Last updated: September 27, 2026. Fees, processing times and rules change; verify current details on the official government website linked in this guide.
The three visas, in plain language
Australia invites skilled workers through a points-based system, and three visa subclasses do most of the work. The Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent) gives you permanent residence without any sponsor. The Subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated) also gives permanent residence, but a state or territory nominates you and adds five points to your score. The Subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional, Provisional) is a five-year temporary visa for regional Australia that can lead to permanent residence through the Subclass 191 visa.
Every applicant starts in the same place: an Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect, the government’s online system. You do not pay to lodge an EOI. It sits in the pool for up to two years, and you get invited to apply only if your occupation is wanted and your points score ranks high enough. Canada runs a similar points-driven system for its own skilled workers, which we cover in our Canada Express Entry guide.
How the points test works
The pass mark is 65 points, but treat that as a floor, not a target. In 2026, invitation rounds for the 189 routinely require 85 to 95 points or more in popular occupations such as engineering and ICT. The system ranks you against everyone else in the pool, so the minimum never guarantees an invitation.
Points come from the following factors:
- Age: 30 points for 25 to 32 year olds, 25 for 18 to 24 and 33 to 39, 15 for 40 to 44. You must be under 45 when the invitation is issued, not when you lodge the EOI.
- English: 0, 10 or 20 points depending on your test level (competent, proficient or superior).
- Skilled work experience: up to 15 points overseas and up to 20 points for work in Australia.
- Qualifications: 20 for a doctorate, 15 for a bachelor or masters degree, 10 for a diploma or trade qualification.
- Study in Australia: 5 points if you completed at least two years of study there.
- Professional Year in Australia: 5 points.
- Community language skills: 5 points with an accredited NAATI credential.
- Partner: up to 10 points if your partner is skilled, has competent English, or if you apply as a single applicant.
- Nomination: 5 points for a 190 nomination, 15 for a 491 nomination or family sponsorship.
English levels that change your score
English is the single fastest way to lift your points, and it is also where many applicants stall. Competent English is the minimum: IELTS 6.0 in each band, or the equivalent in PTE, TOEFL or OET. Proficient (IELTS 7.0 in each band) adds 10 points. Superior (IELTS 8.0 in each band) adds 20 points, and that 20-point swing can be the difference between waiting years and getting invited.
Pearson overhauled PTE Academic scoring in August 2025, so older guides quote outdated PTE thresholds. Published PTE equivalents are now roughly Listening 47, Reading 48, Writing 51, Speaking 54 for competent; Listening 58, Reading 59, Writing 69, Speaking 76 for proficient; and Listening 69, Reading 70, Writing 85, Speaking 88 for superior. Writing and speaking at the superior level are demanding, so plan your test preparation around that. Test results are generally valid for three years, so sit the test early and lodge the EOI while the result is fresh.
Subclass 189: the independent route
The 189 is permanent residence from day one. You can live, work and study anywhere in Australia, access Medicare, and eventually apply for citizenship. No employer, state or relative needs to sponsor you.
To qualify, you need an occupation on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), a positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority, at least competent English, and you must be under 45 when invited. You submit your EOI through SkillSelect and wait for an invitation. If invited, you usually have 60 days to lodge the full application with evidence for every claim you made.
The 189 is the simplest pathway on paper and the hardest in practice. With no nomination bonus, everything depends on your raw score. Recent invitation data shows trades occupations sometimes invited near 65 to 70 points, while engineers and ICT professionals have needed 90 to 110 in competitive rounds. Unless your occupation is in strong demand, such as nursing or teaching, or your score sits above 85, relying on the 189 alone is a slow strategy in 2026. Run it alongside other options rather than instead of them.
Subclass 190: the state-nominated route
The 190 is also permanent residence from day one, with the same rights to live, work, study and access Medicare. The difference is that a state or territory government nominates you, which adds five points and hands you a second invitation channel beyond the federal 189 rounds.
Core requirements mirror the 189: under 45 at invitation, 65 points including the five-point bonus, a suitable skills assessment, competent English, and clear health and character checks. Your occupation must sit on your target state’s occupation list, which is often broader than the MLTSSL but changes as state needs shift.
Each state runs its own selection. Some, like New South Wales, select candidates directly from SkillSelect and invite you to apply for nomination. Others ask you to lodge a separate nomination application after your EOI, and the Northern Territory charges around AUD 300 plus GST for that application. States may ask for local work experience, a job offer, a commitment statement, or proof of residence, depending on the stream. On grant, you commit to living and working in the nominating state for two years. Treat that commitment as binding when you make your plans.
