Quick Answer: Australian visa eligibility depends on your visa pathway. For skilled independent visas like the Subclass 189, you need at least 65 points on the points test, a skills assessment, and Competent English — but no job offer. The Subclass 491 requires the same points floor but adds a state or territory nomination or sponsorship by an eligible relative. The Subclass 485 has no points test but requires recent Australian study of at least 2 years on CRICOS-registered courses. English requirements for PR pathways start at IELTS 6.0 overall (Competent) and rise to 7.0+ for points bonuses.
At VJ Consulting and Education, we work with skilled migrants at every stage of their Australian visa journey — from assessing initial eligibility to lodging a competitive Expression of Interest.
Who is eligible for 491 visa?
The Subclass 491 Skilled – Regional Provisional visa is open to skilled workers who cannot yet reach the competitive invite thresholds for the 189, provided they secure a nomination or sponsorship through a regional channel. You must meet all four of the following pillars simultaneously:
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Points score | Minimum 65 points (competitive threshold much higher in practice) |
| Occupation | Listed on the relevant skilled occupation list |
| Skills assessment | Positive assessment from the relevant assessing authority |
| English | At least Competent English (IELTS 6.0 in each band or equivalent) |
| Nomination or sponsorship | State/territory nomination or eligible relative sponsorship in a designated regional area |
| Age | Under 45 at time of invitation |
Critically, the 491 pathway opens doors for occupations and point scores that would stall indefinitely in the 189 pool. Once granted, you must live and work in a designated regional area for at least 3 years before applying for the permanent Subclass 191.
"The salary requirement for 491 was removed, which concerned some people — a few applicants were waiting abroad for the 3 years without genuinely working in regional Australia." — A client we advised on their 491 to 191 transition strategy
→ Deep Dive: Eligibility for Skilled and Points-Tested Visas
Who is eligible for 485 visa?
The Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa has a clear eligibility rule: you must have completed at least 2 years (92 weeks) of study in Australia on a CRICOS-registered course within the 6 months before you apply, and you must hold or have held a student visa.
There is no points test and no skills assessment for the base grant, but several supplementary requirements apply:
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Study duration | At least 2 years of CRICOS-registered study in Australia |
| Recency | Study completed within 6 months of application |
| Age | Under 50 at time of application |
| English | At least Vocational English (IELTS 5.0 each band or equivalent) |
| Health and character | Standard health examination and police clearances |
| Application timing | Tests and police checks must be dated at least 1 day before lodgement |
One subtlety our team frequently encounters: if your CRICOS-registered course is listed as fewer than 2 years in duration (say, 78 weeks for an MRes), you may still qualify if you can demonstrate that combined study across multiple CRICOS courses reaches the threshold.
"485 is essentially a guaranteed visa as long as you meet all the requirements — not taking it because of a few extra thousand dollars in fees would be a poor strategy." — One applicant we worked with who completed a master's degree in Melbourne
Tip: Regulations for the 485 changed on 14 December 2024. If you completed your study before that date, verify which set of rules applies to your application.
→ Deep Dive: Eligibility for Partner, Graduate and Bridging Visas
What are the requirements for state nomination?
State nomination requirements vary significantly by state and territory, and by stream — which is why comparing them directly is so important before you invest in any single pathway. In VJ Consulting and Education's experience, applicants who research state-specific occupation lists and threshold requirements well in advance are far better positioned to secure a nomination before conditions tighten.
| State/Territory | Common Streams | Typical Additional Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Skilled Worker, Exceptional Talent | NSW employment or genuine connection |
| VIC | Skilled Nominated | Evidence of Victorian employment or study |
| QLD | Skilled, Graduate | Queensland employment or regional intent |
| SA | Skilled, Overseas | SA-specific occupation and salary benchmarks |
| WA | Skilled Migration | WA employment or graduate connection |
| NT | Resident, Graduate, Offshore | 6 months NT employment in key cases |
| TAS | Skilled, Employer Sponsored | Tasmanian employer support required in some streams |
| ACT | Critical Skills, Graduate | ACT community ties or ACT study |
Most states require your occupation to appear on their own state occupation list, which is separate from the federal skilled occupation list. A solicitor, for example, may be on the national SOL and eligible for a Subclass 189 invitation — but absent from a particular state's list entirely.
