The Subclass 191 visa is the permanent endpoint of the skilled regional pathway, and applicants must hold, or have held, an eligible Subclass 491 or Subclass 494 visa for at least three years before they can apply. Because the points test, occupation assessment, and either state nomination or employer sponsorship were already dealt with at the provisional stage, the Subclass 191 does not reopen any of that; it is a compliance and evidence-based assessment rather than a new competitive one. Instead, the department is checking whether you have genuinely done what your provisional visa required: living, working, and studying only within a designated regional area for the full qualifying period.

In practice, this means the Subclass 191 turns on two things: your regional residence record and your income evidence. You will generally need to provide Australian Taxation Office notices of assessment for three income years within your five years on the eligible visa, along with proof that condition 8579, the regional-living condition attached to your provisional visa, was met throughout. Health and character checks are also required and may need to be refreshed if your earlier clearances have expired. Once the Subclass 191 is granted, the regional restriction lifts entirely: you gain the right to live and work anywhere in Australia, access to Medicare, a five-year travel facility, a pathway to Australian citizenship, and the ability to include eligible family members in your application.