The 190 suits applicants whose score falls short of 189 cut-offs but whose occupation matches a state’s demand. State nomination itself takes roughly 4 to 20 weeks, and the visa then takes around 12 months for half of applicants and up to 17 months for 90 percent, based on Home Affairs processing figures.
Subclass 491: the regional route
The 491 is not permanent residence on grant. It is a provisional visa that lets you live, work and study in designated regional Australia for five years. After three years, you can apply for the Subclass 191 visa, which grants permanent residence. Think of it as a regional probation that converts to PR if you meet the conditions.
You qualify through one of two streams. State or territory nomination opens up 504 eligible occupations across the MLTSSL, STSOL and ROL lists. Sponsorship by an eligible relative living in regional Australia is the alternative, but it is limited to 212 MLTSSL occupations, and your sponsor must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who has lived in a regional area for at least 12 months.
Nomination or family sponsorship adds 15 points to your score, and you still need at least 65 points in total. The 491 application charge for the primary applicant is AUD 6,140 for 2026-27. On grant, you must comply with regional conditions: you live, work and study in a designated regional area. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane’s metropolitan centres are excluded, but entire states and territories can count as regional, including every Northern Territory postcode.
The five-year visa is not renewable, so the 191 pathway matters. After three years of regional residence, you can apply if you have held the 491, lived regionally, and can show three years of taxable income through Australian Taxation Office notices of assessment. There is currently no fixed minimum income figure published, so check the official website for the current figure. Keep clean tax records from day one, because a single undocumented year can sink the application. Apply for the 191 any time after year three and before the 491 expires.
Occupation lists and skills assessments, decoded
Three occupation lists decide which visa you can target. The MLTSSL covers occupations in long-term national demand and feeds the 189. The STSOL covers shorter-term needs and feeds state-nominated visas. The ROL covers regional needs and feeds the 491. Your ANZSCO occupation code must sit on the right list for the visa you want, and states add their own priority lists on top.
A positive skills assessment is mandatory before you can be invited. Each occupation has its own assessing authority: Engineers Australia for engineers, ACS for ICT professionals, ANMAC for nurses, VETASSESS for many general professional occupations. Assessments are generally valid for three years and cost roughly AUD 500 to 1,000, plus English test fees around AUD 350 to 400. Start the assessment early. It is the slowest document in the whole process, and nothing else moves until it is done.
Fees, processing times and the 2026 picture
Visa application charges change each 1 July. For 2026-27, published figures are:
- Subclass 189: AUD 6,135 for the primary applicant.
- Subclass 190: AUD 6,140 for the primary applicant, AUD 3,070 per adult dependant, AUD 1,535 per child.
- Subclass 491: AUD 6,140 for the primary applicant, AUD 3,070 per adult dependant, AUD 1,535 per child.
Budget separately for skills assessments, English tests, medical examinations (AUD 300 to 600 per person) and police clearances from every country where you lived 12 months or more in the past decade. Adult dependants with less than functional English can attract a second instalment of around AUD 5,090 before grant. Confirm every figure on the Home Affairs website before you lodge, since fees move yearly.
Processing times vary by stream. Recently finalised 189 applications have taken roughly 6 to 9 months. The 190 runs longer, around 12 months for half of cases and up to 17 months for 90 percent. The 491 commonly takes 9 to 18 months or more, depending on the state and the completeness of your file.
The 2026-27 migration program brought mixed news. Places for the 189 and 190 increased, while regional 491 places decreased, which pushed more applicants toward state nomination and employer-sponsored routes. Immigration advisers reporting through 2026 consistently make three points: 65 points alone rarely wins an invitation, parallel EOIs across the 189, 190 and 491 improve your odds, and employer-sponsored visas such as the 482 Skills in Demand and the 186 Employer Nomination Scheme are currently the most realistic PR path for many workers. On 17 September 2026 the government announced plans to reform the points test so housing construction trade qualifications can score the same points as a university degree, with the new test expected around March 2027. Details are not yet final, so anyone planning a long preparation should watch that space.
The application process, step by step
- Check that your occupation sits on the right list for your target visa.
- Get your skills assessment from the relevant authority.
- Sit an approved English test and aim above competent if your points need it.
- Calculate your points honestly, using only claims you can prove with documents.
- Lodge your EOI in SkillSelect, free of charge, and keep it updated. One profile can flag interest in the 189, the 190 and the 491 at once.
