The 191 visa: how PR works after the 491 or 494
Settledin Team6 min readThe Skilled Regional visa (subclass 191) is a permanent visa for people who hold a subclass 491 or 494 visa. Home Affairs says you must have held that visa for at least 3 years, provided ATO notices of assessment for three income years, and complied with its conditions. It is not points tested and has no state nomination step.
Facts as at 25 October 2026, checked against Home Affairs.
What is the 191 visa?
Home Affairs describes the Skilled Regional visa (subclass 191) as a visa that "allows workers who hold an eligible visa and meet an income requirement to live and work in Australia permanently". That landing page was last updated on 1 July 2026. It has one stream, Regional Provisional, last updated on 2 October 2026.
Home Affairs lists these things you can do with the 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 Medicare;
- sponsor relatives to come to Australia;
- travel to and from Australia for 5 years;
- if eligible, become an Australian citizen.
The travel part expires 5 years after the grant date. After that date, Home Affairs says a Resident Return visa is needed to travel. The permanent stay itself has no end date.
Settledin keeps a plain facts page for the visa: the 191 visa page. This post covers the steps that lead to it.
Who can apply for the 191?
Home Affairs says "an eligible visa is a subclass 491 or subclass 494 visa". Both are provisional regional visas:
- the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491);
- the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494).
The Home Affairs page lists what you must do. In its words you must:
- "hold an eligible visa for at least three years";
- "provide notices of assessment issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for three income years out of the five years of your eligible visa";
- "have complied with the conditions of the eligible visa you hold or have held".
On the eligibility tab the first rule is stated as "You must have held that visa for at least 3 years before you apply." The conditions rule applies, in Home Affairs' words, "when in Australia" and "for the whole period you hold the visa(s)".
Other criteria on the same page apply to every applicant:
- the health requirement, and for family members who apply with you;
- the character requirement (family members aged 16 and over);
- signing the Australian values statement, if you are 16 or older;
- paying back any debt to the Australian Government, or having an arrangement to do so;
- immigration history: Home Affairs says it "will consider your immigration history", which can include visa cancellations or refusals.
You can apply from inside or outside Australia, and you cannot be in immigration clearance.
What income do you need for the 191?
Two Home Affairs pages use different wording, so this post quotes both and dates them.
| Page | Date | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| 191 landing page | Updated 1 July 2026 | The visa is for workers who "meet an income requirement". |
| Regional Provisional stream page | Updated 2 October 2026 | "There is no minimum income requirement." You must provide ATO notices of assessment for "three income years out of the five years of your eligible visa". |
The stream page is the one that sets out the criteria and documents. It also says that if you owe money to the ATO, you must have paid it back or have an approved payment plan in place, and that evidence of this is to be provided.
Settledin does not resolve the difference between the two pages. The stream page is the more recent of the two.
Do you have to live in a regional area?
The documents tab asks for proof that, as the holder of your eligible visa, you "lived, worked and studied in a designated area of Australia". Home Affairs sets out designated regional areas by postcode on its designated regional area postcodes page, last updated on 7 October 2026. It groups them in categories, and Home Affairs notes that some Queensland postcodes do not apply to visas granted before 5 March 2022.
Home Affairs lists these as examples of proof:
| Type | Examples listed |
|---|---|
| Residence | Leases or rental agreements, utility bills showing your home address, school reports, title deeds, any other evidence of residence in a designated area |
| Work | Reference letters, payslips |
| Study | School reports, academic transcripts, letters of completion |
The page says the list "is not limited to" these. For the places themselves, see Settledin's cities and regional areas.
How much does the 191 cost?
Home Affairs shows the cost for the main applicant on the stream page and says there is a charge for each family member who applies with you. It also says its Visa Pricing Estimator "does not take into account the second instalment or other costs", such as health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
Use the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator for the current amount. Settledin does not quote a fee here because the amount did not load in a readable form when this post was checked.
From 1 July 2026 Home Affairs applies a lower cost to citizens of listed Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste. The page lists the countries and says family members are included.
Home Affairs publishes current times on its visa processing times page.
What documents does the 191 need?
Home Affairs groups the documents like this. The headings below follow its page.
| Document | What Home Affairs says |
|---|---|
| Work and residence | Proof that you lived, worked and studied in a designated area (see above) |
| Evidence of income | ATO notices of assessment for three income years out of the five; evidence of any ATO debt arrangement |
| Identity | Your current passport pages with photo, personal details and dates; a national identity card if you have one; proof of change of name |
| Relationship | Marriage, divorce, death or separation proof, if it applies; the reason a partner or child is not in the application |
| Character | An Australian Federal Police complete disclosure National Police Certificate if you spent 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since you turned 16; overseas police certificates for each country where you spent 12 months or more; military records if you served; Form 80 and Form 1221 |
| Partner | Identity, character, marriage certificate if it applies, and evidence of a genuine and continuing relationship |
| Dependants under 18 | Birth certificates or the family book, adoption papers if they apply, parental responsibility documents |
| Dependants over 18 | Identity documents, proof of relationship, character documents. They must hold an eligible visa granted as a member of your family unit |
Home Affairs also says to translate non-English documents, scan them in colour, and that "you do not need to have any documents certified". You apply online in ImmiAccount and pay the first application charge. Our ImmiAccount guide covers how to create the account.
What happens to family members?
Family members can be included in a 191 application, when you lodge or after lodging and before a decision.
Generally, family members you include "do not need an eligible visa". The exception is a family member who no longer meets the standard definition of member of the family unit: they must hold an eligible visa that was granted on the basis they were a member of your family unit. Home Affairs gives a child who has turned 23 since getting an eligible visa as an example.
Family members included in the application must meet the health and character requirements. Family members not coming to Australia may also need to meet them. If a family member is added after lodgement, Home Affairs says to use Form 1436 and pay through ImmiAccount.
FAQ
Is the 191 points tested?
Home Affairs' criteria for the 191 do not include a points test. Points tests apply to the visas that come earlier in the pathway. Our points test guide covers them.
Does the 191 need state nomination?
The criteria list no nomination step for the 191. The 491 and 494 are the visas that involve a state, family or employer sponsor. For how states handle nominations in 2026–27, see the state nomination tracker.
Can 494 holders apply?
Yes. Home Affairs says an eligible visa is a subclass 491 or subclass 494 visa.
How long must you hold the 491 or 494?
Home Affairs says at least 3 years before you apply, and that the visa conditions were complied with for the whole period.
Is there an age limit?
The Home Affairs pages read do not state an age limit for the 191. Age appears only for family members, as above.
Where does the 191 fit in the wider PR picture?
It is one of several permanent pathways. Our guide to PR in Australia lists them. Home Affairs' planning levels, updated 21 September 2026, show 14,110 places in the regional category for 2026–27. Settledin's post on the 2026–27 Migration Program explains the categories.
This article describes published Department of Home Affairs information, checked on 25 October 2026. It is general information, not migration advice. For advice on your situation, speak to a registered migration agent. Check the register.
Source: Department of Home Affairs, Skilled Regional (subclass 191) and Regional Provisional stream pages, planning levels and designated regional area postcodes, checked 25 October 2026.