191 Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) Visa

Home | Migrants | Skilled Migrants | 191 Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) Visa

Project Introduction

The Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa subclass 191 provides a pathway to Australian permanent residence for eligible regional visa holders.

For most applicants, the Regional Provisional stream is the final PR step after holding a subclass 491 or 494 visa for at least three years and meeting the relevant visa conditions.

Once granted, the 191 visa allows you to live, work and study permanently anywhere in Australia.

Australia Visa Link can help you check whether you are ready to apply, review your 491 or 494 visa history and prepare the supporting documents for your 191 application.

Who Can Apply for a 191 Visa?

For the Regional Provisional stream, the main requirements are straightforward.

You generally need to:

Hold an eligible subclass 491 or 494 visa when you apply

Have held the eligible visa for at least 3 years

Provide ATO Notices of Assessment for 3 income years from the 5-year period of your eligible visa

Have complied with the conditions of your eligible visa

Meet health and character requirements

Meet the other general visa requirements that apply to your circumstances

The eligible visas for this stream are subclass 491（491签证）and subclass 494（494签证）.

For most applicants, the pathway is straightforward: hold an eligible 491 or 494 visa for at least 3 years, meet the relevant visa conditions and then apply for subclass 191 permanent residence.

The three-year period is based on how long you have held the eligible visa. Time spent living in regional Australia before your 491 or 494 visa was granted does not replace this requirement.

Documents Required for the 191 Visa

The exact documents depend on your circumstances, but the key evidence usually includes:

passport and identity documents
evidence of your current 491 or 494 visa
ATO Notices of Assessment for the required 3 income years
documents relating to your compliance with visa conditions
police and character documents
health examinations where requested
relationship and family documents if family members are included

The ATO Notices of Assessment are particularly important for a 191 Regional Provisional application.

Before lodging, it is also worth checking your full 491 or 494 visa history to make sure there are no issues with the conditions attached to your regional visa.

191 Visa Application Process

A subclass 191 application is lodged online through ImmiAccount.

The general process is:

Check that you have held an eligible 491 or 494 visa for at least 3 years
Review your visa conditions and immigration history
Prepare your identity, ATO and supporting documents
Lodge the subclass 191 application through ImmiAccount
Pay the Visa Application Charge
Complete health, character or additional document requests if required
Wait for the visa decision

You can be inside or outside Australia when you apply and when Home Affairs makes a decision, provided you are not in immigration clearance.

If you apply while you are in Australia, you may also be granted a Bridging Visa（过桥签证）which can become active if your current visa expires before the 191 application is decided.

191 Visa Cost and Processing Time

As of September 2026, the Regional Provisional stream has a Visa Application Charge starting from approximately AUD 630, although additional charges may apply depending on family members and individual circumstances.

Visa charges can change, so the current Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator should always be checked before lodgement.

There is also no single fixed processing time for every 191 application.

Processing can depend on:

whether the application is complete
whether Home Affairs requests additional information
health and character checks
verification of supporting documents
current migration program processing priorities

If you are approaching your three-year eligibility point, it is usually better to start reviewing your documents before that date rather than waiting until you are ready to lodge.

191 Visa Hong Kong Stream

The subclass 191 also has a separate Hong Kong stream.

This stream is for eligible Hong Kong or British National (Overseas) passport holders and has different requirements from the 491/494 Regional Provisional pathway.

Applicants generally need to:

hold a Hong Kong or British National (Overseas) passport
hold an eligible subclass 457, 482 or 485 visa
have held the eligible visa for at least 3 years
have been usually resident in a designated regional area for a continuous 3 years immediately before applying
have carried out any work or study during that period in a designated regional area
comply with the conditions of the eligible visa
have functional English or pay the applicable second Visa Application Charge if requested

Because the Hong Kong stream has its own residence, visa and English requirements, it should be assessed separately from the standard 491/494 pathway.

Does the 191 Visa Have a Minimum Income Requirement?

No. There is currently no minimum income threshold for the 191 Regional Provisional stream.

However, you must provide ATO Notices of Assessment for 3 income years out of the 5 years of your eligible 491 or 494 visa.

This is an important distinction.

You are required to provide the income records, but you do not currently need to reach a particular minimum taxable income amount to qualify for the 191 visa.

If you owe money to the ATO, Home Affairs may also require evidence that the debt has been paid or that an approved payment arrangement is in place.

Can I Include My Family?

Eligible members of your family unit can be included in a subclass 191 application.

Family members included in the application will generally need to meet the relevant health and character requirements.

If your family circumstances have changed since your original 491 or 494 application, such as marriage, separation or the birth of a child, make sure the correct documents are prepared before lodging the 191 application. If these changes may also affect your broader Australian migration plans（澳洲移民）, it is worth reviewing the family and visa arrangements together before applying.