One of our clients preparing an NT Subclass 491 nomination under the IT stream raised a nuanced question: whether casual employment counted toward the 6-month NT employment requirement. The answer is yes, provided the casual work totals sufficient hours and is in the nominated occupation — a detail many applicants overlook.
Tip: State nomination programs open and close without notice. The occupation lists for 2025–26 may differ substantially from those published in 2024–25. Always confirm directly with the state authority before building your strategy around a specific list.
→ Deep Dive: Eligibility for Skilled and Points-Tested Visas
Do I need work experience for 189?
You do not need Australian work experience for the Subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa, but you almost certainly need overseas work experience to generate a competitive points score — and your skills assessing authority will assess the quality of that experience as part of the skills assessment.
Here is how work experience translates into points:
| Work Experience (in nominated occupation) | Points |
|---|---|
| Less than 3 years | 0 |
| 3 to less than 5 years | 5 |
| 5 to less than 8 years | 10 |
| 8 or more years | 15 |
| 1–3 years Australian work experience | Additional 5 |
| 3–5 years Australian work experience | Additional 10 |
| 5+ years Australian work experience | Additional 15 |
The practical reality: the 189 pool is highly competitive. For most mid-tier occupations, the effective invite threshold has been running at 80–90+ points in recent programme years — well above the 65-point minimum. Without at least 5 years of relevant work experience, reaching a competitive score typically requires compensating across other factors: superior English, Australian study, partner skills, or a regional qualification.
"Whilst solicitor isn't on the NSW skills list, it is still on the SOL and is eligible for 189 — as recently as a few months ago it was being invited at 90 points." — A recent client we advised on building their points profile for a 189 EOI
→ Deep Dive: Eligibility for Skilled and Points-Tested Visas
What English score do I need for PR?
The English requirement for Australian PR depends on which visa you are applying for and how much of a points benefit you want to extract. The minimum threshold and the bonus thresholds are distinct. Among the applicants VJCE has assisted, those who invest early in improving their English scores — rather than settling for the minimum threshold — tend to have noticeably stronger overall points claims.
| English Level | Typical Score (IELTS) | Points Value | Relevant For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Competent English | 6.0 in each band | 0 bonus (minimum to apply) | 189, 190, 491 |
| Proficient English | 7.0 in each band | +10 points | 189, 190, 491 |
| Superior English | 8.0 in each band | +20 points | 189, 190, 491 |
| Vocational English | 5.0 in each band | Minimum for 485 | 485 only |
Key points:
- The score must be achieved in a single sitting — you cannot combine bands from different test dates.
- IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, and Cambridge C1 Advanced are all accepted, with equivalent benchmarks for each.
- For the Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme, the requirement is generally Competent English unless your employer has an approved English language exemption.
- English test results must be no more than 3 years old at the time of visa application (not just EOI lodgement).
"Your English tests and police checks need to have been dated at least 1 day before you lodge the 485 — people who applied on the same day as their test have had issues." — An accountant whose case our team reviewed after a near-miss on the 485 lodgement date
Tip: If your occupation's current invite score is 80+, achieving Superior English (+20 points) is often the single highest-leverage investment you can make in your application.
Can I apply for 190 from overseas?
Yes — the Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated visa can be applied for from either onshore or offshore, and being overseas does not disqualify you. However, state nomination requirements are a separate layer that may effectively require you to demonstrate a genuine connection to that state.
| Factor | Onshore Applicant | Offshore Applicant |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility to apply | Yes | Yes |
| State nomination availability | All states | Varies — some states prioritise onshore |
| Skills assessment required before EOI | Yes | Yes |
| English requirement | Competent (IELTS 6.0 each band) | Same |
| Health/character checks | At application stage | At application stage |
| Invitation → Application window | 60 days | 60 days |
The more nuanced issue is state-specific: several states (notably NSW, VIC, and WA) have streams that explicitly require you to be living and working in that state at the time of nomination, which effectively limits those streams to onshore applicants. Offshore applicants typically need to target either the fewer "offshore-open" streams or states with more flexible connection criteria.
