State nomination for the 190 and 491: how it works

What state nomination does

Each state and territory receives a yearly nomination allocation and assesses applicants against criteria of its own, so requirements differ from one jurisdiction to another. A primary applicant for the 190 must be nominated. The 491 needs either a nomination or an eligible family sponsor.

A nomination that has not been withdrawn adds 5 points to a 190 invitation. A state nomination that has not been withdrawn, or an accepted family sponsor, adds 15 points to a 491 invitation.

This guide covers New South Wales (NSW), Queensland, Western Australia (WA) and South Australia (SA) only. Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory are not covered here.

How many places states have

On 2025-11-04 the Government set the 2025-26 nomination allocations at 20,350 in total: 12,850 places for the 190 and 7,500 for the 491. An allocation is the number of new primary applicants a state or territory may nominate, not the number of visas granted.

Victoria (2,700) and NSW (2,100) have the most 190 places, and NSW (1,500) and Western Australia (1,400) have the most 491 places. Queensland says the 2026-27 state nomination allocations are still being finalised by the Australian Government.

The steps: EOI, invitation, nomination application

First you submit an EOI in SkillSelect. When a state or territory nominates a candidate there, that nomination triggers the invitation to apply for the visa, and the applicant then has 60 days to submit the application.

The state side differs. NSW does not accept direct applications for nomination: a candidate may apply only after Investment NSW invites them. Queensland also requires a Registration of Interest (ROI) on the Migration Queensland site, lodged after the EOI.

South Australia asks onshore candidates to submit an ROI with documents as well as an EOI, while offshore candidates need only the EOI and are reviewed directly from it.

New South Wales and Queensland

NSW holds invitation rounds throughout the financial year with no announced dates, and an invitation to apply for nomination is valid for only 14 days. As of 2026-09-04 NSW has closed 491 nominations for the current program year because all places are allocated.

Under its 2025-26 settings, Queensland requires at least 65 points and at least Competent English. An onshore candidate must have lived and worked in Queensland for the past 9 months for the 190, or in regional Queensland for the past 6 months for the 491. The work must be after finishing the qualification, at 20 or more hours a week, in a job with the same first three ANZSCO digits as the nominated occupation. Queensland closed skilled ROIs for 2025-26 because all places were filled, and new settings and an opening date for the next year are still to be published.

Western Australia and South Australia

In its 2025-26 program, WA nominates through a General stream, a Defence industry stream and a Graduate stream. For the 190 General stream it needs a full-time WA job contract of at least 6 months in the nominated or a closely related occupation (full-time means an average of 35 hours a week), unless the person was invited through a building and construction occupation. It does not require a contract from 491 applicants.

On 2026-10-22 South Australia opened Registrations of Interest only to people already living and working in SA whose visas expire by 2027-01-31. Offshore candidates are invited directly from their SkillSelect EOI. The Skilled Employment stream needs, among other things, 12 months living in SA and 12 months of full-time work of at least 30 hours a week.

Fees, processing times and commitments after nomination

In the WA 2025-26 program a nomination application carries a non-refundable AUD 200 fee and must be lodged within 28 calendar days of the invitation. South Australia lists a nomination application fee of AUD 394 for both the 190 and 491, and no charge for the Registration of Interest.

NSW says a nomination application is typically assessed within 6 weeks. South Australia gives an average of 2 to 8 weeks for nomination applications.

Under the 2025-26 settings, Queensland nominees must keep living and working in Queensland for at least 2 years after a 190 grant, or in regional Queensland for at least 3 years after a 491 grant. WA nominees must live and work in WA for 2 years after a nomination and visa grant, and those not yet in WA must move there within 3 months of the visa.