Geelong Regional Certifying Body (RCB)

The Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494) enables regional employers to address identified labour shortages within their region by sponsoring skilled workers where employers can't source an appropriately skilled Australian workers

SESR application process:

• An employer becomes an approved standard business sponsor with the Department of Home Affairs, Immigration and Citizenship.
• An employer lodges a nomination application to the Department Home Affairs, Immigration and Citizenship.
  An assessment by a Regional Certifying Body (RCB) is one step in the process of an Employer Sponsored stream nomination application.
• The nominee lodges an application to the Department of Home Affairs.

Assessment by a Regional Certifying Body (RCB):

RCBs use local knowledge to provide advice to the Department of Home Affairs regarding positions nominated by eligible employers for the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (SESR) 494 and RSMS 197* visas.

RCBs need to be satisfied that:

• the vacancy is in a designated regional area postcode
• the position and business is genuine 
• the identified person would be paid at least the annual market salary rate for the occupation (RSMS and SESR)
• there is a genuine need for the identified person to be employed in the position, under the direct control of the nominator (RSMS)
• the position could not be filled by an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident who is living in, or would move to, the local area concerned (RSMS).

The advice provided by a Regional Certifying Body is intended to ensure nominations have been scrutinised by a third party who is familiar with local labour market conditions and who might be able to provide information on regional matters which the Department of Home Affairs may not be aware of.

*The Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) Direct Entry (DE) is now closed to new applications. The Geelong RCB will continue to assess RSMS applications that were lodged with the Department of Home Affairs before November 2019.

Regions covered by the Geelong RCB:

The Geelong RGB region includes local government areas of:

• City of Greater Geelong
• Surf Coast Shire
• Borough of Queenscliffe
  
  

Gippsland applicants: Please follow Geelong RCB procedures (excluding pre-payment). Once processed, your application will be forwarded to the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions - Gippsland for assessment and payment instructions.  Please check here for any update before submitting an application.

The Gippsland RCB region includes the local government areas of:

• Baw Baw Shire 
• Bass Coast Shire
• Cardinia Shire
• East Gippsland Shire
• Latrobe City
• South Gippsland Shire
• Wellington Shire
• Eligible postcodes in outer east Melbourne and Mornington Peninsula Shire: see designated regional area postcodes.

Neighbouring RCBs

• City of Greater Bendigo
• Commerce Ballarat
• Warrnambool City Council

View the list of Regional Certifying Bodies for the SESR 494.

Requesting an assessment by the Geelong RCB

• Read all information
• Download and complete the current Geelong RCB Application Form and Checklist
• Pay the application fee (for Geelong RCB region applicants ONLY)
• Submit all documents and evidence to the Geelong RCB.

Appointments