Last updated: 30 March 2026

Subclass 191 Visa: Convert Your Regional Visa to Permanent Residency

The subclass 191 is the permanent residence endpoint for skilled workers who have committed to regional Australia. If you hold a 491 or 494 visa, have lived in a designated regional area for at least three years, and have reached the minimum taxable income threshold, you are on the path to permanent residency in Australia without a new points test, skills assessment, or employer nomination. This guide explains every requirement, cost, and step you need to know.

What Is the Subclass 191 Visa?

The Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191) is a permanent visa designed as the natural next step from the provisional regional skilled visas. It was introduced alongside the subclass 491 regional visa and the subclass 494 employer sponsored regional visa to create a clear, time-bound pathway from provisional regional worker to permanent resident.

The 191 is different from most skilled permanent visas in one important way: it does not use the SkillSelect points system. You do not submit an Expression of Interest, sit in an invitation pool, or compete for a limited number of places based on your points score. Instead, you simply need to satisfy three objective criteria: hold a qualifying provisional visa, meet the regional living requirement, and reach the income threshold for a sufficient number of years.

This makes the 191 one of the more predictable permanent visa pathways. If you have held your 491 or 494 for three years, lived in the required area, and earned above the threshold, your application is a conversion rather than a competition.

Once granted, the 191 is a permanent visa with no location restriction. You are no longer required to live or work in a regional area.

Who Is Eligible for the 191?

Eligibility for the subclass 191 is straightforward but each condition is firm. You need to satisfy all of the following requirements at the time you apply.

Hold a qualifying visa

You must be the primary holder of a subclass 491 or subclass 494 visa. Secondary applicants who were included on a family member’s 491 or 494 are not eligible to apply for the 191 in their own right unless they also hold their own provisional visa.

Three years of regional residency

You must have lived in a designated regional area of Australia for at least three years while holding your 491 or 494 visa. “Designated regional area” has a specific meaning in migration law — it covers most of Australia outside the greater Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, and Perth metropolitan areas, though the precise boundaries are set by the Department of Home Affairs. Time spent outside Australia does not count toward the three-year requirement unless it relates to specific exceptions.

Minimum taxable income threshold

You must have earned at least the minimum taxable income for at least three income years while holding your provisional visa. As of the current programme year, the threshold is $53,900 per year. This figure is indexed and subject to adjustment. For each year, your total taxable income as reported to the Australian Tax Office must meet or exceed the threshold.

Health and character

Standard Australian visa health and character requirements apply to you and any family members you include in your application.

No skills assessment, no employer nomination, and no points test are required.

What Is the Income Threshold?

The income threshold is the most technical requirement of the 191 pathway. Understanding exactly how it works will help you track your progress and confirm your eligibility before you apply.

Current threshold

The minimum taxable income threshold is $53,900 per income year. This figure is set by legislative instrument and adjusted periodically. Always confirm the current threshold on the Department of Home Affairs website before lodging your application — do not rely on sources that may be out of date.

How it is measured

The threshold is assessed on a per-year basis across your Australian tax returns. You need to reach the threshold in at least three separate income years. These years do not need to be consecutive, but they must all fall within the period when you held your 491 or 494 visa.

What counts as taxable income

Taxable income is the figure that appears on your Australian Tax Office Notice of Assessment each year. It includes salary and wages, income from self-employment, investment income, and most other assessable income. It is your gross assessable income minus allowable deductions — not your take-home pay, and not your salary package inclusive of superannuation.

Income that has been subject to tax treaty exemptions, or income from periods before you held the qualifying visa, does not count. If you changed employers, worked multiple jobs, or had periods of self-employment during the three years, the ATO’s Notice of Assessment is still the reference document. The Department of Home Affairs accesses ATO records directly during the assessment process.

If you worked for only part of an income year while holding the qualifying visa, the Department applies a pro-rata calculation to determine whether that year’s income meets the threshold proportionally.

How Do You Apply Step by Step?

The 191 application process is entirely online through ImmiAccount. There is no state nomination step and no Expression of Interest to lodge in SkillSelect.

Step 1: Confirm your eligibility date

Work out the earliest date on which you will have held your 491 or 494 visa for three years and met the income threshold across three income years. You cannot lodge before you meet both requirements.

Step 2: Gather your supporting documents

Collect your ATO Notices of Assessment for the three income years you are relying on. Gather evidence of your regional residential address history — lease agreements, utility bills, local government records, or statutory declarations. Have your current passport and any expired passports from the past ten years ready.

Step 3: Organise health examinations

You will need to undergo health examinations arranged through an approved panel physician. The Department will send you a referral once your application is lodged. Arranging these promptly reduces processing time.

Step 4: Obtain police clearance certificates

You and any family members included in your application need police clearances from every country where you have lived for 12 months or more in the past 10 years.

Step 5: Lodge through ImmiAccount

Create or log in to your ImmiAccount, select the subclass 191 visa, and complete the online application form. Upload all supporting documents. Pay the application fee at the time of lodgement.

Step 6: Await Department assessment

The Department will review your documents, access your ATO records, and process health and character checks. Respond promptly to any requests for additional information.

