Information current to 9 November 2026. Fees reflect the visa application charges indexed on 1 July 2026.

If you hold a Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa subclass 491 or a Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa subclass 494, the subclass 191 is the visa that turns your regional years into permanent residence. The 191 visa requirements are simpler than most people expect: no new skills assessment, no points test, no state nomination and no employer sponsor. What the Department of Home Affairs does look at closely is whether you held your provisional visa for at least three years, lived and worked in a designated regional area, complied with your visa conditions, and can show three years of Australian Taxation Office (ATO) notices of assessment.

This guide sets out each requirement, the 2026–27 fees, the documents you need and the mistakes we see most often from 491 and 494 holders, many of whom first came to Australia from India or Malaysia.

191 visa requirements 2026: key facts

• Visa type: Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa, subclass 191 (regional provisional stream).
• Who can apply: holders of a subclass 491 or subclass 494 visa.
• Time on the provisional visa: at least 3 years holding the 491 or 494 before you apply, and you must still hold it when you apply.
• Regional requirement: you lived and worked (and, if you studied, studied) in a designated regional area while holding that visa.
• Income evidence: ATO notices of assessment for at least 3 income years during the period you held the provisional visa. Home Affairs has confirmed there is currently no minimum income amount.
• Not required: new skills assessment, points test, SkillSelect invitation, state or territory nomination, employer sponsorship.
• Visa charge (from 1 July 2026): AUD 630 main applicant, AUD 315 per additional applicant 18 or over, AUD 160 per additional applicant under 18.
• Outcome: permanent residence with a 5-year travel facility and a pathway to Australian citizenship.
• Availability: the regional provisional stream has been open since 16 November 2022.

What is the subclass 191 visa?

The 191 was introduced as the second half of Australia's regional skilled migration model. The 491 (state nominated or family sponsored) and the 494 (employer sponsored) are five-year provisional visas that require you to live and work in regional Australia. The 191 is the permanent visa you move to once you have met that regional commitment.

Because you were already assessed for skills, age, English and points (491) or for a sponsored position (494) when your provisional visa was granted, the 191 does not repeat those tests. It is a compliance and evidence visa: Home Affairs wants proof that you did what your provisional visa required.

There is also a separate Hong Kong stream of the 191 for eligible Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) passport holders. It has different criteria and a much higher charge (AUD 6,135 for the main applicant). This article covers the regional provisional stream, which is the one 491 and 494 holders use.

Eligibility: the 191 visa requirements in detail

1. You hold a 491 or 494 visa, and have held it for 3 years

You must hold a subclass 491 or 494 visa at the time you lodge, and you must have held one of those visas for at least three years. The three years are counted from the date your provisional visa was granted, not the date you arrived in Australia or the date you applied for the 491 or 494. If you were granted offshore and arrived months later, your clock still started on the grant date.

Get your exact visa history from VEVO or your grant letters before you calculate anything. If you have held more than one provisional visa, have the calculation checked by a professional.

2. You lived and worked in a designated regional area

Both the 491 and 494 carry condition 8579, which requires the holder to live, work and study only in a designated regional area. For the 191, you need to show you complied with that condition while holding your provisional visa.

"Designated regional area" is defined by postcode, not by how a town feels. Under the current definition, all of Australia except Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane metropolitan areas is regional, split into Category 2 (cities and major regional centres such as Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Canberra, Newcastle, Wollongong, Geelong and Hobart) and Category 3 (regional centres and other regional areas). Check every address you have used against the official postcode list on the Home Affairs regional migration page.

Short absences such as holidays or a trip home to India or Malaysia are not the problem. Living in a metro postcode, or working for a metro-based employer at a metro worksite, is.

3. You can show 3 years of ATO notices of assessment

This is the requirement that causes the most confusion online. The legislation was drafted to allow a minimum taxable income figure to be set by instrument, and many older pages still quote AUD 53,900. Home Affairs confirmed in June 2023 that no instrument specifying a minimum income is in place. In practice that means:

• You must provide ATO notices of assessment for at least three income years.
• Each income year must be one in which you held your 491 or 494 for all or part of the year, and it must have ended before you lodge your 191.
• The three years do not have to be consecutive.
• There is currently no minimum dollar amount you must have earned in those years.

