Which provisional visas lead to subclass 887 in 2026? (489, 495, 496, 475, 487)

Which provisional visas qualify you for the subclass 887 Skilled Regional visa in 2026, and when a Bridging visa A or B counts.

Published: 8 October 2026

Five provisional visas lead to the Skilled Regional visa (subclass 887): subclass 489, 495, 496, 475 and 487. A Bridging visa A (BVA) or Bridging visa B (BVB) can also qualify, but only where it was granted after a valid application for a subclass 489, 495 or 487 visa. This is the eligible visa list published by the Department of Home Affairs on its Skilled Regional visa (subclass 887) page, as at the July 2026 version of that official page.

The list matters because it is expressed as a closed list. If the visa you hold is not one of those five subclasses — or a bridging visa tied to a 489, 495 or 487 application — the 887 pathway is not the one you are on, regardless of how long you have lived and worked in regional Australia.

Which visas count as an eligible visa for subclass 887?

The Department's page states that an eligible visa is a subclass 489, 495, 496, 475 or 487 visa, or a Bridging visa A or Bridging visa B granted after a valid application for a subclass 489, 495 or 487 visa. There is also a narrow offshore case: where a subclass 887 application is lodged outside Australia during the COVID-19 concession period, an eligible visa that expired during that period while the holder was outside Australia can count.

Visa	Counts as an eligible visa	Named as a basis for BVA or BVB
Subclass 489	Yes	Yes
Subclass 495	Yes	Yes
Subclass 496	Yes	Not named
Subclass 475	Yes	Not named
Subclass 487	Yes	Yes
Bridging visa A / B	Only if granted after a valid subclass 489, 495 or 487 application	—

The asymmetry in that table is deliberate on the Department's side, not an oversight in the summary: the bridging visa pathway is written by reference to three subclasses only.

Why isn't subclass 491 on the list?

Subclass 491 does not appear in the eligible visa list for subclass 887, and that absence is the answer. Subclass 887 is the permanent stage for the older regional provisional visas; the 491 sits outside that architecture. The rest of the 887 criteria reinforce this — the residence and work requirements are framed around whether a state or territory government nominated you for your eligible visa, or whether a family member sponsored you, which is the nomination and sponsorship structure attached to the five listed subclasses.

So if you hold a 491, checking the 887 criteria will not tell you what you need. The eligible visa test is decided before you get to residence or work.

When does a Bridging visa A or B qualify?

A bridging visa qualifies only through its connection to a substantive application. You must have made a valid application for a subclass 489, 495 or 487 visa, and be holding the BVA or BVB granted in that context at the time you lodge the 887 application. Holding a bridging visa attached to some other visa application does not satisfy the test.

There is a second, separate requirement that catches people here. The person meeting the primary criteria must also have held a subclass 489, 495, 496, 475 or 487 visa for a total of two years before the 887 application is made. Time spent on a bridging visa is not time spent holding one of those five subclasses, so a bridging visa can put you in a lawful position to lodge while the two-year holding period is measured against the substantive visa you held earlier.

Do you have to have held the visa for two years?

Yes, for the person seeking to satisfy the primary criteria: two years in total, held before the 887 application is made, across one or more of subclass 489, 495, 496, 475 or 487. The same page adds that the eligible visa must have been granted either on the basis of satisfying the primary criteria, or on the basis of being the spouse or de facto partner of the person who satisfied the primary criteria.

Note also the general rule: all applicants must be in Australia and hold an eligible visa at the time the 887 application is made, unless the COVID-19 concessions apply.

Does it matter whether you were the main applicant or the partner?

It does, and the test is about how the visa was granted rather than who currently holds it. The eligible visa must have been granted to the person meeting the primary criteria either because they satisfied the primary criteria themselves, or because they were the spouse or de facto partner of the person who did. Grant letters and the visa record for the earlier provisional visa are the documents that establish which of the two applies.

The Department's page also identifies who carries the substantive load: the person seeking to satisfy the primary criteria is the person who seeks to meet the 887 work and residence requirements.

Where do the residence and work requirements have to be met?

Both requirements are measured while you hold one or more eligible visas, and both are tied to how your eligible visa was obtained:

State or territory nomination: two years living, and 12 months full-time work, in a regional or low-population growth metropolitan area.
Family sponsorship: two years living, and 12 months full-time work, in a designated area of Australia.

Full-time work is defined as 35 hours per week. Concurrent part-time employment can be combined to reach it, and the work can be in your nominated occupation or any other occupation. Compliance with the conditions of the eligible visa is required for the whole period you held it, for you and for any family members holding an eligible visa.

What else has to be true when you apply?

At the time of decision you need functional English, unless you have already paid the second instalment of the visa application charge for your eligible visa or you pay it when asked. You and any family members applying with you must meet the health requirement; the page notes that having undertaken a health examination for the eligible visa means another one will usually not be needed. Character applies to you and to family members aged 16 and over applying with you, and also to family members not accompanying you.

If you are 18 or over, you must have read or had explained to you the Life in Australia material and sign the Australian Values Statement. Any debt owed to the Australian Government by you or your family members — including those not applying with you — must be repaid or arrangements made. Your immigration history is also considered: a cancelled visa or a refused application may affect eligibility, subject to the limitations on applications in Australia.

Do the COVID-19 concessions change which visa you need?

No. The concessions change the employment and residence periods, not the eligible visa test, but they do affect where you can be when you lodge. Applicants outside Australia who lodge during the concession period can be granted the visa while outside Australia and access shorter requirements: at least 9 months full-time work and 18 months residence in a specified regional area. Applicants inside Australia who lodge during the concession period get the shorter employment period — at least 9 months full-time work — but still need 2 years of residence.

Where a shorter period applies, the Department's page frames it as the period the Minister specifies in a legislative instrument where one is made. Because concession settings are time-bound, treat the official page as the operative source for whether these periods still apply when you lodge; this article is general information about how the published criteria read, not advice on your own circumstances.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I apply for 887 if my subclass 489 has already expired?

Generally no, because all applicants must be in Australia and hold an eligible visa at the time the application is made. The exception on the official page is where the 887 is lodged outside Australia during the concession period and the eligible visa expired during that period while the holder was outside Australia.

I am on a Bridging visa A after lodging a subclass 489 application. Can I lodge 887 now?

A BVA can be an eligible visa where it was granted after a valid subclass 489, 495 or 487 application. The separate two-year holding requirement is measured against time actually spent holding one of the five substantive visas, so bridging time does not build that period.

Does holding a subclass 491 let me apply for subclass 887?

No. Subclass 491 is not among the visas listed as eligible for 887. The eligible visa list contains subclass 489, 495, 496, 475 and 487, plus bridging visas tied to a valid 489, 495 or 487 application.

Do I have to work in my nominated occupation to qualify?

No. The work can be in your nominated occupation or any other occupation. Full-time means 35 hours per week, and concurrent part-time jobs can be combined to reach that total.

Can I lodge a subclass 887 application from outside Australia?

Only through the COVID-19 concessions, which allow eligible applicants outside Australia to lodge and be granted during the concession period. Outside that, the requirement is that all applicants be in Australia and hold an eligible visa at the time of application.

Do my family members have to meet requirements too?

Yes. Family members applying with you must meet the health requirement, and those aged 16 and over must meet the character requirement. Family members not accompanying you must also meet the character requirement, and any of them owing money to the Australian Government must have repaid it or arranged repayment.