191 Visa (Permanent Residence, Skilled Regional) — Requirements, Cost and Processing | Migration Vision
What is the 191 visa?
The Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191) is the permanent visa for people who have held a subclass 491 or subclass 494 regional provisional visa for at least three years. You show that you kept the regional conditions of that visa and you give the Department your ATO notices of assessment for three income years. There is no new skills assessment, points test, age limit or employer nomination for the 191 itself. The visa is permanent, and you can be in or outside Australia when you apply (but not in immigration clearance).
At a glance (figures current as at 28 October 2026)
| Item | Position |
|---|---|
| Who can apply | A holder of a 491 or 494 visa who has held it for at least 3 years (Sch 1 item 1139(3)(c)) |
| Income evidence | ATO notices of assessment for three income years out of the five years of your eligible visa (Department of Home Affairs); 3 relevant income years in the Regulations (Sch 2 cl 191.222) |
| Income threshold | The Department's Regional Provisional stream page states there is no minimum income requirement |
| Regional rule | You must have complied with condition 8579 (live, work and study only in a designated regional area) (cl 191.221(2)) |
| Other conditions | Substantial compliance with the other conditions of your 491/494 and any later bridging visa (cl 191.221(1)) |
| Visa application charge | AUD630 for the main applicant, plus a charge for each family member who applies with you; lower charges for eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste passport holders |
| Processing time | 50% of applications in 8 months, 90% in 10 months (Regional Provisional stream; processing-times tool updated 29 September 2026, read 28 October 2026) |
| Travel | Permanent visa with travel rights for 5 years from grant (cl 191.511) |
Charges are set by the Australian Government and usually change on 1 July each year. Confirm the current charge on the Department of Home Affairs 191 visa page before you lodge.
Who can apply
The Migration Regulations call the 491 and 494 "regional provisional visas" (reg 1.03). The main applicant for the 191 must hold one of those visas when they apply and must have held it for at least three years (Sch 1 item 1139(3)(c)). The three years are counted on the visa you hold, so plan from your grant date, not from the date you arrived in your regional town.
491 holders
If you hold a subclass 491, you apply in the Regional Provisional Visas stream. You do not need a new state nomination or family sponsorship for the 191. The test is about what you did while holding the 491: where you lived, worked and studied, and what you earned and declared to the ATO.
494 holders
If you hold a subclass 494, the same stream applies. Your employer does not nominate you for the 191. Note that the regional rule on a 494 is tied to the nomination: condition 8579(2) says you must live, work and study in an area that was designated regional when the relevant nomination was made, during the "regional residency period". If a later nomination was approved because you changed employer, the period and the relevant nomination can change (Sch 8 condition 8579(3)–(5)). If you have changed employer, have your timeline checked against those subclauses before you lodge.
Family members
Your partner and dependent children can apply with you in a combined application (Sch 1 item 1139(3)(d)). They need to meet only the secondary criteria, which include health and character checks (Sch 2 cl 191.311– 191.312). If a family member holds a 491 or 494 at the time of application, they too must have complied with condition 8579 on it (cl 191.314(2)). The Regulations also protect a partner whose relationship ended because of family violence by the main applicant, in the circumstances set out in cl 191.311(3)–(5).
A smaller Hong Kong (Regional) stream exists for Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) passport holders on certain 457, 482 or 485 visas (Sch 1 item 1139(3)(ca); Sch 2 cl 191.23). It has different rules and much higher charges, and it is not covered on this page.
The income test, in plain words
Clause 191.222 asks for two things.
- Notices of assessment. You give copies of your ATO notices of assessment (and any amended assessments) for three relevant income years (cl 191.222(1)). A "relevant income year" is an income year that ended before you applied and in which you held your 491 or 494 for all or part of the year (cl 191.111). The Department describes this as notices "for three income years out of the five years of your eligible visa". The Australian income year runs 1 July to 30 June, so a year that has not finished when you lodge cannot count. Your tax file number can be removed from the copies (cl 191.222(4)).
