State and territory nomination (190 and 491)

Each state and territory receives a yearly nomination allocation, and each jurisdiction assesses applicants against criteria of its own, so requirements differ between the eight programs.

NSW 491 nomination has three pathways: Pathway 1 for people already working for a regional NSW employer, Pathway 2 by invitation from Investment NSW, and Pathway 3 for recent graduates of a regional NSW institution.

WA nominates through a General stream using WASMOL Schedule 1 or 2 and a Graduate stream for WA graduates using the Graduate occupation list, each available for both the 190 and 491.

In its work-experience rules WA treats an occupation sharing the first four digits of the nominated ANZSCO code as closely related, and its FAQ also accepts occupations on a career-advancement pathway or recognised by the skills assessing authority.

For a Subclass 190 nomination the nominated occupation must fall within an ANZSCO unit group on the NSW Skills List and also be eligible for the visa, with a valid skills assessment.

A person already nominated by NSW cannot be nominated by NSW again for any skilled visa, because each nomination uses one of the limited places NSW is allocated.

Time spent in NSW on a tourist visa does not count toward the NSW residency requirement; the candidate must live in NSW on a visa that allows living and working there.

If a candidate moves between NSW and offshore, the continuous residency period resets and the full three- or six-month requirement has to be met again.

NSW 491 Pathway 1 requires six months of continuous work in designated regional NSW, in the nominated or a closely related occupation, with the same regional employer and at least the TSMIT/CSIT salary.

Pathway 1 has no residency requirement but needs at least six months at 20 or more hours a week in the nominated occupation from an established business premises in regional NSW, and any 491-eligible occupation qualifies without the regional list.

Home Affairs' 2025-26 allocation table gives each jurisdiction its 190 and 491 places: ACT 800 and 800, NSW 2,100 and 1,500, NT 850 and 800, Queensland 1,850 and 750, SA 1,350 and 900, Tasmania 1,200 and 650, Victoria 2,700 and 700, WA 2,000 and 1,400.

For 2025-26 the Australian Government allocated 12,850 Subclass 190 nomination places in total: ACT 800, NSW 2,100, NT 850, Queensland 1,850, SA 1,350, Tasmania 1,200, Victoria 2,700 and WA 2,000.

For 2025-26 the Australian Government allocated 7,500 Subclass 491 nomination places in total: ACT 800, NSW 1,500, NT 800, Queensland 750, SA 900, Tasmania 650, Victoria 700 and WA 1,400.

Queensland nomination adds 5 points to the Home Affairs points test for a Subclass 190 visa.

Queensland nomination adds 15 points to the Home Affairs points test for a Subclass 491 visa.

NSW lets employers of occupations on its TSMIT/CSIT Concession List apply for a concession so a Pathway 1 salary can be as low as 90 percent of TSMIT/CSIT, but the employer must apply first and the form is currently closed.

For the 190 an onshore candidate must either work in NSW in the nominated occupation for at least 20 hours a week or have lived continuously in NSW for six months, while an offshore candidate must have lived continuously offshore for six months.

NSW says a nomination application is typically assessed within six weeks and asks applicants not to chase for updates during that period.

WA says the current processing time for a decision-ready nomination application is 28 working days.

SA gives an average processing time of 2 to 8 weeks for Subclass 190 and 491 nomination applications and none for ROIs.

An NSW invitation to apply for nomination is valid for only 14 days, and the window will not be extended or reissued.

NSW has closed Subclass 491 nomination for the current program year because every nomination place has been allocated, and lodged applications continue to be assessed once new places arrive.

Queensland closed skilled ROIs for the 2025-26 State Nominated Migration Program because all nomination places were filled, and new settings and an opening date for the next year are still to be published.

A WA nomination outcome can be reviewed on request, and the request form must reach WA Migration Services within 14 calendar days of the outcome email.

An offshore candidate selected by SA has 14 days to submit the nomination application, which must show eligibility for the claims in the SkillSelect EOI at the time of invitation.

The Migration Queensland fee table currently lists the 190 and 491 nomination fees only as "To be advised", so no nomination fee amount is published there.

Sources disagree: Migration Queensland news (migration.qld.gov.au/news/minor-adjustment-to-application-processing-fees): processing fees rise from 1 January 2026 by indexation; the fee table still shows To be advised

Once invited, a WA nomination application carries a non-refundable AUD 200 fee and must be lodged within 28 calendar days.

SA lists a nomination application fee of AUD 394 for both the 190 and 491, and no charge for the Registration of Interest.

NSW does not accept direct applications for nomination: candidates lodge a SkillSelect EOI and may only apply after Investment NSW invites them, and NSW itself says nomination is exceptionally competitive.

NSW ranks EOIs within each ANZSCO unit group using factors such as age, English, education, points score and years of skilled work experience, and the date an EOI was submitted or amended does not affect the chance of an invitation.

NSW invitation rounds happen throughout the financial year with no predetermined or publicly announced dates.

An EOI is invited only once per EOI number, so someone who misses the 14-day window must lodge a new SkillSelect EOI and cannot be assured of another invitation.

Queensland requires a Registration of Interest on the Migration Queensland site in addition to a SkillSelect EOI, and the EOI must be lodged before the ROI.

Queensland aims to nominate building and construction workers for the permanent 190 so they can work anywhere in the state, and uses the 491 when they do not meet the 190 requirements or when their occupation is only eligible for 491 nomination.

Of the 2025-26 allocations, 12,850 places are for the 190 and 7,500 for the 491, with Victoria (2,700) and NSW (2,100) largest for 190 and NSW (1,500) and WA (1,400) largest for 491.

NSW uses two lists at ANZSCO unit-group level, the NSW Skills List for the 190 and the NSW Regional Skills List for the 491, and it does not invite EOIs in occupations outside them (491 Pathway 1 is the exception).

The current NSW Skills List for the 190 has 78 ANZSCO unit groups, covering areas such as engineering, health, teaching, ICT, construction trades and electrical trades, and only the 190 list has been updated so far.

Queensland’s occupation lists derive from Legislative Instrument 19/051 using ANZSCO 2013, not every listed occupation is open for the 190, and an occupation absent from the list could not be nominated in 2025-26.

SA says it will focus invitations on priority sectors, naming building and construction, defence, education, engineering, health and manufacturing, while still considering high-ranking candidates in other sectors.

Sources disagree: stream pages list construction, engineering, manufacturing, trades, health, education (no defence)

For the 2026-27 GSM program SA prioritises candidates in construction, engineering, manufacturing, trades, health and education, giving 190 invitations to priority-industry candidates whose occupation allows it and 491 to the others.

For 2026-27 Queensland says the state nomination allocations are still being finalised by the Australian Government and its skilled program will open once they are confirmed.

On 22 October 2026 South Australia opened Registrations of Interest for people already living and working in SA whose visas expire by 31 January 2027, while offshore candidates are invited straight from their SkillSelect EOI.