Subclass 407 Training Visa: You Must Now Apply From Outside Australia
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The subclass 191 has fewer requirements than most permanent visas, and the ones it does have are unforgiving. There is no points test, no skills assessment and no sponsor. What you must produce is three years on an eligible visa, Australian Taxation Office notices of assessment for three income years out of the five years of that visa, and evidence you complied with your visa conditions throughout.
This guide covers what to assemble, what the visa costs in 2026, where the processing queue actually sits right now, and what changes once the visa is granted. For the eligibility pathway itself, see our guide to the 491 to 191 requirements.
Getting ready to lodge your 191? Our 191 visa lawyers in Sydney can check your tax records and condition compliance before you apply, not after the Department asks.
Requirement | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
Eligible visa, three years | You must have held an eligible provisional visa, usually a 491 or 494, for at least three years |
Three ATO notices of assessment | Notices for three income years out of the five years of your eligible visa |
Condition compliance | You must have complied with the conditions of the eligible visa you hold or have held |
No sponsor or nominator | Nobody needs to sponsor or nominate you for this visa |
No points test or skills assessment | Neither applies at the 191 stage, as they were dealt with at the provisional stage |
There is no minimum income requirement for the 191. What matters is that you can produce ATO notices of assessment for three income years out of the five years of your eligible visa.
The Department assesses a 191 application on documents, not interviews. Assemble these before you lodge rather than after, because an incomplete application stops moving the moment a request for further information is issued.
This is the requirement that decides most applications. You need notices of assessment issued by the ATO covering three income years within the five years of your eligible visa. They must be notices of assessment, not tax returns you lodged, not payment summaries, and not an income statement from myGov.
The three years do not have to be consecutive, which gives applicants who had a weak year some flexibility. If a return has not been lodged for a year you need to rely on, lodge it and wait for the assessment to issue before you apply. If an assessment has been amended, include both the original and the amendment so the Department is not left reconciling figures on its own.
Holding the visa is not enough. You must show you complied with its conditions, which for a 491 means living, working and studying only in a designated regional area for the qualifying period. Build a continuous record rather than a snapshot: residential leases or a mortgage statement, utility accounts, employment contracts and payslips, employer letters confirming the work location, bank statements showing local spending, and electoral or council records where you have them.
Gaps are what cause problems. A six month period with no address evidence invites a request for further information, and that request is what turns a straightforward application into a long one.
Standard permanent visa evidence applies: current passports for every applicant, identity documents, health examinations where required, and police clearances for you and any family members included. Check whether earlier health or character clearances have expired, because results obtained at the provisional stage may no longer be current by the time the 191 is reached.
The Regional Provisional stream charge starts from AUD630. That is low compared with other permanent visas because the larger charge was paid at the 491 or 494 stage. The separate Hong Kong stream, for Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) passport holders, starts from AUD6,135.
From 1 July 2026 a reduced charge applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application. Additional applicants attract their own charges, so use the Department’s Visa Pricing Estimator for your household rather than assuming the base figure. Budget separately for health examinations, police clearances, document certification and professional fees.
Published processing time ranges are averages of applications already decided. More useful is the Department’s own statement of how far it has reached. As at 4 November 2026 it reports processing 191 applications lodged in or before:
The 191 is prioritised under Ministerial Direction 122, which took effect on 19 September 2026 and puts priority sector applications first, then onshore lodgements. We explain the tiers in our guide to Ministerial Directions 121 and 122.
The Department specifically warns that if you or any family member included in the application owes money to the ATO, you should provide evidence the debt has been repaid or that an approved payment plan is in place. Without it, expect delays.
This catches people out because the debt is often small, often a partner’s rather than the primary applicant’s, and often forgotten. Check every included family member’s ATO position before lodging, and if there is a balance owing, either clear it or put a payment arrangement in place and include the confirmation in your application. It costs nothing and removes an entirely avoidable hold-up.
The situation: A 491 holder in regional NSW reaches the three year mark and prepares to lodge. They have ATO notices of assessment for two income years. For the third year they were between jobs for several months, lodged late, and the return is still sitting unprocessed.
The approach: Lodging now with two notices invites a request for further information and stops the application. The better sequence is to follow up the outstanding return, wait for the assessment to issue, and lodge with all three. Because the three years need not be consecutive, an earlier year within the five year window may also solve it.
The point: The 191 is a documents visa. A complete application lodged a month later is almost always faster than an incomplete one lodged today, because the queue position gains you nothing if your file cannot be decided when it is reached.
Most 191 refusals and delays come down to evidence, not eligibility. The fix is a review before lodgement rather than a scramble afterwards.
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If you are approaching three years on a 491 or 494, book a free 15-minute consultation. We will check your notices of assessment, test your condition evidence, and tell you whether to lodge now or wait.
This article is general information only and is not legal advice for your specific situation. Visa charges, processing positions and requirements are current as at 4 November 2026 and change regularly. Confirm the current position on the Department of Home Affairs website or with a migration lawyer before lodging.
You need ATO notices of assessment for three income years out of the five years of your eligible visa, evidence that you complied with your visa conditions throughout the qualifying period, and standard identity, health and character documents for every person included in the application. Regional residence and employment evidence should be continuous rather than a few samples.
The Regional Provisional stream starts from AUD630, which is low because the larger charge was paid at the 491 or 494 stage. The Hong Kong stream starts from AUD6,135. Additional applicants attract separate charges, and from 1 July 2026 a reduced charge applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens. Use the Department’s Visa Pricing Estimator for your household total.
No. The Department states there is no minimum income requirement for the 191. What you must provide are notices of assessment issued by the ATO for three income years out of the five years of your eligible visa. The three years do not need to be consecutive.
As at 4 November 2026 the Department reports processing applications lodged in or before March 2026 where the primary applicant was onshore at lodgement, March 2026 for offshore applicants whose application is not combined with another person’s, and January 2026 for all other offshore applications. The 191 is prioritised under Ministerial Direction 122.
Yes, for five years from the date of grant. After that five year travel facility expires you remain a permanent resident, but you need a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) to re-enter Australia. You can check when your travel facility ends using VEVO.
No. Neither applies at the 191 stage, because both were assessed when you applied for your provisional visa. The 191 focuses on the three years you held the eligible visa, your tax records for that period, and your compliance with the visa conditions.
Tell us what you need. The team will review your request and discuss the scope and fees.
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