The Australian income year runs 1 July to 30 June. If you were granted your 491 in, say, March 2023, the 2022–23 income year can count (you held the visa for part of it), alongside 2023–24 and 2024–25. You need the notice of assessment itself, which you get after lodging your tax return. A return that has been lodged but not yet assessed does not give you a notice to upload.

The law allows a minimum income threshold to be introduced later. Check the official 191 visa page before you lodge.

4. You complied with your visa conditions

Beyond condition 8579, Home Affairs checks that you met the other conditions on your provisional visa. For 494 holders, that usually includes working for the sponsoring employer in the nominated occupation unless you have properly moved to a new sponsor. Gaps in employment, unapproved changes of employer or long periods living in a capital city all need explaining, and some cannot be fixed after the fact.

5. Health, character and debts

You and every family member included in the application must meet the health and character requirements. Expect to arrange health examinations through Bupa Medical Visa Services if requested, and police certificates for every country where you have spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16. For many of our clients that means an Indian Police Clearance Certificate from the Passport Seva system or a Malaysian certificate of good conduct, plus an Australian Federal Police check.

Outstanding debts to the Australian Government should be paid or arranged before you lodge. An unpaid ATO balance is worth clearing or putting on an approved payment plan, since it can slow the application down.

What you do not need

Because these were assessed at the provisional stage, the 191 does not require a new skills assessment, a points test score, an invitation through SkillSelect, a state or territory nomination or an employer sponsor. That is why the 191 is one of the more predictable PR pathways for people who kept clean records.

191 visa cost: 2026–27 fees

Visa application charges are indexed on 1 July each year. The figures below apply to applications lodged on or after 1 July 2026. Confirm the amount with the Home Affairs visa pricing estimator on the day you lodge.

Applicant	Regional provisional stream	Hong Kong stream
Main applicant	AUD 630	AUD 6,135
Additional applicant 18 or over	AUD 315	AUD 3,065
Additional applicant under 18	AUD 160	AUD 1,535

For a couple with two children under 18 in the regional provisional stream, the government charge is AUD 1,265 (630 + 315 + 160 + 160). On top of this, budget for health examinations, police certificates, any translations of non-English documents, and professional fees if you use a lawyer or registered migration agent. Card payments may attract a surcharge.

If you are comparing the full cost of the 491-to-191 route against other PR options, our guide to Australia PR cost from India sets out the earlier stages.

How to apply for the 191 visa: step by step

1. Confirm your three-year date. Find the grant date of your 491 or 494 and add three years. You cannot lodge before that date.
2. Map your income years. List each 1 July to 30 June year in which you held the provisional visa. Make sure at least three of them have ended and have a notice of assessment issued.
3. Download your notices of assessment. Get them from the ATO through your myGov account linked to the ATO. If a year is missing, lodge or correct that tax return now. Amended assessments can be used.
4. Build your regional evidence. Collect lease agreements, rates notices or utility bills for every address, plus payslips, employment contracts and employer letters showing worksite locations. Check each postcode against the designated regional areas list.
5. Gather identity and family documents. Passports, birth certificates, marriage certificate or relationship evidence for your partner, and documents for dependent children. Translate anything not in English with an accredited translator.
6. Arrange police certificates. Order these early. Indian PCCs for applicants in Australia are processed through the Indian consular network, and timing can vary.
7. Lodge online in ImmiAccount. Complete the 191 application, attach your documents and pay the visa application charge.
8. Complete health checks and respond to requests. Use your HAP ID to book medicals when prompted, and respond to any request for information within the time stated.
9. Keep complying until decision. Keep living and working regionally while your provisional visa is in effect. If your 491 or 494 is due to expire while the 191 is being processed and you applied in Australia, a bridging visa will generally keep you lawful.

You can apply in or outside Australia. Processing times change month to month. Check the Home Affairs global visa processing times page for the current figures rather than relying on numbers quoted in forums.

