Regional migration · ACT
Regional Areas in the ACT
Yes — the Australian Capital Territory is regional for migration purposes, and that includes Canberra. The whole territory is a designated regional area, and Canberra is a Category 2 major regional centre, the same tier as Perth, Adelaide and Hobart. That opens the 491 (15 extra points), the employer-sponsored 494 and the permanent 191 after three years — in the national capital.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed August 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Rule
- All of the ACT is regional
- Category 2
- Canberra
- Not regional
- Sydney · Melbourne · Brisbane
- Key visas
- 491 · 494 · 191
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About the CPD →The rule in the ACT
For skilled migration, every part of Australia is a designated regional area except Greater Sydney, Greater Melbourne and Greater Brisbane. The ACT is not one of the three, so the entire territory is designated regional — including Canberra.
The qualifying postcodes are still set out in legislative instruments and reviewed by the Department, so confirm your workplace postcode on the Home Affairs regional postcodes page before relying on a regional pathway. Not sure? Use the free checker.
Canberra — the ACT’s Category 2 centre
Canberra is a Category 2 designated area ("cities and major regional centres"). Living and working in Canberra qualifies for the 491 and 494, regional points, and the 191 pathway. In practice the categories matter less than they once did — Category 2 and Category 3 areas both qualify for the 491 and 494 — but Canberra’s status puts a full-scale professional labour market inside the regional framework.
Why it surprises people
Applicants assume "regional" means rural. It does not — for migration, it means "not Greater Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane". That is why Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Darwin and Canberra all count. The related trap runs the other way: Canberra is regional, but Greater Sydney is not, and Greater Sydney reaches as far as the Blue Mountains and Wollondilly. On a 491 or 494 both your home and your workplace must be in a designated regional area for the full three-year qualifying period before the 191 — check both postcodes rather than assuming.
What regional status opens in the ACT
- Subclass 491 — skilled work regional, via ACT nomination or family sponsorship; 15 extra points, 191 pathway after three years
- Subclass 494 — employer-sponsored regional, for any ACT employer; three years of experience, a five-year visa, 191 after three years
- Regional study — extra points and extended post-study work rights for study at a regional campus, which in the ACT means any campus in the territory
- Subclass 191 — the permanent destination after three years of regional residence and work
Which of these fits depends on your occupation, points and circumstances — and no outcome can be guaranteed. If you want it settled in one sitting, book a consultation with Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) — $330 inc. GST, credited toward your engagement fee if you proceed.
Is my city regional? — ACT answers
One-page answers, with postcode, category and what the status opens, for the places people ask about most. Not listed? Use the regional checker.
Regional: Canberra · Belconnen · Tuggeranong · Downer · Manuka · Causeway · Curtin · Lyons · Farrer · Majura · Coree · Reid · Cook · Holt · Hall · Kambah · Fadden · Calwell · Banks · Crace · Gungahlin · Casey · Forde
Book 30 minutes with Keshab.
Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536), reads your situation with you and tells you which route fits, what it costs and what happens next.
Video consultation. A$330 inc. GST for 30 minutes, credited in full if you go ahead. Free questions are closed: advice on your own case is the consultation.
Book a consultation — A$330 inc. GST, credited In writing, no call — A$550
Need 60 minutes, or bringing a partner, employer or documents to go through? Extended consultation, A$550 inc. GST.
MARN 1576536 · practising since 2015 · contact details
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Questions we get asked first
Is Canberra regional for migration purposes?
Yes. The whole of the ACT, including Canberra, is a designated regional area for skilled migration. This surprises many applicants, but Canberra qualifies for the 491 and 494 regional pathways, the 15 bonus points on the 491, and the 191 permanent pathway.
Which category is Canberra in?
Canberra is a Category 2 designated regional area ("cities and major regional centres") — the same tier as Perth, Adelaide and Hobart. Category 2 and Category 3 areas both qualify for the 491 and 494.
Why is Canberra regional when it is the national capital?
Because the regional framework works by exclusion: only Greater Sydney, Greater Melbourne and Greater Brisbane are excluded. Every other part of Australia — capital cities included — is a designated regional area. Canberra is simply not one of the three excluded cities.
Which visas benefit from regional status in the ACT?
The Subclass 491 (ACT nomination or eligible-relative sponsorship, 15 extra points), the Subclass 494 (regional employer sponsorship — three years of experience, a five-year visa), and the permanent Subclass 191 after three years of regional residence and work on either.
Can I live in Canberra and work in Sydney on a 491?
Holders of the 491 and 494 must live and work in a designated regional area for the full three-year qualifying period before the 191. Greater Sydney is not regional, so working there during that period can break the pathway to permanent residence. Confirm the postcode of both your home and your workplace.
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