The latest 191 visa news could affect your path to permanent residency in Australia by a lot. Right now, about 11,000 PR applications wait in the queue, and only 300 get processed each month. What used to take four months now takes at least 14 months because of this growing backlog.
You should know about the recent changes to regional skills assessment rules that come with the 191 visa update. These new requirements will affect your permanent residency path if you hold a subclass 491 visa. This visa lets skilled migrants work and live in regional Australia for at least three years. The 191 visa doesn’t need a minimum income for the application, but you must show proof of income from your qualifying visa period. People’s concerns about these delays show in a petition that has collected over 4,000 signatures already.
Government Tightens Regional Skills Assessment Rules
The Migration Amendment (Skills Assessing Authorities) Regulations 2024 brings a transformation in regional skills assessments that affects 191 visa pathways. The Skills Assessment Minister now has expanded powers to oversee authorities that assess migrant skills in occupations of all types.
New assessment criteria introduced in 2025
The Australian Computer Society (ACS) will make substantial changes to its skills assessment programme from April 15, 2025. IT professionals can now choose up to three ANZSCO codes in one skills assessment application, which gives them more flexibility for regional pathways. The ACS has also increased its assessable occupations from 25 to 35 to meet Australia’s growing need for technology specialists.
The Migration Amendment regulations came into effect on December 14, 2024, and they give the Minister for Skills and Training discretionary approval powers over assessing authorities. The Minister can now set conditions on approvals and revoke them if authorities don’t meet standards or break conditions. This extra oversight helps maintain high standards throughout the assessment process.
Affected occupations and regional zones
VETASSESS now assesses skills for 692 occupations under the Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) programme. This number is more than three times higher than when VETASSESS started DAMA skills assessments in 2019. These assessments cover several regional areas including:
- New South Wales (Orana Regional Development Area)
- Northern Territory
- Queensland (Far North Queensland, Townsville)
- South Australia (Adelaide City, regional areas)
- Victoria (Great South Coast, Goulburn Valley)
- Western Australia (Kimberley, Goldfields, Pilbara, South West)
Each DAMA addresses specific labour market needs in these regions and covers both trades and professions.
Why the changes were implemented
Australia’s strategic approach to filling critical skills shortages while maintaining assessment integrity led to stricter regional skills assessment rules. Dr Mamta Chauhan, Executive Director of VETASSESS, believes these changes create valuable opportunities for migrants and help employers fill vital positions.
The technology sector played a big role in these reforms. Australia will just need 1.3 million tech specialists by 2023. The government added specialised roles like Data Scientists, Cyber Security Engineers, and DevOps Engineers to the ANZSCO list to meet evolving workforce demands.
These regulatory changes create a well-laid-out and accountable process for skills assessments in Australia’s migration framework. This benefits both visa applicants and regional employers who don’t deal very well with finding qualified local staff.
How the 191 Visa Requirements Have Changed
The Australian government has updated its Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191) requirements. These changes bring new clarity to anyone looking to get permanent residency through regional Australia.
Clarification on income documentation
A vital update came in June 2023. The government removed the minimum income threshold requirement for the 191 visa. You’ll still need to provide financial documents though. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) must issue notices of assessment for three income years during your five-year eligible visa period. This change replaces the old rule that made applicants show earnings of at least AUD 82,412.57 yearly for three years.
Updated compliance expectations for 491/494 holders
Your 191 visa application needs to meet these requirements:
- You must have a valid eligible visa (subclass 491 or 494)
- Your eligible visa should be at least three years old
- You need to follow all conditions of your eligible visa
- You should prove that you lived, worked and studied in Australia’s designated regional area
The government strictly enforces condition 8579. This means you can only live, work and study in regional areas. Employer-sponsored visa holders must stay in their nominated positions.
Effect on part-time and casual workers
Full-time work remains the preferred option, but recent changes have opened doors for part-time workers. The government might count your part-time work toward visa requirements, but casual work usually doesn’t qualify. This makes a big difference for subclass 494 visa holders who want permanent residency.
On top of that, these provisional visa holders can’t apply for most skills-based visas in Australia. They need to complete three years in a designated regional area first, unless there are special circumstances. Make sure your work arrangements match the compliance rules for your path to permanent residency.
What Applicants Must Do to Stay Eligible
Your path to permanent residency under the 191 visa depends on several eligibility factors. These steps will help your application meet the Department of Home Affairs’ requirements.
