Regional will be defined as any place outside of Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane as of November 16, 2019. A significant shift is that Perth and the Gold Coast have been reclassified as regional areas. Perth, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Lake Macquarie, Illawarra, Geelong, Newcastle, Wollongong, Adelaide, Hobart, and Canberra are among the regional areas.
The Department of Home Affairs has produced a list of postcodes that are considered regional districts for the following Australian visas, which must be lodged on or after November 16, 2019:
- Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 491)
- Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189).
- Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190)
& visas sponsored by an employer:
- Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 494)
- Temporary Skills Shortage visa (subclass 482)
The regional definition is divided into three categories, with regional incentives available to skilled migrants who relocate to Category 2 ‘Cities and Major Regional Centres’ or Category 3 ‘Regional Centres and Other Regional Areas.’
- Category 2- Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Canberra, Newcastle/Lake Macquarie, Wollongong/Illawarra, Geelong, and Hobart fall under Category 2 – ‘Cities and Major Regional Centres.’
- ‘Regional Centres and Other Regional Areas’ is the third category (Include Designated regional area postcodes as per below table)
Regional Postcodes
| State or Territory | Category | Postcodes |
| New South Wales | Cities and major regional centres | 2259, 2264 to 2308, 2500 to 2526, 2528 to 2535 and 2574 |
| New South Wales | Regional centres and other regional areas | 2250 to 2258, 2260 to 2263, 2311 to 2490, 2527, 2536 to 2551, 2575 to 2739, 2753 to 2754, 2756 to 2758 and 2773 to 2898 |
| Victoria | Cities and major regional centres | 3211 to 3232, 3235, 3240, 3328, 3330 to 3333, 3340 and 3342 |
| Victoria | Regional centres and other regional areas | 3097 to 3099, 3139, 3233 to 3234, 3236 to 3239, 3241 to 3325, 3329, 3334, 3341, 3345 to 3424, 3430 to 3799, 3809 to 3909, 3912 to 3971 and 3978 to 3996 |
| Queensland | Cities and major regional centres | 4207 to 4275, 4517 to 4519, 4550 to 4551, 4553 to 4562, 4564 to 4569 and 4571 to 4575 |
| Queensland | Regional centres and other regional areas | 4124 to 4125, 4133, 4183 to 4184, 4280 to 4287, 4306 to 4498, 4507, 4552, 4563, 4570 and 4580 to 4895 |
| Western Australia | Cities and major regional centres | 6000 to 6038, 6050 to 6083, 6090 to 6182, 6208 to 6211, 6214 and 6556 to 6558 |
| Western Australia | Regional centres and other regional areas | All postcodes in Western Australia not mentioned above |
| South Australia | Cities and major regional centres | 5000 to 5171, 5173 to 5174, 5231 to 5235, 5240 to 5252, 5351 and 5950 to 5960 |
| South Australia | Regional centres and other regional areas | All postcodes in South Australia not mentioned above |
| Tasmania | Cities and major regional centres | 7000, 7004 to 7026, 7030 to 7109, 7140 to 7151 and 7170 to 7177 |
| Tasmania | Regional centres and other regional areas | All postcodes in Tasmania not mentioned above |
| Australian Capital Territory | Cities and major regional centres | All postcodes in the ACT |
| Australian Capital Territory | Regional centres and other regional areas | None |
| Northern Territory | Cities and major regional centres | None |
| Northern Territory | Regional centres and other regional areas | All postcodes in the NT |
| Norfolk Island | Cities and major regional centres | None |
| Norfolk Island | Regional centres and other regional areas | All postcodes in Norfolk Island |
| Other Territories | Cities and major regional centres | None |
| Other Territories | Regional centres and other regional areas | All postcodes in a Territory other than the ACT, NT, or Norfolk Island |
The regional definition is divided into three categories, with regional incentives available for skilled migrants moving to Category 2 ‘Cities and Major Regional Centres’ or Category 3 ‘Regional Centres and Other Regional Areas’:
- Category 2 -Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Canberra, Newcastle/Lake Macquarie, Wollongong/Illawarra, Geelong, and Hobart, – ‘Cities and Major Regional Centres,’ have access to the following regional incentives:
- Regional visas are processed first.
- Access to the Regional Occupations List — there are more jobs on the regional list than on non-regional listings.
- International graduates earning a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regional campus of a registered school will be eligible for a post-study work visa for an additional year in Australia.
Catergory 3 – The dedicated 11,200 regional spots, expedited processing of regional visas, and the Regional Occupations List will all be available to ‘Regional Centres and Other Regional Areas.’ The following are some additional benefits:
- International graduates with a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regional campus of a registered school will be eligible for a post-study employment visa that will allow them to stay in Australia for an additional two years.
- Priority in establishing Designated Area Migration Agreements for specified regions (DAMAs)
