Skilled
Subclass 190 — Skilled Nominated visa
Important notice: General information only — not immigration assistance or legal advice. For advice about your circumstances, book a verified practitioner.
Compiled from official Department of Home Affairs sources — practitioner verification pending.
Points-tested permanent visa for skilled workers nominated by an Australian state or territory. Like the 189 plus a state nomination, which adds points and its own criteria (occupation lists, residence or job-offer conditions vary by state).
Government charge
$6,140.00
This is the government Visa Application Charge (VAC), payable directly to the Department of Home Affairs when you lodge. It is not a fee charged by this platform, and it is separate from any platform or practitioner fee. Always check the official source for the current amount.
Estimate for a family application
Total government fee (Visa Application Charge): $6,140.00
Worked out from the government's published fee list — an estimate only, not platform fees and not advice. Always check the official estimator ↗
Eligibility snapshot
In general terms, the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) is a points-tested permanent visa for skilled workers who are nominated by an Australian state or territory government. It is one of the SkillSelect pathways, which means the process usually begins with an Expression of Interest (EOI) rather than a direct application, and an invitation is required before a visa application can be lodged. Applicants typically need an occupation that appears on the relevant skilled occupation list, a suitable skills assessment from the assessing authority for that occupation, evidence of English language ability, and a points score that meets the applicable test. A state or territory nomination is central to this subclass: a jurisdiction must agree to nominate the applicant, and that nomination is generally what distinguishes the 190 from other skilled streams. Age, health and character requirements also commonly apply, and these are assessed as part of the process. Each state and territory sets its own nomination criteria, and occupation lists, points settings and program priorities change over time. The figures and thresholds that matter are the current official ones, so always check the official Home Affairs page and the relevant state or territory program for the requirements that apply at the time you act. General information only — not immigration assistance or legal advice. What YOUR application needs, including whether this visa suits your circumstances, is a question for a registered practitioner.
Common questions
Q: What makes the subclass 190 different from other skilled visas? A: In general terms, the defining feature is that it requires nomination by an Australian state or territory. That nomination, together with a points-tested invitation through SkillSelect, is what sets this stream apart from skilled visas that do not involve a state or territory. Q: Do I apply for the visa straight away? A: Typically no. The usual sequence is to submit an Expression of Interest, seek nomination from a state or territory, and only lodge a visa application after receiving an invitation to apply. The application itself is lodged online once an invitation is held. Q: Does this visa lead to permanent residence? A: The subclass 190 is generally a permanent visa. The specific conditions, validity and any obligations attached to it are set out in the official material, so check the current Home Affairs page for what applies. Q: How do I know if my occupation and points are enough? A: Occupation lists, points thresholds and state priorities change and are assessed against the current rules. Whether your particular occupation, assessment and circumstances meet the requirements is exactly the kind of question a registered practitioner can advise on for your situation.
Health and character checks
Most people applying for an Australian visa are asked to meet a health requirement, and this permanent skilled visa generally follows the same approach. The Department of Home Affairs explains that the requirement exists to protect public health (particularly against active tuberculosis), to help manage spending on community services, and to protect access to health and community services that are in short supply. Applicants are generally asked to be free of any condition that would be a significant cost to the Australian community or would limit other people's access to services that are already in short supply. Depending on personal circumstances, such as the countries a person has lived in, applicants may be asked to complete health examinations. Results are assessed by a Medical Officer of the Commonwealth. Family members included in an application, and in some cases family members who are not migrating, may also be asked to meet the health requirement, depending on the visa. Applicants are also generally required to meet a character requirement, which is set out in the Migration Act 1958. This usually involves declaring any criminal history, answering all questions truthfully and providing the information requested. After an application is lodged, the Department may ask for further documents, such as a police certificate or a completed Form 80. Police certificates are commonly requested from every country a person has lived in for 12 months or more over the past 10 years, generally counting from around the age of 16. Australian police checks are obtained through the Australian Federal Police; state or territory police certificates are not accepted for this purpose.
Health insurance and Medicare
Unlike many temporary visas, the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) is a permanent residence visa. The Department of Home Affairs notes that eligibility for Medicare, Australia's public health scheme, is generally available to Australian citizens, permanent visa holders and New Zealand citizens, and in certain circumstances to people who have applied for a permanent residence visa. People who hold a permanent visa are therefore generally able to enrol in Medicare. Some Australian visas make evidence of adequate private health insurance a condition of grant, but this is not a feature of every visa, and the Department advises checking the requirements of the specific visa being applied for. Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) products are most relevant to visitors and temporary residents who do not have access to Medicare. The Department also reminds people that anyone in Australia without Medicare access is personally responsible for their own hospital and medical costs, and that private cover is strongly recommended in those situations. Australia has Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with some countries that can provide limited access to Medicare-funded care, with details available through Services Australia.
