Australia Migration: Skilled Subclasses, Points, and SkillSelect

Australia’s skilled migration visas let workers with in-demand occupations move to the country permanently or on a pathway to permanence. The three main subclasses are the Skilled Independent (189), the Skilled Nominated (190), and the Skilled Work Regional Provisional (491). To qualify for any of them, you need an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List, a positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority, a minimum of 65 points on the points test, and an invitation to apply issued through SkillSelect. The skill stream holds 132,200 places in the 2025–26 program year, and meeting the minimum score does not guarantee an invitation when demand outstrips supply.¹

The Three Skilled Visa Subclasses

Each subclass answers a different question about sponsorship and where you plan to live.

The Subclass 189 Skilled Independent is a permanent visa with no sponsorship requirement. You compete purely on your points score and must be invited through SkillSelect to apply.²

The Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated is also permanent, but it requires nomination by an Australian state or territory. The nominating jurisdiction has to consider your occupation relevant to its workforce needs, and nomination adds 5 points to your score.³

The Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional is a five-year provisional visa. Holders must live and work in a designated regional area, and after three years they can apply for permanent residency. Regional nomination adds 15 points, the largest bonus available under the points test.⁴

All three require your nominated occupation to appear on the Core Skills Occupation List, which the government updates to reflect current workforce needs.⁵

How the Points Test Works

You need at least 65 points to be eligible for an invitation, but competitive rounds regularly clear well above that floor.⁶ Treat 65 as the door, not the destination.

Age carries the heaviest weight for younger applicants. Ages 25 to 32 earn the maximum 30 points. Ages 18 to 24 and 33 to 39 earn 25. Ages 40 to 44 earn 15. Applicants 45 and older are generally ineligible for the main skilled visas.

English language ability rewards testing above the minimum. Superior English earns 20 points, proficient English earns 10, and competent English (the required baseline) earns zero. The Department accepts IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, and other approved tests. Scores are valid for three years.

Skilled employment splits between overseas and Australian experience. Overseas work in your nominated occupation can earn up to 15 points at eight or more years. Australian work in the same occupation can earn up to 20 points. The combined cap for all employment experience is 20, so long records on both sides do not stack past that ceiling.

Additional points come from Australian educational qualifications, specialist skills, professional year programs, community language credentials, and nomination. A Subclass 190 state nomination adds 5 points; a Subclass 491 regional nomination adds 15.⁷

Getting a Skills Assessment

Before you can even lodge an Expression of Interest, you need a positive skills assessment from the authority designated for your occupation. Engineers go through Engineers Australia. IT professionals go through the Australian Computer Society. Other occupations have their own assessing bodies.⁸⁹ The assessor decides whether your qualifications and work history meet Australian standards for the occupation you have nominated.

Fees depend on the authority and the pathway. Engineers Australia charges between AUD 346.50 and AUD 1,815 including GST, with the higher end covering competency demonstration reports and add-ons like employment or PhD assessments.¹⁰ ACS charges roughly AUD 625 to AUD 1,498 depending on the pathway.⁹

A skills assessment is generally valid for three years from the date of issue. If your visa process drags past that window, you need a fresh assessment.

Character, Health, and Documents

Every applicant must pass the character test under Section 501 of the Migration Act. The Department reviews criminal history, past conduct, and associations. A substantial criminal record, most commonly defined as a prison sentence totaling 12 months or more (even if suspended or served concurrently), triggers automatic refusal or cancellation.¹¹ You have to declare all charges and convictions, and the Department can request police certificates from any country you have lived in.¹²

Health examinations by approved panel physicians are required. These usually include a chest X-ray for tuberculosis and blood tests to screen for conditions that could impose significant costs on the public health system.

Supporting documents in another language, including birth certificates, marriage records, and academic transcripts, must be translated into English by accredited translators.

SkillSelect and the Invitation

SkillSelect is the online portal where candidates register interest. Submitting an Expression of Interest is free and does not lock you into anything. Your profile enters a pool ranked by points score, occupation, and visa subclass, and you can update it as your qualifications, work experience, or test scores change.