- Apply for state nomination or register for family sponsorship if you are targeting the 190 or 491.
- When invited, lodge the visa application within 60 days with full evidence.
- Complete medical examinations and police clearances, then wait for the decision.
Mistakes that cost applicants time and money
Claiming points you cannot document is the classic error. Work experience points need payslips, contracts, tax records and reference letters on company letterhead that state your title, dates, hours and duties. A reference that omits any of these gets discounted, and your points fall with it.
Letting the EOI go stale is another. Update it the moment anything changes: a birthday that drops you into a lower age band, a new English result, extra work experience. An outdated EOI can produce an invitation you cannot support, and a refused application burns both the fee and months of your time.
Ignoring state criteria sinks 190 and 491 hopes. Meeting the federal 65 points means nothing if the state wants six months of local residence or a specific ANZSCO unit group. Read the state migration page for your target state before you lodge anything. And if you are still building points, studying in Australia is one legitimate lever, since two years of Australian study adds five points. Our Canada student visa guide walks through a comparable study-first strategy in another points-based system.
Which visa should you aim for?
High scorers in MLTSSL occupations with 85 points or more can run the 189 as their main bet, with a 190 EOI as backup. Mid-range scorers between 65 and 80 should make the 190 their primary channel, choosing states where their occupation is in demand and meeting that state’s specific criteria. Applicants open to regional life should add the 491, which combines the 15-point bonus with wider occupation lists and a genuine, if slower, PR pathway through the 191.
Whatever you choose, keep every option live in SkillSelect at once. The 2026 lesson from invitation data is blunt: applicants who waited on a single visa stream watched parallel applicants get invited first. If your itinerary includes a European stopover on the way to Australia, remember you may need a separate short-stay visa for that leg, covered in our Schengen tourist visa guide.
189, 190 or 491: which visa fits your situation?
| Subclass 189 | Subclass 190 | Subclass 491 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status on grant | Permanent residence | Permanent residence | Provisional, 5 years; PR via 191 after 3 years regional residence |
| Sponsorship needed | None | State or territory nomination | State nomination or eligible family member in regional Australia |
| Points bonus | None | 5 points | 15 points |
| Occupation lists | MLTSSL only | State lists, often broader than MLTSSL | 504 occupations via state nomination; 212 MLTSSL occupations via family sponsorship |
| Primary applicant fee, 2026-27 | AUD 6,135 | AUD 6,140 | AUD 6,140 |
| Typical processing | Roughly 6 to 9 months | Around 12 months for half of cases, up to 17 months for 90 percent | 9 to 18 months or more |
| Where you must live | Anywhere in Australia | Nominating state for 2 years | Designated regional area; Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane metro excluded |
Score 85 or more in an MLTSSL occupation: run the 189 as your main bet with a 190 EOI as backup. Score 65 to 80: make the 190 your primary channel in a state that wants your occupation. Open to regional life: add the 491 for the 15-point bonus and the wider occupation lists. Keep every option live in SkillSelect at once, since parallel EOIs consistently beat single-stream strategies in 2026 invitation data.
Frequently asked questions
What points score do I really need?
65 is the pass mark, not the target. In 2026, 189 invitation rounds for popular occupations such as engineering and ICT have routinely required 85 to 95 points or more. Trades occupations have sometimes been invited near 65 to 70. Check recent invitation rounds before deciding whether your score is competitive.
Can I apply for the 189, 190 and 491 at the same time?
Yes. One SkillSelect profile can flag interest in all three at once, and parallel EOIs improve your odds. Keep the profile updated: a birthday, a new English result, or extra work experience can change your points.
How does the 491 lead to permanent residence?
After three years of regional residence on the 491, you can apply for the Subclass 191 if you have held the 491, lived regionally, and can show three years of taxable income through Australian Taxation Office notices of assessment. There is currently no fixed published minimum income figure, so check the official Home Affairs website for the current figure. The 491 is not renewable, so plan around the 191 pathway from the start.
What English score do I need for the points test?
Competent English (IELTS 6.0 in each band or equivalent) is the minimum. Proficient (IELTS 7.0 in each band) adds 10 points; superior (IELTS 8.0 in each band) adds 20. That 20-point swing can be the difference between waiting years and getting invited. Note that published PTE thresholds changed in August 2025, so use current figures.
Do I need a job offer for any of these visas?
No. None of the 189, 190 or 491 requires an employer job offer. The 190 and 491 run on state or family nomination instead. Some states ask for local work experience or a commitment statement as part of their own nomination criteria, so read the state migration page for your target state.
