How to apply for a 190 visa: skills assessment, EOI, state nomination, invitation and lodgement, plus what affects processing time. Book a consultation with BYD.
The subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated) visa is a points-tested permanent visa for skilled workers nominated by an Australian state or territory. You apply in a set order: get a positive skills assessment for an occupation on the relevant list, submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect, apply to a state or territory for nomination, receive an invitation to apply once you’re nominated, and only then lodge the visa itself with your evidence and health and character checks. You cannot lodge the 190 visa directly. The invitation, which comes after state nomination, is what unlocks the application. Because it’s points-tested, your score, your occupation, and the priorities of the state you’re targeting all shape whether you’re invited.
This guide walks through each stage in order, what each one needs, and what actually drives how long the whole thing takes.
Everything starts with your occupation. To apply for a 190 visa, your occupation must be on the skilled occupation list that applies to state nomination, and you need a positive skills assessment from the assessing authority for that occupation. Each occupation has a designated assessing body, and each has its own rules about qualifications, work experience and evidence.
The skills assessment confirms your qualifications and experience meet Australian standards for your occupation. It takes time and careful documentation, and a weak or rushed assessment is one of the most common reasons applications stall before they start. Get this right first, because nothing downstream works without it.
The 190 is points-tested, so you need to meet the pass mark and, realistically, be competitive. Points come from factors such as your age, English language ability, skilled work experience in Australia and overseas, your qualifications, and other elements like study in a regional area or a partner’s skills. State nomination itself adds points, which is one of the main attractions of the 190 over the 189.
We don’t publish the current pass mark or the points for each factor as fixed numbers, because they can change and because competitiveness shifts with demand. What matters is getting an accurate assessment of your real score and, where possible, improving it, for example by lifting your English test result. A registered migration agent can calculate your points properly and spot where you might gain more.
An Expression of Interest is a formal statement, lodged through the SkillSelect system, that you’d like to be considered for skilled migration. It records your occupation, your claimed points and your details. An EOI is not an application and it doesn’t cost a government charge to submit. It’s the pool you sit in while you wait to be picked.
Accuracy matters here. The claims in your EOI need to match the evidence you can actually prove, because your points are checked against real documents at the visa stage. Overstating your score in the EOI leads to refusal later.
This is the step that defines the 190. You apply to a specific state or territory for nomination, and each one runs its own program with its own occupation lists, requirements and priorities. Some want people already living and working in the state. Some target specific occupations in shortage. Some ask for a commitment to live and work there after you’re granted.
To get state nomination for a 190 visa, you generally:
1. Check which states nominate your occupation and read their current requirements. 2. Meet any state-specific criteria, such as work experience in the state, a job offer, or minimum points above the national threshold. 3. Lodge a nomination application (or flag your interest, depending on the state’s process) and pay any state nomination fee. 4. Wait for the state to assess and, if successful, nominate you.
Because state programs open, close and change priorities through the year, timing and choosing the right state are a real part of the strategy.
Once a state or territory nominates you, you’re issued an invitation to apply for the 190 visa through SkillSelect. This invitation is essential. You cannot lodge the visa without it. The invitation confirms you can now move to the actual application, and it comes with a deadline, so you need your documents ready to move quickly.
With your invitation in hand, you lodge the visa application itself through your ImmiAccount, pay the government application charge, and provide your evidence. At this stage you’ll typically need to:
Your claims are now assessed against proof, so consistency between your skills assessment, EOI and evidence is what keeps the application moving. After lodgement you generally hold a bridging visa if you applied onshore, and you wait for the decision.
There’s no single honest number, because processing time depends on your occupation, the completeness of your application, whether your documents need external checks, and the department’s current workload. A complete, well-evidenced application with no complications moves faster than one that triggers requests for more information.
Remember the whole journey is longer than just the visa decision. The skills assessment, the wait in the EOI pool, and the state nomination assessment all take time before you even lodge. check current subclass 190 processing times on the Home Affairs website at publish date. We give clients a realistic end-to-end estimate for their situation rather than a figure that dates quickly.
The 190 is manageable to understand but easy to get wrong in ways that cost months. It’s worth getting professional advice if your points are borderline, your occupation isn’t clearly on a list, you’re deciding between states, you have any character or health complexity, or you’ve been refused before. Because government charges are generally non-refundable and an EOI can sit for a long time, getting your occupation, points and state strategy right the first time is the whole game. As registered migration agents we assess your points, guide the skills assessment, target the right state, and prepare the application properly. See our Skilled Nominated (190) page for more.
Get a positive skills assessment for an eligible occupation, submit an EOI in SkillSelect, apply to a state or territory for nomination, receive your invitation to apply, then lodge the visa with your evidence and health and character checks. You can’t lodge the 190 without an invitation.
No. You must be nominated by a state or territory and then invited to apply through SkillSelect. The invitation is what allows you to lodge the visa application.
Check which states nominate your occupation, meet their specific requirements, and lodge a nomination application with the relevant state. Each state runs its own program with its own lists, priorities and fees.
Yes. A positive skills assessment from the assessing authority for your occupation is required before you can be invited. It’s the foundation of the whole application.
An Expression of Interest is a statement in SkillSelect that you’d like to be considered for skilled migration. It records your occupation and points. Submitting an EOI itself doesn’t attract a government charge.
There’s a pass mark, and you generally need to be competitive above it, with state nomination adding points. Exact figures change, so it’s best to have your real score calculated rather than relying on a fixed number.
It depends on your occupation, the completeness of your application, and departmental workload, and the full journey also includes the skills assessment, EOI wait and nomination. Check current processing times on the Home Affairs website, and we’ll give you a realistic estimate for your case.
The 190 generally comes with an expectation that you live and work in the nominating state or territory, at least for a set period. Read each state’s commitment requirements before you apply.
Your claims are assessed against your evidence, you complete health and character checks, and if you applied onshore you usually hold a bridging visa while you wait for the decision.
Yes. The subclass 190 is a permanent residency visa, which is one of its main advantages over temporary skilled options.
If you want your 190 application built properly, from skills assessment to lodgement, book a consultation with a registered migration agent at BYD. We’ll calculate your points, target the right state, and prepare each stage in order. Call 0434 893 901 or contact us online, and see our Skilled Nominated (190) page for more.
