Streams

1. Regional Provisional Stream

This stream is for people who have lived, worked and/or studied in a designated regional area while holding a Subclass 491 or Subclass 494 visa.

Key requirements:

• Hold a Subclass 491 or Subclass 494 visa
• Have held the visa for at least 3 years
• Lived and worked in designated regional Australia during that time
• Complied with visa conditions (regional residence/work obligations)
• No minimum income threshold applies (confirmed by DOHA in June 2023)

2. Hong Kong Stream

This stream is for people who hold a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) passport or a British National (Overseas) passport.

Key requirements:

• Hold an eligible visa (e.g. 457, 482, 485, or other specified visas)
• Have lived and worked in designated regional Australia for at least 3 continuous years
• Meet standard health, character, and visa compliance requirements

Benefits of the 191 Visa

• Stay in Australia permanently
• Work and study anywhere in Australia
• Enrol in Medicare
• Sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residency
• Apply for Australian citizenship when eligible
• Travel in and out of Australia for 5 years (then apply for RRV if not yet a citizen)

Designated Regional Areas

All of Australia is considered regional except:

• Sydney
• Melbourne
• Brisbane

Regional areas include Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Canberra, Newcastle/Lake Macquarie, Wollongong/Illawarra, Geelong, Hobart, and all other areas outside the three major cities.

Visa Costs (From)

• Primary applicant: AUD 505
• Additional applicant 18+: AUD 250
• Additional applicant under 18: AUD 130

Comparison of Streams

Family Members

You can include your partner and dependent children/step-children in your application.

All family members granted the 191 visa have the same rights and entitlements as the primary applicant.