa is lodged outside Australia during the concession period, a visa mentioned above that expired during the concession period while the holder was outside Australia.

The person seeking to satisfy the primary criteria must also have held one of the following eligible visas for a total of 2 years before a subclass 887 visa application is made:

• subclass 489, 495, 496, 475 or 487 visa.

The eligible visa must have been granted to them on the basis of satisfying the primary criteria, or on the basis of being the spouse or de facto partner of the person who satisfied the primary criteria.

Note: The person seeking to satisfy the primary criteria in this application will be the person who seeks to meet the 887 work and residence requirements.

At the time you apply for this visa you must have lived for a total of at least 2 years (unless COVID-19 concessions apply), as the holder of one or more eligible visas, in:

• a regional or low-population growth metropolitan area if a state or territory government nominated you for your eligible visa, or
• a designated area of Australia if a family member sponsored you for your eligible visa.

When you apply for this visa you must have worked full-time for at least 12 months (unless COVID-19 concessions apply), as the holder of one or more eligible visas:

• in a regional or low-population growth metropolitan area, if a state or territory government nominated you for your eligible visa, or
• a designated area of Australia if a family member had sponsored you for your eligible visa.

Full time work means 35 hours per week. You can combine work in concurrent part-time employment to satisfy this requirement. You can work in your nominated occupation or any other occupation.

You, and any family members holding an eligible visa, must have complied with the conditions attached to your eligible visa when in Australia. This requirement applies for the whole period you hold the visa(s).

At the time we make a decision on your application you must:

• have functional English, or
• have paid the second instalment of the visa application charge for your eligible visa, or
• pay the second instalment of the visa application charge when we ask for it

You and any family members who apply for the visa with you must meet our health requirement. As you undertook a health examination for your eligible visa, in most circumstances you will not need to undertake another one.

You and family members aged 16 years and over who apply for the visa with you must meet our character requirement.

Family members not accompanying you to Australia must also meet the requirement.

If you are 18 years of age or older, you must:

• have read, or had explained to you, the Life in Australia and
• confirm you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws when you sign an Australian Values Statement

If you or any family members (including those who do not apply for the visa with you) owe the Australian Government money, you or they must have paid it back or arranged to pay it back.

We will consider your immigration history when we make a decision on your application, which means you might not be eligible for this visa if you have had a visa cancelled or refused.

In some circumstances you may still apply for a permanent visa if you have had a visa cancelled or an application refused see Limitations on applications in Australia.

If applying for a visa from outside Australia see Can I go to Australia.

If you want immigration assistance, see Who can help with your visa application.

What you can do when you have this visa

• stay in Australia permanently
• work and study
• enrol in Australia's public health care scheme, Medicare
• sponsor your relatives to come to Australia
• travel to and from Australia for 5 years
• if eligible, become an Australian citizen

What you must do on this visa

You and your family members must obey Australian laws.

How long you can stay

This is a permanent visa. It lets you stay in Australia indefinitely.

Travelling on your visa

You can travel to and from Australia for 5 years from the date we grant the visa. After 5 years you will need a Resident Return (RRV) visa (subclass 155 or 157) to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident. To see when the 5 years ends, use VEVO.

New Zealand passport holders

If an immigration officer processes your clearance at our border, we recommend you tell them:

• you have a Skilled Regional visa (subclass 887)
• you do not want a Special Category visa (subclass 444)

If you don't tell them, you might be granted a subclass 444 visa. Grant of a subclass 444 visa will cease your permanent visa, which will then affect your eligibility for Australian citizenship.

Proving you have a visa

To prove you have a visa and show your conditions to someone, use VEVO.

Working

You are protected by Australian workplace law. See your workplace rights and entitlements.

Bringing family

As an Australian permanent resident, you might be able to sponsor eligible family to come to Australia.

To find a visa for your family member, explore visa options.

Becoming an Australian citizen

After a certain time, you might be eligible for Australian citizenship. Find out more about becoming a citizen.

For citizenship purposes, your permanent residence starts on the day we granted the visa.

Before you leave

Check your travel documents

You must have a valid passport or other travel document to leave Australia and return.

Ensure your visa is still valid and will allow you to re-enter Australia

Check the travel component of your visa in VEVO.

See what to do if your visa has expired or is about to expire.

At the Border

Leaving the airport faster

We have an automated process that uses facial recognition technology and your ePassport. You could leave the airport faster if you use SmartGate.

After you leave

Proving you have been to Australia

Request your international movement records to get proof of your travel in and out of Australia.