191 document checklist

Requirement	Typical evidence
Eligible visa held 3+ years	491 or 494 grant letter, VEVO record
Income years	ATO notices of assessment for at least 3 income years
Lived regionally	Leases, rental ledgers, rates notices, utility bills, bank statements showing address
Worked regionally	Payslips, employment contracts, employer letters with worksite address, PAYG summaries / income statements
Studied regionally (if applicable)	Enrolment confirmations and campus address
Identity	Passports, birth certificates, national ID (e.g. Aadhaar or MyKad copies if requested)
Family members	Marriage certificate or relationship evidence, children's birth certificates
Character	Police certificates for each relevant country, AFP check
Health	Medical examinations through Bupa Medical Visa Services when requested

Common mistakes with the 191 visa

• Counting three years from arrival. The clock runs from the provisional visa grant date. Lodging even a day early makes you ineligible.
• Waiting for a third notice of assessment that has not issued yet. Lodging with two notices and "one on the way" invites delay or refusal. Lodge your tax return early after 30 June and wait for the notice.
• Ruling yourself out over AUD 53,900. That figure circulates widely but is not currently a requirement. Low-income years still count if you have the notice of assessment.
• Ignoring a part year. The income year in which your visa was granted can count if you held the visa for part of it, even a few months.
• A metro address slipping in. A few months in a Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane postcode, a metro work address, or remote work for a city employer without a regional worksite can create a condition 8579 problem. Get advice before you lodge if this applies.
• Inconsistent records. Addresses on your lease, bank statements, tax returns and employer letters should match. Discrepancies lead to requests for more information.
• Letting the provisional visa lapse. You must hold a 491 or 494 when you apply. Plan your lodgement well before expiry.
• Trusting undated online summaries. Rules and charges change every 1 July. Use the official Home Affairs pages and the Migration Regulations 1994 as your final check.

For applicants from India and Malaysia

A large share of 491 and 494 holders in regional South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and regional Victoria and Queensland came from India, often in IT, engineering, nursing, hospitality management and trades occupations. Many Malaysian applicants came through employer-sponsored 494 roles. A few practical points apply to both groups:

• Police certificates take the longest. If you lived in India or Malaysia for 12 months or more after turning 16 within the last 10 years, start that certificate before anything else.
• Foreign income does not replace ATO notices. Rental income from property in India or Malaysia may appear in your Australian return, but the requirement is the Australian notice of assessment itself.
• Family visits home are fine. Trips back for weddings or family matters do not breach condition 8579. Moving your residence to a capital city does.
• Plan the next step. Once your 191 is granted, your 5-year travel facility starts. If you will spend long periods overseas later, read our guide to the Resident Return visa subclass 155.

What the 191 gives you

A 191 grant gives you permanent residence. You can live, work and study anywhere in Australia, including capital cities, with no regional condition. You can enrol in Medicare, include eligible family members, sponsor eligible relatives for some visas, and apply for Australian citizenship once you meet the residence requirements. The visa's travel facility lasts five years from grant. After that, you need a Resident Return visa to re-enter as a permanent resident if you travel.

If you are still on the first half of this pathway, our guides to the 491 visa requirements and 494 visa requirements explain what to get right now so your 191 is straightforward later.

How EazyViza can help

EazyViza is backed by Collins Quarters, a migration and commercial law firm with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Chennai and Kuala Lumpur. For 191 applicants, our team can:

• Calculate your exact eligibility date and map which income years count.
• Review your address and employment history against the designated regional postcode list and flag any condition 8579 risk before you lodge.
• Check your document set for gaps and inconsistencies.
• Prepare and lodge the application, and handle requests for information.
• Advise on options if a past breach or a missing tax year creates a problem.

Start with an initial assessment or use our free eligibility checker.

Disclaimer

This article is general information only and is not legal advice. Migration law, visa charges and processing arrangements change, often on 1 July each year. Check the official Home Affairs and ATO sources, and get advice on your own circumstances before you apply.