General Skilled Migration
Permanent Residence (191)
Where the regional pathway can lead: permanent residence after three years of living and working in regional Australia on a 491 or 494.
Requirements
What the 191 asks of you.
The 191 is won in the years before you apply: compliant regional living, documented income, clean records. A separate Hong Kong stream serves HK and BNO passport holders.
Three years on an eligible visa
You must have held your 491 or 494 for at least three years, complying with its conditions, including the regional living, working and studying requirement.
Three years of income evidence
Notices of Assessment from the tax office for the three relevant income years. We check your records match the requirement before anything is lodged.
No new nomination, no new points test
The 191 has no nominator, no employer and no points test. If the three years were done right, the application itself asks less of you: no nominator, no employer, no points test.
The pathway
How we run your 191.
Eligibility assessment
Your visa history, conditions compliance and tax records, checked against the requirement to the day.
Visa application
Lodged decision-ready with your residence and income evidence in order.
General information only, not immigration advice. Your circumstances matter. Visa requirements, fees and processing times change regularly. Facts on this page last reviewed 15 July 2026. Check current details with the Department of Home Affairs , or speak with us for advice on your situation. Website terms.
Begin with a conversation.
Speak with a MARA-registered migration agent in Melbourne about your pathway. Book a time that suits you.