Who this may suit
The subclass 190 visa is a permanent, points-tested skilled visa requiring nomination by an Australian state or territory government. It is worth considering when your occupation and personal circumstances fit both the federal visa requirements and a nominating jurisdiction’s selection criteria. Nomination contributes five points, but it does not replace the rest of the visa assessment.
Key considerations
- You need to satisfy two sets of requirements: the federal visa rules and the chosen state or territory’s nomination criteria.
- State nomination, a SkillSelect invitation and a visa grant are different decisions.
- Check current program settings before making employment or relocation commitments.
Federal eligibility comes first
The main applicant needs an eligible occupation, a suitable skills assessment, at least competent English and an invitation issued while under 45. The points threshold is 65, including eligible nomination points. You must support the score recorded in your invitation and meet the remaining visa requirements.
A state’s interest in your occupation cannot waive federal age, English, health or character requirements. Likewise, a federal-eligible occupation does not establish that any particular state is currently selecting it.
Sources: Migration Regulations 1994: Schedule 2, subclasses 189 and 190 (2 October 2026 compilation) · Home Affairs: subclass 190 eligibility, application and visa conditions · Home Affairs: creating and submitting a SkillSelect EOI · Home Affairs: skilled occupation lists and assessing authorities
Western Australia 190 nomination guide →
What the five nomination points mean
Subclass 190 nomination can contribute five points where the relevant nomination remains in effect. For example, an otherwise supportable 60-point profile could reach the 65-point threshold with nomination. That arithmetic says nothing by itself about whether a state will select the applicant.
Build the rest of the score from the official table and evidence. Check age, English, qualifications, skilled employment, partner circumstances and any other claimed categories. Do not treat a hoped-for nomination as an approved outcome, or assume the minimum federal score is a state’s competitive selection score.
Sources: Home Affairs: subclass 190 points table · Home Affairs: creating and submitting a SkillSelect EOI
State criteria are a separate selection layer
States and territories manage their own programs. Depending on the jurisdiction and pathway, the review may include occupation priorities, where you live, local employment or study, work experience and settlement commitments. Requirements, intake arrangements and available places can change during a program year.
Check the program that applies to your actual situation: onshore or offshore, graduate or experienced applicant, and the location where you intend to establish yourself. Keep a dated copy of the criteria used for the plan.
- NSW example: its published 190 process selects candidates for invitation and does not allow an unsolicited direct nomination application.
- Victoria example: its process uses a separate Registration of Interest linked to the SkillSelect EOI. An ROI is not a nomination application.
- These examples explain different processes. They do not establish that either program is accepting your profile now, or that another jurisdiction follows the same steps.
Sources: NSW Government: subclass 190 nomination (NSW-specific example) · Victorian Government: Registration of Interest (Victoria-specific example)
EOI, ROI, nomination and invitation: the order matters
Begin with eligibility, assessment and evidence. Submit or update a SkillSelect EOI with accurate claims. Follow the relevant state’s separate process, which may involve an ROI, direct eligibility pathway or selection for a nomination application.
If selected by the state, respond to its nomination invitation and evidence deadline. That state-stage invitation is not yet the Home Affairs invitation to apply for the visa. The state assesses the nomination application; Home Affairs determines the visa.
After approved nomination and the federal invitation, lodge the visa application through ImmiAccount within 60 days of that invitation. A state may impose an earlier nomination-stage deadline. Read each notice separately and retain the EOI version that was selected.
Sources: NSW Government: subclass 190 nomination (NSW-specific example) · Victorian Government: Registration of Interest (Victoria-specific example) · Home Affairs: creating and submitting a SkillSelect EOI · Home Affairs: subclass 190 eligibility, application and visa conditions
Get the occupation, assessment and English aligned
Confirm that the occupation code in your skills assessment, EOI and nomination material matches the pathway being pursued. The federal occupation list identifies the relevant assessing authority. A title on a business card is not enough to establish that your duties fit the nominated occupation.
Prepare a permanent-migration assessment early and check expiry dates. Timing issues around invitation require individual review; do not assume a graduate-purpose assessment is sufficient. For English, use the accepted test and score rules for the date taken, including the changes from 7 August 2025. A state or assessing authority may have requirements beyond the federal minimum.
Sources: Home Affairs: skilled occupation lists and assessing authorities · Home Affairs: skills assessment requirements and timing guidance · Home Affairs: competent English and test-date rules · Victorian Government: subclass 190 nomination and commitments (Victoria-specific example)
Prepare evidence for both decision-makers
A practical file should let the state and Home Affairs trace each claim to evidence. Nomination documents and federal visa documents overlap, but satisfying one checklist does not automatically complete the other.
- Federal claims: identity, qualifications, assessment, English and evidence for every points category used.
- Employment: a dated history with duties, hours and remuneration, supported by references and financial records where required.
- State-specific claims: the exact residence, work, study, earnings or settlement evidence required by that program.
- Consistency: reconcile differences between your EOI, ROI, CV, assessment and application documents before submission.
