191 Visa: PR After a 491 or 494 (Tax Records, Fee, Timing)

Overview

The Subclass 191 is the permanent visa for people who have held a Subclass 491 or 494 regional provisional visa. To qualify you must have held the provisional visa for at least three years, complied with its conditions — including living, working and studying in a designated regional area — and provided Australian Taxation Office notices of assessment for three income years out of the five years of the provisional visa (Home Affairs' stream page states there is no minimum income requirement). There is no new points test and no new skills assessment at the 191 stage, and once granted the 191 is full permanent residence with no regional condition.

The Subclass 191 Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa is the permanent end point of the regional skilled pathway. If you have held a 491 or 494 provisional visa for at least three years, complied with its conditions and can show three years of ATO notices of assessment, the 191 turns that provisional status into full permanent residence — with no regional condition.

Who the 191 is for

The 191 is not a visa you apply for from scratch. It is for people already on the regional pathway: holders of the 491 (state- or family-sponsored) or the 494 (employer-sponsored) provisional visa. The 491 and 494 do the heavy lifting — points, nomination, skills assessment — and the 191 is the reward for seeing the regional commitment through.

The three-year rule and the tax-record requirement

Two things matter most:

You must have held the provisional visa for at least three years and complied with its conditions — living, working and studying only in a designated regional area.
You must provide Australian Taxation Office notices of assessment for three income years out of the five years of your 491 or 494. As at 30 October 2026, Home Affairs’ 191 Regional Provisional stream page states “There is no minimum income requirement”, although its 191 overview page still refers to an income threshold; confirm the position before you lodge.

The practical lesson: keep clean tax and residence records from the day your provisional visa is granted. Three years later, those notices of assessment are your evidence.

What changes once the 191 is granted

The 191 is permanent, and the regional condition is removed. You can live, work and study anywhere in Australia, access Medicare, sponsor eligible family, and begin counting toward Australian citizenship. It is the same permanent residence you would reach through the 189 or 190 — arrived at by a different, regional road.

Common pitfalls

The most common problems are a year with no notice of assessment among the three you rely on, and time spent outside the designated region while on the provisional visa. Both go to whether you can evidence the three years and met the conditions. If either applies to you, get advice before lodging rather than after a refusal.

Fees and processing times shown above are sourced from the Department of Home Affairs and displayed with the date verified.

Who is eligible for the Subclass 191 visa?

Hold, or have held, an eligible regional provisional visa — the Subclass 491 or the Subclass 494
Have held that provisional visa for at least three years
Have complied with the conditions of the provisional visa, including living, working and studying only in a designated regional area
Provide Australian Taxation Office notices of assessment for three income years out of the five years of your 491 or 494 (Home Affairs' Regional Provisional stream page says there is no minimum income requirement)
Continue to meet health and character requirements and have no adverse information

How much does the Subclass 191 visa cost?

The base application charge is A$630. An additional A$315 applies per applicant aged 18 or over. Checked against the official Home Affairs pricing table on 29 October 2026. See every Subclass 191 stream's charge and processing time, or compare every visa on our Australian visa fees table. Fees are indexed each year — see the official Visa Pricing Estimator for the current figure.

How long does the Subclass 191 visa take to process?

For the Regional Provisional Visa stream, around 75% of applications are finalised within 9 months, and 90% within 10 months.

Official figures as at 29 September 2026. Source: Department of Home Affairs — Global visa processing times. Compare all visas on our processing times tracker. Times are a guide only — complete, decision-ready applications are generally faster.

How do you apply for the Subclass 191 visa?

Confirm your three years and conditions. Check you have held the 491 or 494 for at least three years and complied with its regional living, working and study conditions.
Gather three notices of assessment. Collect ATO notices of assessment for at least three income years while you held the provisional visa — this is the core evidence.
Lodge the 191 online. Apply with your notices of assessment and evidence of regional residence. Your 491/494 continues while the 191 is decided; a bridging visa covers you if it expires first.
Become a permanent resident. Once granted, the regional condition is gone — you can live and work anywhere and begin counting toward citizenship.

How it compares

Feature	491	494	191
Status	Provisional (5 yrs)	Provisional (5 yrs)	Permanent
Prerequisite	State or family sponsorship	Employer sponsorship	3 yrs on a 491 or 494
Regional condition	Yes	Yes	None once granted
Income evidence	—	—	3 ATO notices of assessment
Leads to	191	191	Citizenship

Frequently asked questions

How long must I hold the 491 or 494 before I can apply for the 191?

At least three years. The three years are counted from when the provisional visa was granted, and you must have complied with its conditions — living, working and studying in a designated regional area — across that period.

What income do I need for the 191?

You must provide Australian Taxation Office notices of assessment for three income years out of the five years of your 491 or 494. As at 30 October 2026, Home Affairs' Regional Provisional stream page states: "There is no minimum income requirement", while the 191 overview page still refers to an income threshold. Because the two pages differ, confirm the position for your case before you lodge, and keep complete tax records from the start of your provisional visa.

Do I need a new points test or skills assessment for the 191?

No. The points test and skills assessment happen at the provisional (491/494) stage. The 191 is about proving you held the provisional visa for three years, met its conditions, and lodged tax returns for three of those income years — not about being re-assessed on points.

Can I leave the regional area once I have the 191?

Yes. The 191 is permanent and carries no regional condition — you can live, work and study anywhere in Australia. The regional obligation only applies while you hold the provisional 491 or 494.

What if I have a gap year, or no tax return, for one of the three years?

You need notices of assessment for three income years out of the five years of your 491 or 494, so a year with no return lodged cannot be one of the three. Home Affairs' stream page says there is no minimum income requirement, but time spent outside the designated region or breaches of your conditions can affect eligibility. A registered migration agent can map which three income years you rely on before you lodge.

Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (Subclass 191)