- Taxable income at or above any amount the Minister sets. The Regulations let the Minister set a minimum taxable income by legislative instrument (cl 191.222(2)–(3)). The Department's Regional Provisional stream page currently states: "There is no minimum income requirement."
What this means in practice: a notice of assessment only exists after you lodge your tax return and the ATO assesses it. If you lodge late, you can reach three years on your visa and still not have three notices. Lodge each return on time and keep every notice as it arrives.
Living and working in a designated regional area
This is the requirement with the least room for error. For every other condition on your 491 or 494, the test is substantial compliance (cl 191.221(1)). For condition 8579 the word "substantially" is not used: you must have complied with it (cl 191.221(2)), unless you fall in a class of people the Minister specifies by instrument (cl 191.221(3)).
Condition 8579 says:
- 491: while in Australia, you must live, work and study only in a part of Australia that was a designated regional area when the visa was granted (Sch 8 condition 8579(1)).
- 494: while in Australia during the regional residency period, you must live, work and study only in a part of Australia that was a designated regional area when the relevant nomination was made (Sch 8 condition 8579(2)).
The list of areas is set by the Designated Regional Areas instrument (LIN 22/022). Whether your suburb or postcode is regional is covered in our post Is Brisbane regional for migration?.
Two other conditions usually sit on these visas and feed straight into the 191 file:
- Condition 8578: tell the Department within 14 days if your home address, email, phone, passport, employer's address or work location changes.
- Condition 8580: if the Department asks in writing, give evidence of your home address, each employer's address, each work location and any education provider's address within 28 days.
What tends to break eligibility (professional view, based on the wording above): living or working in a non-designated area while holding the visa, even for a short stint; a job or a study course based in a non-designated postcode; and address changes that were never reported. Whether a short interstate trip or a holiday counts as "living" somewhere is a question of fact; if you have any period like this, raise it before you lodge, not after.
Your evidence plan from day one
Start this plan on the day your 491 or 494 is granted.
| Keep this | From when | Why it matters for the 191 |
|---|---|---|
| Grant letter and visa conditions (VEVO printout) | Grant day | Proves which visa, which conditions and the 3-year start date |
| Every lease, rates notice or mortgage statement, with dates | Every move | Shows you lived only in designated regional areas (condition 8579) |
| Confirmation of each change-of-details notice to the Department | Within 14 days of each change | Shows compliance with condition 8578 |
| Employment contracts, payslips, and each employer's and work site's address | Every job | Shows you worked only in designated regional areas |
| Enrolment letters and campus address for any study | Every course | Study is caught by condition 8579 too |
| ATO notices of assessment (and any amended assessments) | Each year after you lodge your tax return | Required by cl 191.222 for 3 relevant income years |
| Copies of any Department request and your reply | Each request | Shows compliance with condition 8580 |
| 494 only: each nomination approval and your start date in each position | Each nomination | Fixes your "regional residency period" under condition 8579(3)–(5) |
| Passport and travel history | Ongoing | Explains time outside Australia when the regional rule did not apply |
Cost and processing time
Visa application charge. The Department lists the 191 (Regional Provisional stream) at AUD630 for the main applicant, with a further charge for each family member who applies with you. From 1 July 2026 a lower charge applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste passport holders. Use the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator for your family's total; you may also pay for health checks, police certificates and biometrics. Government charges for all visas are on our fees page.
Processing time. The Department's processing-times tool (updated 29 September 2026, read 28 October 2026) shows 50% of Regional Provisional stream applications decided in 8 months and 90% in 10 months. Processing times describe past applications. They are not a promise about yours.
Processing order. The Department processes 191 applications in the order set by Ministerial Direction No. 122, which covers the 191 along with other skilled visas. A priority level sets the order applications are dealt with in, not how long a decision takes.
What the 191 gives you
- Permanent residence. You can live, work and study anywhere in Australia once the 191 is granted. The regional conditions of your 491 or 494 do not carry over.
