Subclass 491 Visa

Subclass 491 is a Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa valid for 5 years. It requires state nomination or family sponsorship to live in designated regional areas of Australia.

Regional areas include all of Australia except Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane metropolitan areas. Major cities like Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast, and Canberra are considered regional.

The pass mark is 65 points, and the 15 points for state or territory nomination or family sponsorship count towards it. State-nominated candidates are selected by the state, which sets its own criteria. Family-sponsored candidates are ranked by points in SkillSelect invitation rounds.

Yes. After holding the 491 for 3 years you can apply for the Subclass 191 permanent residence visa. There is no minimum income requirement: you provide Australian Taxation Office notices of assessment for three income years out of the five years of your 491 visa, and you must have complied with the conditions of the 491.

There is no minimum income requirement for the 191. You must provide ATO notices of assessment for three income years out of the five years of your 491 visa. If you owe money to the ATO, you must have paid it back or have an approved payment plan.

All states and territories nominate for the 491, each under its own criteria and occupation list. In 2025-26 the Government set 7,500 nomination places for the 491 across all states and territories, and Home Affairs had not published 2026-27 allocations as at early November 2026. Family-sponsored 491 invitations are issued by Home Affairs in SkillSelect rounds.

The visa requires you and any family members on it to live, work and study in a designated regional area. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are outside the designated regional areas, so work based there does not meet the condition. Check the conditions on your grant letter or in VEVO.

Living, working or studying outside a designated regional area breaches your visa conditions. To apply for the 191 you must have complied with the conditions of your 491 for the whole period you held it, so a breach puts your PR pathway at risk.

Yes, eligible relatives living in designated regional areas can sponsor you. The sponsor must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible NZ citizen.

Processing time depends on your occupation and on whether you were in Australia when you lodged. Since 19 September 2026 Home Affairs has processed 491 applications in priority order under Ministerial Direction 122: applications relating to construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources, or to law enforcement and defence interests, come first; then applicants who were in Australia when they lodged; then applicants who were outside Australia; then all others. State nomination, where it applies, happens before you can lodge and each state sets its own assessment times.

From 1 July 2026 the Home Affairs visa application charge for the 491 is AUD 6,140 for the main applicant, AUD 3,070 for each additional applicant aged 18 or over and AUD 1,535 for each applicant under 18. The later 191 permanent residence application costs AUD 630 for the main applicant. States may charge their own registration or nomination fees, and Victoria charges for both. Use the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator for the exact total for your family.