191 Skilled Regional Visa
191 visa is a permanent visa that allows the visa holder to stay anywhere in Australia permanently. The visa holders may apply for Australian citizenship after satisfying the relevant criteria, and sponsor eligible relatives for regional visas. This visa has two (2) streams.
191 Regional Provisional Stream
To be eligible for a 191 visa in the regional provisional stream, you must:
- Hold one of the eligible visas, that is 491 visa or 494 visa, for at least three (3) years prior to the 191 visa application being lodged; and
- Have complied with the conditions of the previous visa, as well as your family members holding the visa as the secondary holders; and
- You and your entire family must have lived, worked and studied in a designated regional area on the previous visa; and
- Meet the relevant health and character criteria, as well as your family members holding the visa as the secondary holders.
On 20 June 2023, the Department of Home Affairs announced that there is no minimum income threshold for 191 visa applicants in this stream. You would however still need to provide notices of assessment issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for the minimum duration of three (3) financial years within the last five (5) years. These notices are imperative in serving as evidence of your financial standing and compliance with the tax obligations throughout your stay in Australia.
191 Visa Application Charge
First instalment payable at the time of application;
- Base application charge: $475
- Additional applicant charge for an applicant who is at least 18: $240
- Additional applicant charge for an applicant who is less than 18: $120
191 Hong Kong Stream
To be eligible for a 191 visa in the Hong Kong stream, you must:
- Hold an eligible visa at the time of application, that is a subclass 457, 482 or 485 visa granted to you on the basis of having satisfied the primary criteria; and
- Have held one of the eligible visas for at least three (3) years before lodging an application for an 191 visa in this Hong Kong stream;
- You cannot use multiple visas, including visas of the same subclass, to satisfy this requirement.
- If your eligible visa was granted before 9 July 2020, it must not expire after 8 July 2025.
- If your eligible visa was granted on or after 9 July 2020, it must be valid for five (5) years.
Hold a Hong Kong or British National (Overseas) passport at the time of application; and
- Have been usually resident in a designated regional area of Australia for a continuous period of at least three (3) years immediately before lodging an application for an 191 visa in this stream.
- In assessing where a person is ‘usually resident’, it is taken into account your physical residence. This is where you eat, sleep and have a home (or whether your intention is to make that place your home).
It is not a mandatory requirement that the primary applicant has functional English. Nevertheless, in its absence, the second instalment of the visa application charge would accrue to both primary and secondary applicants.
191 Visa Hong Kong stream Application Charge
First instalment payable at the time of application;
- Base application charge: $4,640
- Additional applicant charge for an applicant who is at least 18: $2,315
- Additional applicant charge for an applicant who is less than 18: $1,160
Second instalment payable prior to visa grant;
- Applicants aged 18 and over who do not demonstrate functional English: $4,885
Applicable Public Interest Criteria
4001, 4002, 4003, 4004, 4007, 4010, 4020, 4021 and 4019 (if applicable)
Applicable Special Return Criteria
5001, 5002 and 5010
191 Visa Conditions
There are no conditions associated with this Subclass.