Steps to meet new regional skills assessment standards
You must hold an eligible visa—either subclass 491 or 494—for at least three years before applying for the 191 visa. Your compliance with all visa conditions during this time is mandatory.
Start by collecting evidence that shows your regional commitment. You’ll need:
- Rental agreements or property deeds from your designated regional area
- Utility bills with your regional address
- Employment contracts and payslips from regional employers
- Academic transcripts if you studied in a regional institution
The next step involves health and character assessments. You should get health examinations from designated panel physicians. Police certificates are required from countries where you’ve lived more than 12 months in the last decade.
How to prepare ATO income records
The Department has updated the 191 visa requirements for financial documentation. There’s no minimum income threshold right now for the 191 visa. You need to provide assessment notices from the Australian Taxation Office for three income years out of your eligible visa’s five-year period.
Make sure these notices:
- Cover three complete financial years
- Are official ATO documents (not self-prepared tax returns)
- Don’t need your tax file number
- Include all pages and any amended assessments
Importance of visa condition compliance
Condition 8579 needs your attention throughout your provisional visa period. This condition requires you to:
- Live at a residential address in a designated regional area
- Work from a regional location
- Stay compliant while in Australia
The Department might ask for more information if you’re away from the designated regional area for more than 90 days total per year, or more than 60 continuous days.
Your eligibility for the 191 visa could be at risk if you don’t follow these conditions, whatever time you’ve held your provisional visa.
How the 191 Visa Update Affects Future PR Pathways
The 191 visa updates now influence Australia’s regional development strategy and future migration patterns way beyond individual applicants. These changes shape how families settle in regional communities and affect population distribution throughout the country.
Implications for family inclusion and dependents
The 191 visa pathway provides excellent family benefits that make it an attractive permanent residency option. Your application can include family members—spouses, partners, and dependent children—either during submission or before a decision. Families already in Australia benefit from a unified path to permanent settlement.
Your family unit’s children who turned 23 since getting an eligible visa might still qualify if their original visa grant included them. Health and character requirements apply to every family member in your application, regardless of their plans to move to Australia.
Effect on regional retention and migration planning
The 191 visa policy helps retain skilled migrants in regional Australia. The government wants to achieve several goals through visa condition 8579 during the provisional visa period:
- Population growth in designated regional areas
- Economic development in regional communities
- Long-term settlement patterns supporting Australia’s regional development goals
The 2024-25 permanent Migration Programme recognises how family reunification benefits society, economy and demographics. State and Territory Nominated and Regional categories now have higher planning levels, letting jurisdictions tackle their specific workforce challenges.
Expert opinions on long-term policy direction
Immigration law experts point out that recent updates match the legislative requirements set in 2019. The government showed its steadfast dedication to a flexible yet accountable migration system by removing the minimum income threshold while keeping tax documentation requirements.
The 191 visa stands as a detailed part of Australia’s regional migration strategy and rewards sustained regional contribution. This pathway gives prospective applicants clear advantages: permanent residency, geographic flexibility after grant, and access to Australia’s detailed social systems.
These changes, combined with expanded employer-sponsored pathways from November 2023, show Australia’s evolving approach to regional migration and skilled workforce growth.
Conclusion
It has shown you the most important changes to the 191 visa pathway and regional skills assessment rules. These updates bring new challenges to skilled migrants who want permanent residency in Australia.
Regional skills assessment requirements have a better structure under the Migration Amendment Regulations 2024. Skills assessment authorities work under closer ministerial oversight. Applicants must now work with expanded occupational lists in regional zones of all types. These changes might look overwhelming at first, but they give you clearer guidelines for your permanent residency experience.
A key update relates to income requirements. The Department has removed the minimum income threshold of AUD 82,412.57 per annum. You still need to submit ATO notices of assessment for three income years during your eligible visa period. Part-time workers benefit from this change while accountability stays intact through official documentation.
Visa condition 8579 compliance remains crucial. Living, working, and studying only in designated regional areas for at least three years are the foundations of your eligibility. Good record-keeping of your regional commitment through rental agreements, utility bills, employment contracts, and academic transcripts will help during application assessment.
The 191 visa still offers excellent family inclusion benefits. Dependent children who turned 23 since getting an eligible visa may qualify if they originally received visas as family unit members. This family-friendly approach supports Australia’s goals of regional development and population distribution.
The regulatory changes haven’t altered the core purpose of the 191 visa – it rewards migrants who commit to regional Australia with permanent residency options. Processing times should improve as petition efforts grow stronger. Your dedication to these updated requirements will help you succeed in your migration experience.