General Skilled Migration Australia eligibility and points come down to a short checklist and a scoring table. You qualify to enter the pool if you are under 45 when invited, hold a positive skills assessment in an eligible occupation, and can demonstrate at least competent English. You then need to score a minimum of 65 points on the points test, although in most recent invitation rounds the effective cut-off has been higher. Three visa subclasses use this framework: the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189), the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190), and the Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491).1Department of Home Affairs. Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189) Points-Tested Stream
The Three Baseline Requirements
Before points enter the picture, you have to clear three thresholds. Miss any one of them and no score gets you through.
Age Under 45
You must be under 45 years old on the date the Department issues your invitation to apply. There are no exceptions, and the rule applies only to the primary applicant, not to a partner or dependent children.
Positive Skills Assessment
Your occupation must sit on a relevant skilled occupation list, and the designated assessing authority for that occupation must give you a positive assessment. Engineers Australia handles engineers, Trades Recognition Australia handles tradespeople, and accountants go to one of three accounting bodies.2Department of Home Affairs. Skills Assessment3Trades Recognition Australia. Migration Skills Assessment The assessment compares your qualifications and experience against Australian standards for that profession. Fees and timelines vary widely between authorities, so this is the step to start early.
Occupation lists change. Historically the program used the MLTSSL, STSOL, and ROL, and in December 2024 the government announced the Core Skills Occupation List as a replacement framework.4Department of Home Affairs. New Core Skills Occupation List to Target the Skills Australia Needs5Department of Home Affairs. Skilled Occupation List Applications already lodged before an occupation is removed are generally protected, but the sensible move is to submit your assessment and Expression of Interest promptly.
Competent English
Competent English is the floor. Holders of a passport from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, or the Republic of Ireland meet it automatically. Everyone else must sit an approved test and hit the required score across all four components.6Department of Home Affairs. Competent English Competent English earns zero points on the test itself; it just opens the door. Higher bands pay off in the points table.
Which Subclass Fits
The three subclasses share the eligibility framework but differ in what they demand and what they offer.
The subclass 189 is permanent residency with no geographic restrictions and no nomination required. You can live and work anywhere in Australia from grant.7Department of Home Affairs. Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189) That flexibility is why the pool is crowded and invitation scores run highest.
The subclass 190 is also permanent, but a state or territory must nominate you first. Each state runs its own priority occupation list and criteria, so the same profile might succeed in one state and fail in another. A 190 nomination adds 5 points to your total.8Department of Home Affairs. Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190)
The subclass 491 is a five-year provisional visa. It requires either state or territory nomination or sponsorship by an eligible family member living in a designated regional area, which covers everywhere except Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. It carries a 15-point bonus, the largest single points advantage in the system, and leads to permanent residency through the subclass 191 after three years of living and working regionally.9Department of Home Affairs. Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 491)10Department of Home Affairs. Points Table for Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 491)
If your unassisted score is comfortably above recent 189 cut-offs, the 189 is the cleanest option. If you sit just short, a 190 nomination can close the gap. If you sit well short, the 491 is usually the realistic path in.
The Points Test
The minimum entry score is 65 points, but the Department invites the highest scorers first. Every extra point improves your ranking and shortens your wait.11Department of Home Affairs. Points Table for Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189)
Age
- 18 to 24: 25 points
- 25 to 32: 30 points (maximum)
- 33 to 39: 25 points
- 40 to 44: 15 points
English Language
- Competent: 0 points
- Proficient: 10 points
- Superior: 20 points
Twenty points sits inside a single test result, which is why English preparation returns some of the best value for time on the whole application.
Skilled Employment
Australian experience pays more per year than overseas experience.
Australian skilled employment:
- Less than 1 year: 0 points
- 1 to 2 years: 5 points
- 3 to 4 years: 10 points
- 5 to 7 years: 15 points
- 8 or more years: 20 points
Overseas skilled employment:
- Less than 3 years: 0 points
- 3 to 4 years: 5 points
- 5 to 7 years: 10 points
- 8 or more years: 15 points
Education
- Doctorate: 20 points
- Bachelor degree: 15 points
- Diploma or trade qualification: 10 points
- Qualification recognised by the assessing authority: 10 points
A research-based master’s or doctoral degree completed at an Australian institution in a science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or specified ICT field earns an extra 10 points on top of the base education score.
Partner Skills
- Partner under 45 with a skills assessment, competent English, and a nominated occupation on the same list: 10 points
- Partner with competent English but no skills assessment: 5 points
- Single applicant, or partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident: 10 points
Single applicants are not penalised: the 10-point bonus applies equally.
Other Categories
- Credentialed community language (NAATI): 5 points
- Study in regional Australia: 5 points
- Professional Year program in Australia: 5 points
- State or territory nomination (subclass 190): 5 points
- State or territory nomination or eligible family sponsorship (subclass 491): 15 points
From Points to Invitation
You do not apply for a GSM visa directly. You submit an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect, listing your occupation, skills assessment reference, English scores, qualifications, work history, and claimed points.12Department of Home Affairs. Expression of Interest An EOI stays live in the system for two years; miss the window and you start again.13Department of Home Affairs. After You Submit Your Expression of Interest
Every claim in the EOI must eventually be backed by documents. Over-claiming, whether on years of experience or partner English, leads to refusal after fees have been paid and months have passed. Update your EOI whenever your circumstances change.
For the 189 and the family-sponsored stream of the 491, the Department runs periodic invitation rounds and calls the highest scorers first. When candidates tie, the tiebreaker is the date of effect: the date your EOI reached that score. An earlier date of effect wins.14Department of Home Affairs. Invitation Rounds
The 190 and the state-nominated 491 work differently. State and territory agencies browse the SkillSelect pool and pick candidates against their own priorities. A state nomination triggers the invitation automatically, so on those subclasses your prospects turn on what a given state currently wants as much as on your raw score.
Annual caps limit how many invitations are issued. For the 2025–26 program year the subclass 189 was allocated roughly 7,000 invitations. Allocations move year to year with government priorities.
What Else to Know Before You Start
An invitation gives you 60 days to lodge the visa application. Gather documents before you’re invited, not after, because that clock has ended more applications than any single eligibility rule.
You can include your partner and dependent children in the same application. A partner receives the same visa and the same work rights. Children under 18 must be single; children aged 18 to 22 must be single and financially dependent on you; children 23 or older can only be included if a physical or cognitive limitation prevents them from working and they remain financially dependent. Every included family member must meet health and character requirements, and undeclared family members can cause refusal or later cancellation even when they aren’t travelling with you.15Department of Home Affairs. Character Requirements for Visas
One boundary worth flagging on the regional path: the subclass 491 is provisional, not permanent. Permanent residency comes through the subclass 191 after three years of regional residence, tax compliance, and adherence to condition 8579, which requires you to live, work, and study only in your designated regional area.16Department of Home Affairs. Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) Visa (Subclass 191) There is no minimum income threshold for the 191; the tax requirement is that you filed and were assessed for at least three income years during the life of your 491, not that you earned any particular amount.