Permanent residency for regional provisional visa holders who have lived and worked in regional Australia for 3 years
The Regional Provisional stream of the 191 is the permanent-residence pathway for holders of a subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional Provisional) or subclass 494 (Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Provisional). To qualify, they have to have held that eligible visa for at least 3 years, and have to have complied with its conditions.
There's no SkillSelect Expression of Interest, no points test, and no minimum income requirement on the 191 itself.
What's required is documentary evidence: Australian Taxation Office (ATO) Notices of Assessment for 3 income years out of the 5-year period of the eligible visa. Plus evidence of compliance with the conditions of the 491 or 494, including the regional-residence and work conditions that apply for the entire provisional period (not just the 3 qualifying years).
The application fee for this stream is significantly lower than the Hong Kong stream. That reflects that the points test, English test, and skills assessment were all completed at the 491 or 494 stage.
These are the published requirements for the 191. Check each one applies to your situation.
A common misconception (including in some third-party migration guides and the original policy announcements) is that the 191 requires a minimum taxable income for each of the 3 qualifying years.
IMMI's current eligibility page contradicts this directly: 'There is no minimum income requirement.'
What the 191 does require is documentation: Australian Taxation Office (ATO) Notices of Assessment for 3 income years out of the 5-year period of the eligible visa.
Applicants who had a low-income year (for example, due to parental leave, study, or a business start-up) are not disqualified by that year's income. The test is whether 3 years of ATO Notices of Assessment can be produced, not what amount they show.
Applicants for the Regional Provisional stream have to show compliance with all conditions of their 491 or 494 for the whole period they held the visa.
This includes the regional-residence and work conditions for the full 5 years (or however long they held the eligible visa), not just the 3-year window counting toward 191 eligibility.
A 491 holder who lived and worked regionally for the first 3 years but then moved to metropolitan Sydney while still holding the 491 is at risk of being found in breach of conditions. That risk applies even after the qualifying 3-year mark is reached.
The Hong Kong stream has a parallel rule: any work or study in the 3 years before applying has to have been in a designated regional area.
Both the 189 Skilled Independent and the 191 Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) have Hong Kong streams for HK or BNO passport holders. Both require 3 years on an eligible 457/482/485 visa.
The 189 Hong Kong stream lets applicants settle anywhere in Australia.
The 191 Hong Kong stream requires usual residence in a designated regional area of Australia for a continuous 3-year period immediately before applying. Any work or study during those 3 years must also have been in a designated regional area.
The 191 Hong Kong stream is the regional-anchored permanent pathway. The 189 Hong Kong stream is the open one.
For the Hong Kong stream, IMMI states explicitly: 'Multiple visas, including visas of the same subclass, cannot be combined to meet this requirement.'
A single eligible 457, 482, or 485 visa has to have been held continuously for at least 3 years before the 191 application.
Two separate 482 visa grants of 2 years each (for example, from changing employers and being re-nominated) do not add up to 3 years for 191 Hong Kong purposes.
The Regional Provisional stream does not have this same rigid single-grant rule. But the 491 or 494 holder still has to have held the qualifying visa for at least 3 years.
