You are looking at Australia's points-tested skilled visas and wondering which one to aim for. The three options — subclass 189, subclass 190, and subclass 491 — share the same points test but work very differently. Getting the distinction wrong costs time and money.
This page walks through what each visa is, who it fits, what the requirements look like, and how your occupation connects to each pathway.
What the Three Visas Actually Are
Subclass 189 is the independent skilled visa. No state, territory, or employer needs to nominate you. If you receive an invitation and meet the requirements, you can live and work anywhere in Australia. It is the most flexible — and typically the most competitive — of the three.
Subclass 190 is the state or territory nominated visa. A state or territory government nominates you, which adds points to your score and opens the door if your occupation appears on that state's list. In return, you commit to living and working in the nominating state or territory for a period set by the Department.
Subclass 491 is the regional skilled visa. It is a provisional visa, not permanent residence directly. Nomination comes from a state or territory government or from an eligible family member in a regional area. You must live and work in a designated regional area. After meeting the residence and work requirements, you can apply for the subclass 191 permanent visa.
All three are governed by the points-tested rules held for each subclass.
The Points Test: What Counts and What Moves
Every applicant submits an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect. The Department ranks EOIs by points score. When a round opens, the Department invites applicants above a cutoff for that occupation and visa type.
Points are awarded by category:
- Age: 25 points if you are at least 18 but under 25; 30 points if you are at least 25 but under 33; 25 points if you are at least 33 but under 40. Points drop after 40 and reach zero at 45.
- English: 10 points for proficient English; 20 points for superior English. The Department defines proficiency and superiority across specific test-score bands.
- Qualifications, skilled employment, Australian study, partner skills, community language, and Professional Year also contribute points.
The cutoff score for any given occupation and round is not fixed. Across recorded SkillSelect invitation rounds, cutoffs have ranged from 65 to 115 points depending on occupation. The latest recorded round is dated 2025-11-13. Treat any specific current cutoff as a live check — it moves with each round and with the supply of EOIs in that occupation.
Who Each Visa Fits
189 fits you if your occupation appears on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List or the relevant federal list, your points score is competitive for that occupation without needing nomination, and you want full geographic freedom from day one.
190 fits you if your occupation appears on a state or territory's skilled occupation list, you are willing to commit to that state, and the five nomination points would make a meaningful difference to your invitation chances. Lists differ by state — what appears on Victoria's list may not appear on Queensland's, and vice versa. Naming that difference matters: do not assume one state's list applies to another.
491 fits you if your occupation appears on a regional list, you are comfortable living in a designated regional area for the provisional period, and you are willing to take the two-step path to permanent residence via subclass 191. The regional requirement is real — it is not a formality.
Your Occupation Is the Starting Point
Before comparing visa types, check whether your occupation appears on the relevant list for each pathway. Of the occupations tracked across the system, 212 appear on the 189 (federal) pathway, 276 have at least one state pathway, and 715 have at least one DAMA pathway. Those numbers tell you something important: the federal independent pathway is the narrowest; regional and employer-nominated pathways cover far more occupations.
The course-to-occupation mapping covers a large number of CRICOS courses, but not every course leads to an occupation on a skilled list. If you are still choosing a course, check that the occupation it maps to actually appears on the list relevant to your target visa — not just that the occupation exists somewhere in the system.
Skills Assessment: The Step Before Points
Every points-tested applicant needs a positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority for their occupation. The assessment confirms your qualifications and experience meet the standard for that occupation in Australia. Without it, you cannot lodge an EOI.
The assessing authority, the evidence required, and the processing time vary by occupation. Some assessments take weeks; others take months. Factor this into your timeline before anything else.
The 190 Nomination: What It Adds and What It Costs
State nomination for subclass 190 adds points to your score. That addition can be the difference between receiving an invitation and waiting indefinitely. But nomination is not automatic.
Each state and territory sets its own criteria: minimum points before nomination, occupation demand, English requirements, and sometimes a requirement to have studied or worked in that state. Some states require you to already be living there. Requirements change — a state that was open to offshore applicants last year may not be this year.
The commitment to live and work in the nominating state is a genuine condition, not a suggestion. Check the current state requirements directly with the relevant state migration office or with a registered migration agent.
The 491 Path: Provisional to Permanent
The subclass 491 is a provisional visa. Living and working in a designated regional area for the required period, and meeting the income requirement set by the Department, opens the path to subclass 191 permanent residence. The income threshold is set by the Department and changes — confirm the current figure on the official Department page rather than relying on any figure printed here.
Regional areas for 491 purposes are defined by the Department. Not every location outside a capital city qualifies. Check the current list of designated regional areas before committing to a location.
The two-step nature of 491 → 191 is worth understanding clearly. You are not getting permanent residence on day one. If your circumstances change — if you cannot maintain regional residence or employment — the path to 191 is affected.
DAMA and Employer-Nominated Pathways: A Different Track
If your occupation does not appear on the 189 or 190 lists, the points-tested pathway may not be your most direct route. Of the occupations tracked, 715 have at least one DAMA pathway. Across the 13 DAMA regions we detail, 33 occupation-region entries carry no work-experience requirement — qualification alone may be sufficient. That is a meaningfully different set of options from the federal points lists.
DAMA pathways are employer-anchored: you need an employer in the relevant region to nominate you. They are not a substitute for the points test — they are a separate track. But if your occupation sits in the 715 that have at least one DAMA pathway and not in the 212 on the federal 189 list, it is worth understanding both tracks before deciding where to focus your energy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I submit an EOI for more than one visa type at the same time? An Expression of Interest is submitted through SkillSelect, and how multiple visa preferences are held or updated is set by the Department. Check the current SkillSelect guidance — or a registered migration agent — for how this works in your case.
Does a higher points score guarantee an invitation? No. The Department invites applicants by occupation and round. A score that received an invitation in a previous round may not receive one in the next if the pool of higher-scoring EOIs has grown. Cutoffs move.
My occupation is on a state list but not the federal list. Can I still get 189? The 189 pathway requires your occupation to appear on the relevant federal list. Appearing on a state list qualifies you for 190 nomination from that state, not for 189. The lists are separate instruments.
I am still studying. Can I plan my course around these pathways? The course-to-occupation mapping is large, but the occupation must appear on the relevant skilled list for the visa you are targeting. Choosing a course because it sounds relevant is not enough — trace the chain: course → occupation → which list that occupation appears on → which visa that list feeds.
Should I use a migration agent? The points test, skills assessment, and state nomination criteria interact in ways that depend on your specific qualifications, employment history, and English scores.
The Single Next Step
The three visas share a points test but diverge on occupation lists, nomination requirements, geographic conditions, and whether you get permanent residence directly or provisionally. The right one depends on where your occupation sits across those lists — and that is a live check, not a fixed answer.
Trying to work out which list your occupation actually appears on, and what your points score looks like against current cutoffs?