The Subclass 887 visa is the permanent residence step for skilled migrants who have already lived and worked in regional Australia on an eligible provisional visa. If you have spent a couple of years building a life in a regional town and you are now wondering how to make it permanent, this is the visa most people in your position are thinking about. It lets you and your family stay in Australia indefinitely once you meet the residence and work requirements. This post is for holders of the older regional provisional visas, mainly the Subclass 489, who are ready for the next move. If you are on a newer 491, read on, because there is an important difference that trips a lot of people up.
What is the subclass 887 visa?
The Subclass 887 is a permanent visa for people who have held a qualifying regional provisional visa and have met the residence and work conditions attached to it. In plain terms, you did your time in a regional area, and the 887 is how that effort converts into permanent residence.
It sits in the skilled migration family alongside other skilled visa pathways, but it is different from the points-tested visas people apply for from scratch. You do not need a fresh invitation or a new points test. The 887 is a follow-on visa. The hard part, qualifying through the provisional stage, is mostly behind you by the time you lodge it. The eligibility tests for the 887 are set out in Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994, the binding legal source, which was in force in its current form as of June 2026.
Once granted, a permanent visa gives you the right to live, work, and study in Australia without the location and reporting conditions that came with the provisional visa. It also starts the clock toward Australian citizenship, if that is a goal for you down the track.
Who can apply for the 887?
You may be eligible for the Subclass 887 if you hold or have held an eligible regional provisional visa and you have satisfied its residence and work requirements. The clearest example is the older Subclass 489 Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa.
The 887 was designed as the permanent step for a group of regional provisional visas that includes the 489 and several earlier subclasses such as the 495, 496, 475, and 487. If you came through one of those programs, the 887 is almost certainly the pathway you are looking at. The official Skilled Regional (subclass 887) listing confirms which earlier visas qualify, and it is worth checking your exact subclass against it before you do anything else.
You also need to meet the usual permanent visa requirements. You and each member of your family unit must satisfy health and character requirements, even for family members who are not applying with you. Police certificates are required for each country a person has lived in for 12 months or more, cumulatively, over the past 10 years since turning 16.
The 491 catch: why many people want the 191, not the 887
Here is the part that causes real confusion. If you are on a Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa, the 887 is generally not your pathway.
The 491 transitions to a different permanent visa, the Subclass 191 Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa. The same is true for the Subclass 494 employer-sponsored regional visa. The 887 belongs to the earlier generation of regional visas, and the 191 belongs to the newer 491 and 494 cohort. They have different residence and income tests, so applying for the wrong one is a costly mistake.
If you are not sure which provisional visa you are actually on, check your grant letter or your VEVO record before assuming. We cover the provisional side in detail in our guide to the 491 regional visa, and our comparison of the 190 and 491 skilled visas is a good place to start if you are still weighing up the provisional options.
The residence and work requirements
The 887 turns on two things you have to prove: that you lived in the right area, and that you worked there. Both are measured against a “specified regional area”, which is a defined list of postcodes, not just anywhere outside the big cities.
According to the official 887 listing, you need to have lived in a specified regional area for at least two years, and to have worked full time in a specified regional area for at least one year, while holding your eligible provisional visa. The exact periods and how they are calculated are set in the Migration Regulations 1994, so we would always check your specific dates against the regulation rather than relying on a rough count in your head.
A few things that catch people out:
- Location matters as much as time. Living and working in a region that was specified for your visa is the point. If part of your time was spent outside a specified area, it may not count toward the requirement.
- Full time means full time. Home Affairs treats full-time work as at least 35 hours a week, so casual stints, long gaps, or part-time hours can leave you short even if you were technically in the region the whole time.
- The postcode lists can change. What counted as a designated or specified area can shift over time, so the area you lived in needs to have been specified for the relevant period. The designated areas page for the 887 sets out the current definition by postcode.
This is the stage where keeping good records pays off. Payslips, tax returns, lease agreements, utility bills, and employer letters that cover the full two-year and one-year windows are what make a clean application. If your evidence has holes in it, that is the thing to fix before you lodge, not after.