How Long Does Processing Take?

The Department of Home Affairs does not publish binding processing timeframes. Based on current application data, most subclass 191 decisions are made within 3 to 6 months of lodgement. Straightforward cases with complete documentation and clear income and residency records often resolve closer to the lower end of that range.

Several factors affect how quickly your application is assessed.

Completeness at lodgement. Applications that include all required documents from day one process faster than those that require follow-up requests. Missing a tax return, an incomplete address history, or an absent police clearance is one of the most common causes of avoidable delay.

Health examination processing. The Department relies on panel physician reports to clear health requirements. Organising your health examination promptly after lodgement keeps this step from becoming the bottleneck.

ATO record access. The Department accesses your income data directly from the ATO, but this process can take time if records are not yet fully processed. Lodging soon after your tax returns are assessed by the ATO can help.

Case complexity. Applications with multiple income sources, periods of self-employment, or unusual address histories may require additional review. A brief statutory declaration explaining any gaps or variations in your record can help the assessing officer move through your file efficiently.

If your application has been with the Department for significantly longer than six months and you have not received any correspondence, you can request a status update through ImmiAccount.

How Much Does the 191 Cost?

The subclass 191 is notably the most affordable permanent visa in the Australian migration programme. The primary application fee is $415 — substantially lower than the $4,640 charged for most other permanent skilled visas. This reflects the 191’s design as a conversion pathway rather than a competitive entry point.

Fees are current as of the 2025–26 programme year and subject to annual adjustment on 1 July.

Beyond the visa application charge, budget for the following costs:

There is no skills assessment fee and no state nomination fee for the 191. For a single applicant with straightforward health and character histories, total out-of-pocket costs outside of agent fees typically fall below AUD $1,000.

What Happens After the 191 Is Granted?

When the 191 is granted, you become a permanent resident of Australia from grant date. The regional obligations that came with your 491 or 494 visa no longer apply — you can live, work, and study anywhere in Australia without restriction.

Full permanent residency rights

A granted 191 carries the same rights as any other Australian permanent resident visa. You can work for any employer in any location. You can study at any institution. You have access to Medicare. You can sponsor eligible family members for certain visas.

Travel

The 191 includes a 5-year travel facility from the date of grant. During that period, you can travel in and out of Australia freely. After the travel facility expires, you will need a Resident Return Visa to re-enter as a permanent resident if you travel abroad.

Pathway to citizenship

Permanent residency opens the citizenship pathway. You become eligible to apply for Australian citizenship after residing in Australia for four years as a permanent or temporary resident, with at least one of those years as a permanent resident. Time spent on your 491 or 494 visa counts toward the four-year total.

No further regional obligation

Once the 191 is granted, condition 8579 — which required you to live, work, and study in a designated regional area — no longer applies. Moving to a capital city or any other location is entirely within your rights.

Family members

Secondary applicants included in your 191 application receive the same permanent residence grant at the same time. They receive the same rights and the same travel facility.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the income threshold for the 191 visa?

You must have earned a minimum taxable income for at least three years while holding your 491 or 494 visa. The current threshold is $53,900 per year. This figure is set by legislative instrument and adjusted periodically — always confirm the current amount on the Department of Home Affairs website before you apply. The Department verifies your income directly with the ATO using your annual Notices of Assessment.

Do you need a points test for the 191?

No. The 191 does not use the SkillSelect points system. You do not lodge an Expression of Interest, wait in an invitation pool, or compete against other applicants based on points. Eligibility is determined by three objective criteria: holding a 491 or 494 visa, meeting the three-year regional residency requirement, and satisfying the income threshold across three income years.

How long do you have to live in a regional area?

You must have lived in a designated regional area for at least three years while holding your 491 or 494 visa. The three years refers to actual residence — time spent outside Australia generally does not count toward the requirement unless it relates to a specific exception. You need to be able to demonstrate your regional address history through documents such as lease agreements, utility bills, and local government records.

Is there an age limit for the 191 visa?

No. The 191 has no age limit. This is a meaningful distinction from the 491 and 494, which both require you to be under 45 at the time of original application. If you held a 491 or 494 visa and have met the residency and income requirements, you can apply for the 191 regardless of your current age.

What Should You Do Next?

If you are currently holding a 491 or 494 visa, the clearest thing you can do right now is track your progress toward the three eligibility conditions: time on the visa, regional residency, and income threshold across income years.

Review your ATO Notices of Assessment for each year you have held the provisional visa and check whether your taxable income has met the $53,900 threshold. Keep a running record of your residential address history, including evidence that ties you to a designated regional area.

If you are within the final year of your three-year qualifying period, start gathering your application documents now. Health examinations, police clearances, and address evidence take time to compile — starting early means you can lodge your 191 application as soon as you become eligible.

If you are still in the earlier stages of your 491 or 494 visa, use this time to understand the income threshold in the context of your employment and tax situation. If your taxable income has been close to the threshold in some years, speaking with a registered migration agent or tax professional can help you understand how the calculation applies to your specific circumstances.

The 191 pathway is structured and time-bound. If you meet the requirements, the process is straightforward.