According to the Department of Home Affairs, the 190 grants permanent residence immediately on approval — so the offshore/onshore distinction affects nomination access, not the visa outcome itself.
Tip: If you hold a Subclass 482 and are currently offshore, you may have more options through the employer sponsorship pathway than waiting for a competitive 190 nomination.
→ Deep Dive: Eligibility for Skilled and Points-Tested Visas
What is the minimum points for 491?
The legislated minimum is 65 points, but this is essentially a floor that only determines whether SkillSelect will accept your Expression of Interest — it has very little bearing on whether you will actually receive an invitation.
| Points Band | Likelihood of 491 Invitation |
|---|---|
| 65–74 | Very low — most states require higher scores |
| 75–84 | Possible for some state/territory nomination streams |
| 85–90 | Competitive for most 491 pathways |
| 90+ | Strong across most states; competitive for relative sponsorship |
The relative sponsorship stream of the 491 — where an eligible family member living in a designated regional area sponsors you — follows the same 65-point minimum but carries no state-imposed additional floor. In practice, however, a strong points score still strengthens the nomination case.
State and territory nomination programs typically publish their own minimum score requirements on top of the federal floor. The NT, for example, has set occupational and points requirements for its IT stream that sit above 65 points, and the 6-month employment requirement in certain streams adds another hurdle entirely.
One of our clients considering a painter's pathway noted that at 75 points, they had received a "pre-eligible" confirmation from their skills assessing body and were asking whether to lodge an EOI. Our advice: lodge immediately in SkillSelect and target states that will invite at that score — waiting costs nothing and the occupation landscape can shift quickly.
→ Deep Dive: Eligibility for Skilled and Points-Tested Visas
Do I need a job offer for 189?
No — the Subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa does not require a job offer at any stage, including EOI, invitation, or application. It is explicitly a points-only, employer-independent pathway. VJ Consulting agents generally advise clients not to delay lodging their EOI while waiting for a job offer, as the 189 pathway rewards a well-rounded points profile rather than employment status alone.
| Requirement | Required for 189? |
|---|---|
| Job offer (Australian employer) | No |
| Skills assessment | Yes |
| Points score ≥ 65 | Yes |
| Competent English | Yes |
| Age under 45 | Yes |
| Occupation on relevant list | Yes |
| State or employer nomination | No |
This is precisely what makes the 189 attractive: it places the applicant in full control of their migration timeline without needing to secure employer cooperation or state programme availability. The trade-off is that the 189 pool is the most competitive in the skilled migration system, and many occupations that technically qualify have not received invitations for months or years due to the high scores of competing applicants.
For occupations where 189 invitations are stalled, some of our clients have successfully pivoted to the Subclass 190 or Subclass 491 while maintaining their 189 EOI in parallel — a strategy that costs nothing and preserves optionality.
"People asking how they can get skilled visas for professions they've never worked in — a job offer doesn't help you here. The skills assessment is what counts." — A migration agent we work with, commenting on a common misconception among new applicants
→ Deep Dive: Eligibility for Skilled and Points-Tested Visas
Ready to Confirm Your Eligibility?
Visa eligibility depends on a combination of factors that interact in ways that aren't always obvious from reading the rules in isolation — your occupation's list status, your points score, state nomination availability, English level, and age all need to be assessed together.
Our MARA-registered agents at VJ Consulting offer a structured eligibility assessment that maps your profile against every viable pathway — not just the one you've been reading about. We identify the fastest route to your outcome, flag risks before they become refusals, and help you build a points profile strategically.
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