Visa Application Charge and other costs
The Department of Home Affairs lists the base Visa Application Charge for the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) as starting from AUD6,140.00, with concessions applying only in limited circumstances. This is a government charge set by the Department. It is separate from, and additional to, any fee charged by a service, migration agent or platform that helps someone prepare an application. The Department's published pricing table also shows additional Visa Application Charges for each family member included in an application, listed separately for those aged 18 and over and those aged under 18. The Department offers a Visa Pricing Estimator to help work out an indicative total for a particular situation. The Department notes that from 1 July 2026 a lower visa cost can apply to eligible citizens of Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste, and for some visas ASEAN member countries, who lodge a valid application. The Visa Application Charge does not cover the other costs that commonly arise during a skilled application, such as a skills assessment, health examinations and police certificates. These are arranged and paid for separately from the visa charge.
Visa length, processing and timing
The Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) is a permanent visa. The Department of Home Affairs states that a person granted this visa can stay in Australia permanently, and can generally live, work and study anywhere in Australia, sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence and, if eligible, later become an Australian citizen. The Department does not publish a single fixed processing time for this visa. It directs applicants to its visa processing time guide tool, which shows how long recently decided applications took and is described as a guide only, not specific to any individual application. At the time this information was checked, the Department stated it was processing subclass 190 applications lodged from February 2025, and that skilled visa applications are processed in line with Ministerial Direction No. 105. A few general timing points are worth noting. Police certificates are treated as valid for 12 months from their issue date, so the Department may ask for a new one if enough time passes before a decision. How quickly an applicant responds to any request for more information, and how long external health, character or security checks take, can also affect the overall timeframe.
Visa conditions that generally apply
The Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) is a permanent visa, so it generally carries far fewer conditions than temporary visas. In general terms it does not impose ongoing work or study limitations, and it is not among the subclasses that carry a "no further stay" condition (8503) or a health-insurance condition (8501) of the kind attached to some temporary visas. The department identifies two conditions that may be attached to a subclass 190 grant: condition 8504 (initial entry date) and condition 8515. Condition 8504 sets an initial entry date - a date by which the holder must first enter Australia. It is set at the time the visa is granted and mainly affects applicants who are outside Australia at grant. Condition 8515 generally applies where the visa is granted while the applicant is outside Australia and the applicant was not married or in a de facto relationship; in those cases it requires the holder not to marry or enter into a de facto relationship before first entering Australia. Not every grant carries this condition; whether it applies depends on the applicant's circumstances at the time of grant. The conditions that actually apply are always listed in the visa grant notification, and holders can also check them online through the department's VEVO service. Reading the grant letter carefully matters, because the conditions attached can vary from case to case. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.
Eligibility in detail
The subclass 190 is a single-stream, points-tested permanent visa for skilled workers who are nominated by an Australian state or territory government. It is one of the SkillSelect pathways, so the process generally begins with an Expression of Interest (EOI) rather than a direct application, and an invitation is required before a visa application can be lodged. The usual sequence is that an applicant lodges an EOI in SkillSelect, which produces an indicative points score, seeks nomination from a state or territory, and only lodges a visa application after receiving an invitation to apply. Applicants who are invited are generally given 60 calendar days from the date of invitation to lodge online through ImmiAccount. Decision-makers generally look at several core factors. Applicants are usually required to be under 45 years of age at the time of invitation, to have at least competent English (with a passport-based exemption for citizens of certain countries), to have a nominated occupation on the relevant skilled occupation list, and to hold a suitable skills assessment from the assessing authority for that occupation. The points test applies, with a published minimum score generally needed to be invited, and a state or territory nomination adds points as well as its own jurisdiction-specific criteria. Health and character requirements also apply and are assessed as part of the process. Where a partner or a child aged 18 or over is included, that family member generally needs to demonstrate functional English or a second instalment of the visa application charge may apply. Occupation lists, points settings, English arrangements and each jurisdiction's nomination criteria change over time, so the requirements that matter are the current official ones at the time a person acts. This section describes the framework in general terms and is not an assessment of any individual's circumstances. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.