- Changes: review what to report if employment, residence, relationship status or family composition changes.
Sources: Home Affairs: subclass 190 eligibility, application and visa conditions · Home Affairs: subclass 190 points table · NSW Government: subclass 190 nomination (NSW-specific example) · Victorian Government: Registration of Interest (Victoria-specific example) · Home Affairs: after submitting your SkillSelect EOI
Family, health and character need their own review
Eligible partners and dependent children may be included. Partner inclusion does not require the partner to independently qualify as a skilled main applicant, but relationship evidence and the secondary requirements still apply. Claiming partner points requires the separate evidence for that category.
Check children’s dependency and parental-consent requirements, especially where a child is nearing an age threshold or another parent is not migrating. Review health and character requirements for the family, including non-migrating members where relevant. Adult dependants may need functional-English evidence or an applicable second instalment.
Sources: Home Affairs: Form 1496i, including family members · Home Affairs: health requirements · Home Affairs: character requirements · Home Affairs: functional English evidence · Home Affairs: subclass 190 eligibility, application and visa conditions · Home Affairs: subclass 190 points table · Migration Regulations 1994: Schedule 2, subclasses 189 and 190 (2 October 2026 compilation)
Living in the nominating state
Take the settlement commitments in the nomination application seriously. Read the declaration before signing, including any contact updates or surveys. Victoria, for example, publishes a commitment to live and work there for at least two years; this is a Victorian nomination requirement, not a universal condition to copy across every 190 case.
Subclass 190 is a permanent visa and does not impose the subclass 491 regional-location framework. Still, permanent status should not be presented as permission to disregard your nomination representations. If work or family plans change, seek advice and contact the nominating agency as appropriate. Check the actual visa grant conditions too.
Sources: Victorian Government: subclass 190 nomination and commitments (Victoria-specific example) · Migration Regulations 1994: Schedule 2, subclasses 189 and 190 (2 October 2026 compilation) · Home Affairs: Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa 491
Your present visa and travel plans
An EOI or state ROI does not extend your stay or create a bridging visa. If applying from Australia, check your current visa, any restrictions and whether you can lodge a valid application. For current or relevant former 491/494 holders, a three-year visa-holding requirement generally needs review before a 190 application.
After grant, permanent residence includes an initial five-year travel facility. Check first-entry requirements and the travel facility’s expiry before going overseas. Permanent residence is not an automatic right to re-enter after that facility expires.
Sources: Home Affairs: subclass 190 eligibility, application and visa conditions · Migration Regulations 1994: Schedule 2, subclasses 189 and 190 (2 October 2026 compilation) · Home Affairs: overseas travel as a permanent resident
Costs and timeframes: keep the stages separate
Check the current Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator for your family and passport circumstances. Also budget for assessment, English testing, health checks, police certificates, translations and professional advice. Check adult-dependant English charges separately.
Some jurisdictions charge at the ROI or nomination stage. Victoria’s official fees page illustrates why state-stage costs must be checked separately from the federal application charge. Do not assume paying a state fee secures selection.
Allow separately for assessment preparation, state selection, nomination assessment and visa processing. Home Affairs’ processing-time guide concerns recently decided visa applications, not how soon a state will select your EOI. A state invitation is not a reason to make irreversible relocation arrangements.
Sources: Home Affairs: Visa Pricing Estimator · Victorian Government: nomination and ROI fees (Victoria-specific example) · Home Affairs: visa processing times guide
How we can help
Ausdirect can assess federal eligibility alongside the criteria of a suitable state or territory, review EOI and nomination evidence, and assist with the nomination and visa stages within the agreed scope. Advice should identify practical gaps and alternatives without promising selection or approval.
Questions to consider
Do I need an Australian employer to sponsor me?
Subclass 190 uses state or territory nomination rather than employer sponsorship. A particular state pathway may still require employment or a job offer. Check that pathway’s current criteria before assuming a job is unnecessary.
Is an ROI the same as my SkillSelect EOI?
No. The EOI is managed by Home Affairs. Where a state requires an ROI, it is an additional state selection step. Victoria’s ROI also precedes its nomination application. Do not assume every jurisdiction uses an ROI.
Does nomination guarantee the visa?
No. Home Affairs still assesses the visa and evidence. Nomination must remain effective, and unsupported points or other eligibility problems are not cured by a state approval.
What if my details change after state selection?
Check the state’s instructions before changing the selected EOI or nomination records. A change can affect the claims on which selection was based. Report relevant changes and seek advice before lodging a visa application with an unsupported score.
How is 190 different from 491 and 191?
Subclass 190 grants permanent residence directly if approved. Subclass 491 is a regional provisional visa; eligible holders may later apply separately for subclass 191. Compare the location commitments, nomination rules and later-stage requirements, not only the additional points.
Your next step
Bring your occupation and skills-assessment details, English results, points breakdown, work and study history, current location and visa status, family details, and the states or territories where you genuinely plan to live. Include any EOI, ROI or nomination correspondence so deadlines and existing claims can be checked together.