How much does the 887 cost, and how long does it take?
Two questions everyone asks, and two answers that change often enough that we will not pin a number that could be out of date by the time you read this.
The Subclass 887 has a first-instalment visa application charge that is payable when you lodge, with the possibility of additional charges for family members included in the application. Rather than quote a figure that may have moved, the current amount is published on the Department’s visa pricing page, and that is the page to trust. Always confirm the charge there before you lodge, because an underpaid application can be treated as invalid.
Processing times for the 887 vary with demand and with how complete your application is. The Department publishes indicative timeframes on its global visa processing times page, updated monthly. A well-documented application that clearly proves the residence and work periods tends to move more smoothly than one where a case officer has to chase missing evidence.
A quick comparison: 887 versus the newer pathways
If you are trying to place the 887 in the wider picture, this is the short version.
| Feature | Subclass 887 | Subclass 191 |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Holders of older regional provisional visas, mainly the 489 | Holders of the newer 491 and 494 provisional visas |
| Residence test | Lived in a specified regional area | Held the provisional visa for a set period and lived in a designated regional area |
| Income test | No minimum income requirement | Requires evidence of meeting a minimum taxable income for the required period |
| Outcome | Permanent residence | Permanent residence |
Both are genuine routes to permanent residence. The 887 is generally the simpler test on paper because there is no income threshold, but “simpler” does not mean automatic, and the residence and work evidence still has to hold up. For a wider look at how all the regional and skilled routes lead to permanent status, our overview of Australia’s permanent residency pathways puts the 887 in context with the rest.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for the 887 if I am on a 491?
Generally no. The 491 leads to the Subclass 191 permanent visa, not the 887. The 887 is for holders of the older regional provisional visas, mainly the 489 and a handful of earlier subclasses. Check your grant letter to confirm which provisional visa you actually hold, because applying for the wrong permanent visa wastes time and money.
How long do I need to live and work in a regional area for the 887?
The official 887 listing states you need to have lived in a specified regional area for at least two years and worked full time there for at least one year, while holding your eligible provisional visa. The exact periods and how they are counted are set in the Migration Regulations 1994. We would always check your specific dates and postcodes against the regulation before lodging.
What counts as a specified regional area?
A specified or designated regional area is defined by an official list of postcodes, not simply anywhere outside the major cities. The list can change over time, so the area needs to have been specified for the relevant period of your stay. The Department’s designated areas page sets out the current definition, and your time and location are measured against it.
Does the 887 lead to Australian citizenship?
The 887 is a permanent visa, so it can be a step toward citizenship if you later meet the residence and other requirements. Permanent residence and citizenship are separate stages with separate criteria. Holding the 887 does not by itself make you a citizen, but it puts you on the residence pathway that can lead there.
What happens if my evidence does not cover the full period?
Gaps are the most common reason a 887 application runs into trouble. If your records do not clearly cover the two-year residence and one-year full-time work windows, it is better to gather the missing payslips, tax records, and tenancy documents before you lodge than to hope a case officer overlooks them. If you have already received a refusal, there may be review options, and the 494 regional employer visa guide and our wider skilled migration content can help you understand the alternatives.
The realistic next step is to confirm which provisional visa you hold, map your dates and postcodes against the requirement, and check your evidence covers the full periods before you lodge anything. If you would like a second set of eyes on whether you qualify for the 887 or the 191, you can book a consultation with our migration lawyers.
About the author: Tina Nematian is the Principal Lawyer at One Planet Migration Law. She is an Australian Legal Practitioner and a Registered Migration Agent, and has guided clients through partner, skilled, employer-sponsored, student, and humanitarian visa applications across Australia.
This article is general information only and does not constitute legal or migration advice. Visa rules change frequently and outcomes depend on individual circumstances. Speak with a registered migration lawyer or agent before making any application. Figures were current as of June 2026; always check immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before lodging.
