Subclass visa 191 is also called a Regional Permanent Residency Visa, and it is granted to applicants who have been living and working for a long time in regional Australia. This regional permanent visa is specially designed for those who hold the Skilled Employer-Sponsored Regional 494 visa and the Skilled Work Regional 491 visa. If you are the holder of the subclass 494 and 491 visa, you can convert them to permanent residency. New applicants can apply for subclass 191 in Australia from November 2022.

191 Visa Requirements Australia

The eligibility requirements for the processing of a 191 visa are:

• The applicants must live in Australia while applying for the visa and ensure that they will be in the country when the visa is granted.
• The applicant must be the holder of either a subclass 494 visa or subclass 491 visa.
• The applicant must be living and working for at least three years in a designated regional area of the nation.
• The applicant must have the specified income threshold of $53,900 or above while they held a subclass 494 visa or subclass 491 visa for the last three years.
• It is mandatory for the visa holder of a subclass 191 visa to live, study, and work only in the specified regional areas.
• If the employer-sponsored stream applies for the visa on behalf of the applicant, the applicant must ensure that they will work only in their nominated occupation and position.
• The primary and the secondary applicants must meet all the visa conditions of the eligible visa they hold. The conditions for the stipulated visa conditions may change, so applicants have to comply with these requirements at all times.

The complex visa conditions may be different for each individual member of a family. As an experienced and expert 191 visa immigration agent, Southern Stone recommend you seek professional consultation to ensure whether your planned activities meet the stipulated visa conditions.

You will have to inform the concerned Department of Home Affairs (DHA) in writing if any of the circumstances determining your eligibility changes. It may impact the DHA’s decision regarding your eligibility for a visa. Please book an appointment with us for hassle-free visa processing.

For more information on visa conditions, eligibility requirements, and processing, please contact our qualified immigration consultants. We will help you through the entire process.

How Does A Subclass 191 Regional Permanent Residence Visa Work?

If you want to convert your temporary subclass 491 visa or 494 visa to a permanent visa, you are required to have lived, studied, or worked in a designated regional area of Australia for at least three years. You must have a taxable income at or above a specific income threshold for at least three years.

If you apply for subclass 191 visa through subclass 491 or 494, you must ensure that:

• You are the holder of the regional provisional visa subclass 494 or 491.
• You have had the provisional visa for at least three years.
• You have earned a specified minimum income for at least three years while holding a regional provisional visa.
• You meet all the conditions of the regional provisional visa.

You are required to fulfil all the eligibility conditions, the failure of which may lead to the visa cancellation.

With the permanent subclass 191 visa, you can stay in the specified regions of Australia indefinitely. It includes a travel component that is valid for five years from the date the visa is granted. You can also include your family members in the application and must be in Australia while applying and receiving the visa.

Most of the locations of Australia outside major cities, like Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne, have been designated as regional areas for migration purposes. The DHA has circulated the postcodes of the designated regional areas that include:

• Gold Coast
• Perth
• Adelaide
• Sunshine Coast
• Newcastle/Lake Macquarie
• Geelong
• Canberra
• Wollongong

With the formulation of the regional subclass 191 visa, the DHA has taken down the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa subclass 187 and the Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa subclass 489. They have been closed for new applicants since November 16, 2019.

Why Apply for a 191 Regional Permanent Residency Visa

The subclass 191 regional permanent residency visa allows you to stay in the specified region of the country indefinitely. Additionally, it allows the visa holder to:

• Work and study
• Enrol in the health care scheme
• Apply for citizenship if eligible
• Sponsor eligible family members
• Travel to and from Australia for five years

How to Apply for a Visa Subclass 191

You will have to provide accurate information with documentary evidence while filing the visa application form. You must seek the advice of our specialist visa consultants for accurate filing and a positive outcome. Professional visa consultants are trained and experienced to counsel you and provide all the guidance required to get a positive result. You can book an appointment with our expert 191 visa immigration agents for a smooth and effortless visa journey.

Processing Time for a Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) 191 Visa

The processing time for the visa is not the same for everyone. The accurate processing time varies from applicant to applicant and case to case. The DHA’s decision process may vary depending upon the following factors:

• Incorrect filing of the application
• Nonattachment of the relevant documents and evidence
• Upholding of a specific assessment policy by the DHA
• If the DHA requires additional information to validate your application
• If the DHA wants additional information from external agencies
• If the DHA needs to perform a thorough verification check on information and evidence
• Time taken by the DHA to ascertain the allocation of visas depending on the seats available and the number of applications received

Generally, the verification process for a permanent visa takes more time than a temporary visa. You or the external agency may have to provide additional information as required by the DHA to validate the application’s decision. Communicate with our visa migration agent for further information on the entire process. Other than this we also offer partner visa, skilled independent visa, subclass 190, employer sponsored visa and more.

Contact Us for an Obligation Free Consultation

Southern Stone has been helping numerous clients throughout the nation with their visa application process and making their dreams come true. Why deal with the burden of reapplying for a visa when your professional partner is there to assist you in your visa journey? Contact us on 1300 188 999 for a detailed discussion with an experienced migration agent in Melbourne. You can also fill our online form to get an obligation-free initial consultation on applying for a 191 visa our Melbourne-based immigration agents can help you with.