191 Visa – Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional)

What are the Requirements For A 191 Visa?

Applicants are required to:

• Have held a Subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional provisional visa for a minimum of three years, and
• Demonstrate they have been living, working, and studying in a designated regional area for the 3 years, and
• Provide a notice of assessment demonstrating taxable income for each of the three years, and
• Meet character requirements for a permanent visa

Health requirements are generally met at the provisional visa stage.

Documents to evidence time spent in regional Australia include lease agreements, rental receipts, bank statements, employment contracts, payslips, and schooling receipts. Each residential address, job, and schooling period must be supported by documents.

Subclass 494 visa holders are therefore encouraged to keep clear records during the life of their provisional visa.

The 191 Visa Application does not:

• need sponsorship from an Australian employer
• have an age limit – age was locked in at the time the 494 was lodged
• require further English testing
• have a minimum income requirement

Read our guide on the 494 to 191 visa process here

What are the current 191 visa processing times?

• Subclass 191 applications are processed in accordance with Ministerial Direction 122, in the following order of priority:​
  1. All applications where the primary applicant is in Australia at the time of application.
  2. Applications where the primary applicant is outside Australia at the time of application, and there are no family members included.
  3. All other applications.

  Note that applications made family members to join a primary applicant are given the same priority as the primary applicant.

  As of 18 September 2026, Immigration advises they are allocating applications under the new Direction as follows:

  • February 2026 – Visa applications from applicants who were in Australia at the time they lodged their application.
  • March 2026 – Visa applications where the primary applicant was outside of Australia at the time they lodged their application and whose application is not combined with another person’s application at any time.
  • January 2026 – All other visa applications from applicants who were outside Australia when they applied.