How long does the subclass 491 visa take? (November 2026)

Reviewed by a registered migration agent · MARN 1795282
Updated 2 November 2026

As at 2 November 2026, Home Affairs reports that 75% of Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (Subclass 491) applications (State/Territory Government Nominated Regional stream) were finalised within 19 months, and 90% within 30 months. In September 2026 the 75% figure was 16 months. The 491 has 2 streams with different times, listed below. These are official global processing times for applications decided in the previous month, not a promise for any individual case.

Subclass 491 processing times by stream

Stream	75% of applications	90% of applications	75% in September 2026
State/Territory Government Nominated Regional	19 months	30 months	16 months
Family Sponsored Regional	5 months	7 months	5 months

What to expect when you apply for the subclass 491

How the application moves

State or territory nomination, or sponsorship by an eligible relative in a regional area, comes first and is not counted in the Home Affairs figures here.
After invitation through SkillSelect you have 60 days to lodge; Home Affairs verifies the points claims, the regional nomination or sponsorship, then health and character.

What most often slows a 491 application

Waiting for a state to open its 491 program or confirm its allocation.
Points evidence, especially overseas work and partner claims, that cannot be verified from the documents lodged.
Family-sponsored applications where the relative's residence in a designated regional area is not clearly shown.

What to have ready before lodging

The state's own criteria and documents before nomination, and the full set of points evidence (skills assessment, English, qualifications, employment references, payslips) for the visa stage.

What the 75% and 90% figures mean

Home Affairs publishes the time within which it finalised 75% and 90% of the applications decided in the previous month. Three in four applicants got a decision faster than the 75% figure; one in ten waited longer than the 90% figure, almost always because the application was incomplete, needed health or character follow-up, or sat outside the current processing priorities. The figures move every month, which is why we keep a history on the processing-times tracker.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the 491 visa take to process in November 2026?

Home Affairs reports that 75% of Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) applications in the State/Territory Government Nominated Regional stream were finalised within 19 months and 90% within 30 months, as at 2 November 2026. Other streams differ; see the table on this page.

What do the 75% and 90% figures mean?

They are the times within which Home Affairs finalised 75% and 90% of the applications it decided in the previous month. Three in four applications were decided faster than the 75% figure; one in ten took longer than the 90% figure, usually because the application was incomplete or needed extra checks.

Can a 491 visa be processed faster?

There is no paid priority service for the 491. The things that reliably shorten processing are lodging a complete, decision-ready application (identity, health, character and every eligibility document attached at lodgement), responding to any request for information quickly, and falling within the priority sectors set by the current ministerial direction.

Related visas: processing times and costs

Source: Department of Home Affairs — global visa processing times, as at 2 November 2026. Cost: subclass 491 visa fees. Eligibility and steps: 491 Visa 2026: +15 Points, Regional Areas & PR. General information only, not migration advice.