Australia Visa & Migration Consultants

It changes every programme year and depends entirely on your occupation. South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory have historically had broader criteria and lower competition, while New South Wales and Victoria target specific sectors with higher scores. We check current state occupation lists and nomination criteria against your ANZSCO code before you commit to a strategy.

Sixty-five is the minimum required to lodge an Expression of Interest — it is not the score that receives invitations. In recent invitation rounds, competitive Subclass 189 scores have generally sat in the 85 to 95 range, higher still for accounting and ICT occupations. Subclass 190 and 491 can invite at lower scores because nomination adds 5 or 15 points.

Yes. Subclass 189, 190 and 491 are points-tested and require no employer sponsor or job offer. You need a positive skills assessment in an eligible occupation, competent English, and a score high enough to attract an invitation.

Plan for 12 to 24 months. Skills assessment takes two to four months, waiting for an invitation ranges from weeks to more than a year depending on your score and occupation, and post-invitation visa processing commonly runs six to twelve months.