General skilled migration to Australia
Three visas, one points test, and a decision that changed this year. This page gives you the comparison, an honest read of what your score needs to be, and the part most agents leave out.
Three visas, one points test
The 189, the 190 and the 491 all score you the same way. What differs is who has to back you, what you get on the day of grant, and how many places exist this year.
| Subclass 189 | Subclass 190 | Subclass 491 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Skilled Independent | Skilled Nominated | Skilled Work Regional |
| Who backs you | Nobody. You are invited on your score alone | A state or territory nominates you | A state, or an eligible relative in a regional area |
| Points from that | 0 | 5 | 15 |
| What you are granted | Permanent, on day one | Permanent, on day one | Provisional, 5 years |
| Where you can live | Anywhere in Australia | Anywhere, with a 2 year commitment to your state | Designated regional areas only, as a visa condition |
| Realistic score | 85 to 95 and above | 65 to 85, by state | 65 to 75 |
| Places this year | 21,090 | 35,500 | 14,110 across the whole regional program |
| Path to permanent residence | You already have it | You already have it | The subclass 191, after 3 years |
Subclass 189, Skilled Independent
- WHO BACKS YOU
- Nobody. You are invited on your score alone
- POINTS FROM THAT
- 0
- WHAT YOU ARE GRANTED
- Permanent residence, on day one
- WHERE YOU CAN LIVE
- Anywhere in Australia
- REALISTIC SCORE
- 85 to 95 and above
- PLACES THIS YEAR
- 21,090
Subclass 190, Skilled Nominated
- WHO BACKS YOU
- A state or territory nominates you
- POINTS FROM THAT
- 5
- WHAT YOU ARE GRANTED
- Permanent residence, on day one
- WHERE YOU CAN LIVE
- Anywhere, with a 2 year commitment to your state
- REALISTIC SCORE
- 65 to 85, depending on the state
- PLACES THIS YEAR
- 35,500, the largest single skilled pathway
Subclass 491, Skilled Work Regional
- WHO BACKS YOU
- A state, or an eligible relative in a regional area
- POINTS FROM THAT
- 15
- WHAT YOU ARE GRANTED
- A provisional visa for 5 years
- WHERE YOU CAN LIVE
- Designated regional areas only, as a visa condition
- REALISTIC SCORE
- 65 to 75
- PLACES THIS YEAR
- 14,110 across the whole regional program
- PATH TO PERMANENT RESIDENCE
- The subclass 191, after 3 years
Places are 2026 to 2027 allocations. Points bands move every round and by occupation.
Each visa has its own page, and each of them goes considerably deeper than a table can. Read the skilled independent visa, the state nominated visa and the regional skilled work visa, and if the regional route is on your list, the 191 permanent residence page is the one that answers what happens at the end of it.
What your score actually needs to be
65 points gets you into the pool. It does not get you out of it, and the gap between those two things is where most of a year gets lost.
Where the points come from
THE FIVE THAT MATTER- Age, up to 30 points, and 25 to 32 is the peak band
- English, up to 20 points for Superior
- Skilled work experience, up to 20 combined
- Qualifications, up to 20 for a doctorate
- Nomination, 5 for a 190 or 15 for a 491
The cap nobody mentions
WORTH CHECKING TODAYOverseas and Australian work experience are capped at 20 points combined, not 15 plus 20 separately. Most competitor calculators get this wrong and hand people a score that is 10 or 15 points too high. If a number you were given feels generous, this is usually why.
What each visa really takes
RECENT ROUNDS- 189: 85 to 95 and above in most occupations
- 190: 65 to 85, and it depends heavily on the state
- 491: 65 to 75, the softest of the three on score
- Health, nursing and teaching move differently from IT and accounting
These bands move after every invitation round and differ sharply by occupation, so they are ranges rather than promises. The points calculator holds the full table, every booster, and a verdict against all three visas.
Work out your points
Six questions for a quick estimate. Your score updates as you answer, and the verdict below it is honest rather than encouraging.
Your base score is what a 189 is assessed on. The 190 adds 5 points for state nomination and the 491 adds 15 for regional nomination, which is why the same person can be out of the running for one visa and comfortable for another.
This estimate leaves out the boosters, and they add up: NAATI CCL, a Professional Year, Australian study, regional study and specialist STEM education are worth 5 or 10 points each. The full calculator includes all of them, so most people score higher there than here.
Points rules last checked 7 September 2026.
Five steps, and where people lose a year
The sequence is not complicated. The failure at each step is what costs people twelve months, and every one of these is avoidable.