An EOI stays active for two years.¹³ The Department runs invitation rounds during that window. If your score clears the round’s cutoff and your occupation has places available, you receive an Invitation to Apply. Without an ITA, you cannot lodge a Subclass 189 or 190 application.

Once invited, you have 60 days to lodge a complete application. Miss the deadline and the invitation expires, sending you back to the pool for a future round.

Lodging the Visa Application

Applications go through the ImmiAccount portal, where you upload documents, pay fees, and track progress. The base charge for a Subclass 189 visa starts at AUD 4,910 for the main applicant.² Partners and adult dependents cost roughly half that; children under 18 roughly a quarter. A second instalment of around AUD 4,890 applies to any adult family member included who does not meet functional English requirements.

If you are already in Australia on another valid visa, lodging often triggers a Bridging Visa A that lets you stay lawfully while the Department processes your case. A BVA does not allow international travel. To leave and return during processing, apply for a Bridging Visa B before departing. The BVB grants a travel window, single or multiple entries, valid until a specified date.¹⁴ Leaving on a BVA alone means you cannot return, and your application may lapse.

Processing times vary. Straightforward cases sometimes resolve within a few months. Complex cases or those requiring additional security checks can take more than a year.

The Employer-Sponsored Alternative

The points-tested route is not the only skilled pathway. If an Australian employer wants to sponsor you, two visas cover most situations.

The Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa is temporary, valid up to four years, with Core Skills, Specialist Skills, and Labour Agreement streams.¹⁵ The employer must be an approved sponsor and must pay at or above the Core Skills Income Threshold, set to rise to AUD 79,499 from 1 July 2026. Nominations below that salary floor are refused.

The Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme is the permanent visa at the end of the sponsored pathway. Its Temporary Residence Transition stream is for workers already on a 482 who have been with their sponsoring employer for at least two of the past three years. Its Direct Entry stream is for candidates nominated without a prior temporary visa, generally requiring a positive skills assessment and at least three years of relevant work experience.¹⁶ Both streams require applicants to be under 45, with limited exemptions.

What Happens After the Visa Is Granted

Grant is a milestone, not a finish line. A few obligations start immediately.

Visas granted offshore carry an initial entry date, a deadline by which you must physically enter Australia at least once. The date is tied to the validity of your medical and police clearances and cannot be extended. Miss it and your visa is liable to cancellation, sending you back to a new application.¹⁷

Subclass 491 holders must live and work in a designated regional area for at least three years before being eligible for permanent residency. Breach of the regional condition can lead to visa cancellation and bars on future applications.⁴

Update the Department through ImmiAccount whenever your contact details, passport, or personal circumstances change. Permanent residents can enroll in Medicare from the date they applied for permanent residency if onshore, or from the date they arrived if granted offshore, provided they meet the additional eligibility criteria.¹⁸

1
Department of Home Affairs. Permanent Migration Program Planning Levels
2
Department of Home Affairs. Skilled Independent Visa Subclass 189
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Department of Home Affairs. Skilled Nominated Visa Subclass 190
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Department of Home Affairs. Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa Subclass 491
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Jobs and Skills Australia. 2025 Core Skills Occupations List (CSOL) Consultations
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Department of Home Affairs. Skilled Independent Visa Subclass 189 – Points-Tested Stream
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Department of Home Affairs. Points Table for Skilled Independent Visa Subclass 189
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Engineers Australia. Migration Skills Assessment
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Australian Computer Society. ACS Migration Skills Assessment
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Engineers Australia. Assessment Fees and Additional Services
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AustLII. Migration Act 1958 – Sect 501 Refusal or Cancellation of Visa on Character Grounds
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Department of Home Affairs. Character Requirements for Visas
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Department of Home Affairs. SkillSelect After You Submit Your Expression of Interest
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Department of Home Affairs. Bridging Visa B
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Department of Home Affairs. Skills in Demand Visa Subclass 482
16
Department of Home Affairs. Employer Nomination Scheme Visa Subclass 186 – Direct Entry Stream
17
Australian Embassy Germany. Initial Entry to Australia After a Migration Visa Has Been Issued
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Services Australia. Enrolling in Medicare if Youre an Australian Permanent Resident