Subclass 191 – Skilled Regional Visa

The Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) Visa, it is an important visa that allows the worker to hold an eligible visa, and if they meet the income requirement, then to work and live in Australia permanently.

There are two different streams under the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) Visa subclass 191. A discussion of both in detail has been made below for your ease. Make sure to go through the same before making an application or before beginning the application for the visa.

1. Regional Provisional Stream

The visa offers the applicants who made an application to work and live in Australia’s designated regional area permanently with the eligible visa. The visa allows the applicant to,

• Live, work, and also study anywhere in the country.
• If eligible, become an Australian citizen.
• Enrol in public healthcare schemes or Medicare.
• Travel from and to Australia for at least 5 years.
• Sponsor the eligible family members for the permanent residency.
• Make an application for the Australian citizenship.
• For the citizens who arrived recently, they would be required to wait before the Australian government offered benefits or payments are received through them.

Further, to be eligible, one must,

• Hold the visa for 3 years at least.
• Have the taxable income either at/above the specific income threshold for 3 years at least while holding the eligible visa.
• Comply with all the conditions that are required to have the eligible visa that one holds or has held.

Including the Family

The family members can be included in the application while lodging the application. They can even be added after the application has been lodged but before the decision for the visa is received.

In general, family members within the application, they do not need the eligible visa, but they will be required to if they are not meeting the standard definition of the family member and if they get included within the application by the applicant.
All the family members who are included in the application, they are required to meet up with the character and the health requirements.

Cost & Processing Time

The cost of the visa is AUD 435. For every additional applicant or dependent who makes the application with the applicant, a fee would be required to be paid too. To say,

• The cost for an additional applicant who is 18 years old is AUD 220.
• The cost for an additional applicant who is below the age of 18 is AUD 110.
• Other costs related to health checks, biometrics, police certificates, etc., are also required to be paid for.
• As for the processing time, it can vary due to some circumstances, like whether or not the complete application has been lodged, whether all the supporting documents have been provided, how quickly one responds to the requested information, etc.

Eligibility Criteria

The applicant must have an eligible visa.

• Applicant must satisfy the set income requirement.
• Applicants must comply with all the conditions for the eligible visa.
• The applicant and their family members must meet health and character requirements.
• The applicant must sign up the Australian values statement.
• If there is any debt that the applicant or any of the family members own to the Australian government, either it must be paid back, or arrangements must be made for the payment.
• Applicant must not have any prior visa canceled or refused.

Regional Provisional Stream- Application Process

Step 1

Before making the application, make sure all the documents are prepared and gathered in one place. From the health check certificates to the character check certificates, marriage certificates, etc., must all be arranged.

Step 2

The second step is to provide all the gathered documents related to the applicant, their family members, and their dependents, as asked by the immigration authorities.

Step 3

Make the application for the visa. While making the application, the applicant can be either outside or in Australia.

Step 4

After the applicant has been sent, the authorities inform about the receipt of the application. If one is granted a bridging visa, they, too, will receive a notification about the granted visa.

Step 5

This is the final stage, or the visa outcome stage.

When the decision for the visa is received in writing by the authorities, the applicant can either be in Australia or outside Australia. Further, along with the decision, in case if the visa is granted, along with the visa approval, the applicant would receive the visa grant number, the date from which the visa starts, and the conditions related to the visa, if there are any.

Make sure to keep the copy of the decision. In case if the visa is refused, the information about it too is provided to the applicants. However, no refunds are made for the application charges.

Passport Holders of New Zealand

If the immigration officer, they process the clearance at the border, it is recommended to inform them that you are holding the Skilled Regional Visa subclass 191 or you do not wish to have the Special Category Visa Subclass 444.

If the timely information isn’t provided, one will receive the subclass 444 visa, and once the same is granted, the permanent visa they hold will cease. It will therefore affect the eligibility of an individual for the Australian citizenship.

2. Hong Kong Stream

This visa stream allows the eligible British National (Overseas) passport holders or the Hong Kong passport holders demonstrating commitment towards Australia, to work, live and study in Australia permanently.

The visa allows the holders of it too,

• Stay in the country permanently.
• Study and work in Australia.
• Enrol in the public healthcare scheme of Australia.
• ponsor the relative to come and live in Australia.
• Travel from and to Australia for a time period of 5 years.
• If being eligible, make an application for the Australian citizenship later on.
• If there is any debt that the applicant/family members of the applicant own to the Australian government, either it must be paid back, or the arrangements must be made for the payment back to the government for the said amount.
• Applicant must not have any prior visa canceled or refused.

Including Family

All things remain similar to the Regional Provisional Stream.

Cost & Processing Time

The cost of the Visa for the applicant would be AUD 4240. The processing time of the visa, on the other hand, remains dependent on varied factors. No charge remains applicable for every single family member making an application for the visa along with the primary applicant. However, an extra charge (second installment charge) must be paid for the applicant who’s above the 18 years of age and who has lesser functional English. However, make the application only when it’s asked for.
The amount charged as a second installment charge is AUD 4885.

Hong Kong Stream- Eligibility

• The applicant must have an eligible visa.
• The applicant must have a British National (Overseas) passport or the Hong Kong passport.
• Applicant must live within the designated area for at least 3 years.
• Applicant must study and work within the designated regional area.
• Applicant must comply with all of the conditions that come as part of holding or getting the eligible visa.
• The applicant must be proficient in the English language.
• Applicants must meet character and health requirements.
• Applicants are required to sign the Australian values statement.

Hong Kong Stream- Application Process

The entire application process from step 1 to step 5 remains similar to the Regional Provisional Stream. Refer to it for more.

Get the needed help, if needed

You can either make the visa application on your own or appoint the authorized professionals for it. Just make sure, if you are the one making the application, you double-check all the requirements, documentation, and the processes, before you submit anything to the requisite authorities. It will help avoid any unnecessary cancellation or rejection of a visa.

However, if you are applying through the immigration consultants or any authorized agents, etc., you do not have to worry about anything. Just keep providing them with the necessary documents and the information they ask for. They would handle the rest on their own.