In short: The 189 costs $6,135, the 190 and 491 cost $6,140, and all three use the same 65-point test. What separates them is who invites you, what you promise after grant, and whether the visa is permanent on day one.
Five dollars. That is the gap between the $6,135 charge for a 189 and the $6,140 charge for a 190 or 491. It is the least important difference between the three visas, and it is the one people quote most. The differences that decide a life are about control. Someone holds the lever that produces your invitation. Someone sets the terms you live under afterwards. This note compares the three visas by who holds that lever at each stage.
Side by side
| 189 | 190 | 491 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status on grant | Permanent | Permanent | Provisional, five years |
| Who invites | Home Affairs, by ranking | A state or territory, then Home Affairs | A state, territory or eligible relative, then Home Affairs |
| Nomination points | None | 5 | 15 |
| Where you live | Anywhere | The nominating state, by commitment | A designated regional area, by visa condition |
| Permanent step | Not needed | Not needed | The 191 after three years, at $630 |
| Main applicant charge | $6,135 | $6,140 | $6,140 |
Stage one: who invites you
All three start with an expression of interest in SkillSelect. From there the paths split. For the 189, Home Affairs ranks every candidate in your occupation and invites from the top. Nobody can intervene for you. For the 190 and 491, a state or territory chooses whom to nominate from its own registrations, and that choice produces the invitation. A state can favour people already living and working there, or people in occupations it is short of. That is a lever a well-prepared candidate can influence. A ranking round is not.
Stage two: what you promise
The 189 carries no location promise and no nominator. You can live in Sydney, Perth or Hobart on the day of grant. The price of that freedom is competition, because everyone eligible for the 189 would prefer it.
A 190 nomination rests on a commitment to live and work in the nominating state, and states expect it to be kept. A 491 nomination goes further, because a visa condition confines you to designated regional areas for the life of the visa. Both promises are cheap to make and expensive to break.
The 491 alone can be sponsored by an eligible relative who lives in a designated regional area, in place of a state. The 15 points are the same. The regional condition is the same. The relative takes on no financial obligation, but the relationship must be evidenced.
Stage three: what happens next
The 189 and 190 end at grant. The 491 does not. After three years of living in a designated regional area and meeting an income requirement, the holder applies for the 191 at $630. The 191 is permanent. The five-year 491 gives room for that, but only if the address and the income are evidenced from the first month. We walk that road in 190 or 491: permanent now or regional first.
Which lever can you reach?
Which of these can you actually influence today?
What the choice looks like in a business
Our commercial practice sees the difference in a different document. A 189 holder can sign a five-year lease for a Melbourne cafe on the day of grant. A 491 holder can sign one only for premises in a designated regional area, and the lease will be read against the visa condition if anything goes wrong. A 190 holder can sign anywhere in law, but a Brisbane lease three months after a Victorian nomination invites questions at the next application. We check the visa before the lease, not after. See business structures for founder visa holders for the company side of the same point.
Before you lodge the expression of interest
Our migration practice prepares the expression of interest and the state registrations from one set of documents. If you are choosing between the three this year, contact us with the occupation and the points before you lodge anything.
Frequently asked questions
Can an eligible relative sponsor me instead of a state?
Only for the 491. The relative must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who usually lives in a designated regional area, and must be a close family member as the rules define it.
Do 190 and 491 invitations come from the state or from Home Affairs?
The state nominates. Home Affairs then issues the invitation through SkillSelect. You need both, and the 60-day window to lodge runs from the Home Affairs invitation.
Does the 189 carry any residence condition after grant?
No. It is permanent from grant with no location condition and no nominator to answer to. The travel facility on the visa is time-limited, as it is for the 190.
If I hold a 491, can I later lodge a 189 or 190 instead of the 191?
Generally not. The 491 carries a bar on most other skilled visa grants for three years after grant, subject to narrow exceptions. Plan the 491 as a road to the 191.
Is the 191 charge the same as the 491 charge?
No. The 491 charges $6,140 for the main applicant. The 191 charges $630, with $315 for a partner and $160 for each child.
Figures verified against Home Affairs visa pricing as at 1 July 2026.
General information as at 2 September 2026. Not legal advice. Speak to us about your own circumstances before acting on it.