Skills assessment
A positive assessment from the authority that covers your occupation, in the right ANZSCO code.
Where it goes wrong: applying to the wrong assessing authority, or accepting a code that does not match the occupation you actually want to be nominated in. Both mean paying twice and waiting twice.English test
Competent English is the floor. Proficient is worth 10 points and Superior is worth 20.
Where it goes wrong: sitting IELTS out of habit when PTE would have reached Superior sooner. Those 10 points are usually the cheapest on the whole board, and people spend a year chasing work experience instead.Expression of interest in SkillSelect
Free to lodge, and you can name more than one visa and more than one state.
Where it goes wrong: editing an EOI in a way that resets its date of effect. In a tie on points, the earlier date wins, and people throw away months without realising they have done it.Nomination and invitation
For a 190 or 491 the state nominates first, then the invitation follows. For a 189 the invitation comes straight from the round.
Where it goes wrong: aiming at the state you have heard of rather than the one currently nominating your occupation, and missing a program that opened and closed inside six weeks.Lodge the visa application
You have 60 days from the invitation to lodge a complete application.
Where it goes wrong: starting the police checks and medicals after the invitation arrives. Neither can be produced inside 60 days from a standing start, and an invitation that lapses sends you back to the pool.
The part most agents leave out
Two things are true this year that were not true last year, and both of them change what you should be aiming at.
The 189 is not a plan
FOR MOST PEOPLE- Outside a handful of occupations, 85 to 95 points is out of reach
- No nomination points are available to close the gap
- Waiting in the pool costs you age points every birthday
- Its allocation rose to 21,090, and it is still the hardest to be invited for
Agents sell the 189 because it is permanent and it sounds better in a consultation. For most applicants the honest answer is that it is a lottery ticket, not a strategy.
Regional is no longer the soft option
THIS CHANGED IN 2026- State nomination was given 35,500 places, up from 33,000
- The whole regional program was cut to 14,110, down from 33,000
- The 190 alone now has more places than the 189 and regional combined
- The 491 still gives 15 points, but into a much smaller program
For years the standard advice was to go regional and take the 15 points. That advice is now half wrong, and most pages on the subject have not caught up.
What that means for you. If your score is anywhere near competitive, the 190 deserves a serious look before the regional route, and the real work is a nomination strategy across several states rather than a guess at one. If your score is not near competitive, the 491 is still a genuine path and the 191 at the end of it is real, provided you go in knowing that 3 years of regional living is a condition on the visa and not a suggestion. What almost nobody needs is to sit at 70 points waiting for a 189 round that is not coming.
How we run it
Four stages, across offices in Nepal and Australia, with the same team from the first points check through to the grant.
The honest points check
We score you against the current test, apply the caps properly, and tell you plainly which of the three visas is realistic this year and which is not. Sometimes the answer is to spend six months adding points before doing anything else.
Skills assessment and English
We name the right assessing authority the first time, and plan the English test around the points you need rather than the test you are used to sitting.
Strategy, not a guess
One expression of interest, all eight state programs weighed against your occupation and their published criteria, applications timed around their opening dates, and a date of effect we protect rather than accidentally reset.
Lodgement and arrival
Documents ready before the invitation rather than after it, lodgement inside the 60 days, and help landing in the place that backed you. If you go regional, we stay with you through to the 191.
18 years, offices across Nepal and Australia, and a team that will tell you when the answer is no. If you would rather talk to someone in person, find your nearest Nepcoms branch.
Common questions
Can I apply for the 189, 190 and 491 at the same time?
How many points do I actually need?
Does my partner's occupation change my score?
What happens if my occupation comes off the list after I lodge?
Is a 491 really a path to permanent residence, or am I stuck for five years?
Free skilled migration points assessment
- We score you against the current points test, with the caps applied properly
- We tell you which of the three visas is realistic for you this year
- We name the states actually nominating your occupation
- We show you which 10 points are cheapest for you to add
- We give you the full cost and a realistic timeline before you commit to anything
No obligation, and confidential.
Send us your details
We reply within one working day.
Find out where you stand before you pay for a skills assessment
A skills assessment is the first thing that costs real money, and it is the wrong place to discover your occupation is assessed by a different authority or that your score was never going to reach a 189. Twenty minutes first.
Invitation cutoffs move after every round, charges are indexed each July, and program allocations change each Budget. Figures on this page checked 7 September 2026. We help you prepare and lodge your application; we do not provide regulated immigration advice on this page.