Family members and what the visa allows after grant
Applicants can generally include members of their family unit in a subclass 190 application, typically a partner and dependent children, and in some limited circumstances other dependent relatives. Each included family member must generally meet the relevant health and character requirements, and those included in the application are generally granted the same permanent visa. After grant, the visa generally allows the holder and their included family members to live, work and study anywhere in Australia as permanent residents. Permanent residents are generally able to enrol in Medicare, Australia's public health scheme, through Services Australia. The visa generally comes with a travel facility that allows the holder to travel in and out of Australia for five years from the date of grant. Once that travel facility expires, a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) is generally needed to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident, and those visas have their own residence requirements. Where the visa was granted offshore, the holder generally must make a first entry by the initial entry date shown on the grant. As a permanent visa, the subclass 190 can lead toward Australian citizenship once the relevant residence and other citizenship requirements are met, and permanent residents may in time be able to sponsor eligible relatives. Holders are generally expected to keep their contact details current with the department and to be aware of the residence requirements that affect any future Resident Return visa. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.
Common refusal reasons and review at the ART
These applications can be refused for factual reasons connected to the core criteria. Recurring themes include the nominated occupation not being on the applicable list at the relevant time, a skills assessment that is not valid or not suitable for the occupation, and points claims (for age, English, skilled employment or qualifications) that are not supported by the evidence provided. Other factual reasons include English evidence that does not meet the required standard, a state or territory nomination that is not held or has been withdrawn, health or character requirements not being met, and requested information or documents not being provided within the time allowed. An application can also fail where an invitation lapses because it was not acted on within the 60-day period, or where circumstances changed after the invitation. If a decision is unfavourable, merits review may be available at the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART). The ART can review some, but not all, visa decisions; whether review is available, and who is able to apply, depends on the type of decision and, in some cases, on where the applicant was located. The decision letter from the department generally states whether review rights exist and how to exercise them. Time limits for applying to the ART are strict and are set out in the decision letter; if an application for review is not made within the time limit, the Tribunal generally cannot consider it. An application fee applies to migration decision reviews, set by the ART and reviewed periodically; a reduction of half the fee may be available on financial-hardship grounds, and a part-refund of the fee generally applies where the reviewed decision is set aside, varied or remitted to the department. This description is factual and neutral and is not advice about, or a prediction of, any particular outcome. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.
Costs breakdown
The main government cost is the Visa Application Charge (VAC), which is set by the department and is separate from, and additional to, any service or platform fee. At the time of writing the base VAC for the primary applicant is in the order of $6,140; because charges are indexed and generally change on 1 July, the current amount should always be confirmed on the department's visa pricing page. Additional applicant charges apply for each family member included in the same application. At the time of writing these are generally in the order of $3,070 for each additional applicant aged 18 or over and $1,535 for each additional applicant under 18. A second instalment of the VAC can also apply, generally for each applicant aged 18 or over who does not have functional English, and it is payable before the visa can be granted. Family members added after the visa is granted (subsequent entrants) generally pay their own application charges at the time they apply. Visa application charges are generally non-refundable, including where an application is refused or withdrawn, so applicants are usually encouraged to check their eligibility before lodging. A card payment surcharge may be added depending on the payment method used. These government charges are always kept separate from any fee charged by an independent service provider. Beyond the departmental charges, applicants generally meet a range of other costs paid to third parties or other agencies, such as the skills assessment fee charged by the relevant assessing authority, English test fees, the cost of health examinations, police clearance certificates from each relevant country, and document translation. These are not part of the VAC. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.
Official forms associated with this visa
Departmental forms that commonly come up for subclass 190, linked to the department’s own files. Whether a form applies to you depends on your circumstances — the note beside each is general only.
- 80.PDF — Form 80 - Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment ↗Personal particulars and character — routinely requested for skilled permanent applicants.
- 1221.PDF — Form 1221 - Additional personal particulars information ↗Additional personal particulars, if requested.
- 956.PDF — Form 956 - Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person ↗If you appoint a registered migration agent or legal practitioner.
- 956A.PDF — Form 956a - Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient ↗To appoint an authorised recipient for correspondence.
- 1022.PDF — Form 1022 - Notification of changes in circumstances ↗To notify a change in circumstances after lodgement.
- 1023.PDF — Form 1023 - Notification of incorrect answer(s) ↗To correct an incorrect answer after lodgement.
Official information and lodgement
Applications are lodged through your own ImmiAccount on the Department of Home Affairs website — never through this platform.
Visit the official Home Affairs page ↗Important notice: General information only — not immigration assistance or legal advice. For advice about your circumstances, book a verified practitioner.
Compiled from official Department of Home Affairs sources — practitioner verification pending.