- Travel for five years. The visa lets you travel to and re-enter Australia for 5 years from the date of grant (cl 191.511). After that, you need a resident return visa or citizenship to come back as a resident.
- A step towards citizenship. See our Australian citizenship page for the residence requirement.
Where 191 applications go wrong
Each point below comes from the wording of the criteria.
- Applying before three years on the visa. The main applicant must have held the 491 or 494 for at least three years (Sch 1 item 1139(3)(c)).
- Not holding the 491 or 494 when you apply. The main applicant must hold the regional provisional visa at the time of application (Sch 1 item 1139(3)(c)(i)).
- Missing notices of assessment. Three notices for three relevant income years are required (cl 191.222(1)). Late tax returns are the usual cause.
- A non-regional address, job or course. Condition 8579 must be fully complied with, not substantially (cl 191.221(2)).
- Unreported changes of address or employer. Condition 8578 is one of the "other conditions" that must be substantially complied with (cl 191.221(1)).
- Health or character issues for any family member. The public interest criteria apply to the main applicant and to family members, including some who are not applying (cl 191.211).
- Assuming criteria are checked at lodgement only. All criteria must be met at the time of decision (Sch 2 Part 191, Division 191.2, note 2).
How we help
We check your 491 or 494 history against each 191 criterion before you lodge: the three-year date, your relevant income years and notices, every address, job and course against the designated regional areas, and, for 494 holders who changed employer, your regional residency period. You get a clear view of whether you are ready, what is missing and when to lodge.
Book a 191 eligibility assessment
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for the 191 before three years?
No. The main applicant must have held their 491 or 494 for at least three years when the application is made (Migration Regulations, Sch 1 item 1139(3)(c)). An application made earlier is not valid.
Does the income threshold still apply?
The Regulations allow the Minister to set a minimum taxable income (Sch 2 cl 191.222(2)–(3)). The Department's Regional Provisional stream page states there is no minimum income requirement. You must still give ATO notices of assessment for three income years.
What if I moved out of a regional area for a period?
Condition 8579 must have been complied with, not just substantially complied with (cl 191.221(2)). Living, working or studying in a non-designated area while in Australia on your 491, or during your regional residency period on a 494, can make you ineligible unless you fall in a class of people the Minister has specified (cl 191.221(3)). Get advice on the facts before you lodge.
Can I include family who are not on my 491?
The Regulations let a member of your family unit make a combined application with you (Sch 1 item 1139(3)(d)); the secondary criteria are in Sch 2 cl 191.311. They do not require the family member to have held your 491. Whether a person is a "member of the family unit" (for example a partner or dependent child) is a separate test, and they must meet health and character requirements (cl 191.312).
Does time on a bridging visa count?
The main applicant must hold a 491 or 494 when applying and have held it for at least three years (Sch 1 item 1139(3)(c)). The Regulations also require substantial compliance with the conditions of any bridging visa held after applying (cl 191.221(1)(b)). The text read for this page does not say that time on a bridging visa counts towards the three years, so do not rely on it.
Can a 494 holder who changed employer still apply?
Yes, the 191 does not require the original employer. The question is whether you complied with condition 8579 during your regional residency period, which is fixed by the "relevant nomination" and your start date in each position (Sch 8 condition 8579(3)–(5)).
Can I apply from outside Australia?
Yes. You can be in or outside Australia when you apply and when the visa is granted, but not in immigration clearance (Sch 1 item 1139(3)(b); Sch 2 cl 191.411).
Figures current as at 28 October 2026; confirm with the Department of Home Affairs before lodgement.
Reviewed by Dr Asad Muhammad Khan, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 2619525, on 28 October 2026. Criteria checked against Migration Regulations 1994, reg 1.03, Sch 1 item 1139, Sch 2 Part 191 and Sch 8 conditions 8578–8580 (compilation No. 289, 2 October 2026). Charge, income position and processing time checked against the Department of Home Affairs website and processing-times tool (updated 29 September 2026) on 28 October 2026. This page is general information, not migration advice for your circumstances.
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