Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190) — Australia

This visa grants permanent residence to skilled workers nominated by an Australian state or territory government. It’s part of the skilled migration framework and hinges on meeting points-tested criteria set by Home Affairs.

What this visa is

The Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190) is a points-tested permanent visa for skilled workers. If approved, you become a permanent resident from the date the visa’s granted.

Home Affairs makes the final call on your application. This visa is part of the skilled migration program and is distinct from employer-sponsored visas like the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186).

You’ll need a nomination from a state or territory government before applying. That nomination is central to your eligibility under subclass 190.

Here’s how subclass 190 stacks up structurally against other skilled visas:

Who it's for

This visa is for skilled workers who satisfy Australia’s points-tested migration rules and secure state or territory nomination.

You’re generally suitable for this visa if you:

• Have skills that match Australia’s labour needs
• Meet the points test requirements
• Get nomination from a state or territory government
• Lodge your application with Home Affairs

You can’t apply for subclass 190 without nomination. Unlike provisional regional visas such as subclass 491, this visa grants permanent residence straight away.

No employer sponsor is needed here, which sets it apart from subclass 186 and subclass 494.

Key features

Subclass 190 gives you permanent residence in Australia. You’re entitled to live and work in Australia as a permanent resident once Home Affairs approves your visa.

Key features:

• Points-tested assessment
• State or territory nomination is mandatory
• Direct grant of permanent residence
• Department of Home Affairs processes and decides applications

As a permanent visa, there’s no need to transition later to another permanent subclass, unlike those on provisional regional visas.

Home Affairs sets all application requirements, documentation standards, and assessment criteria. For details on procedures and charges in AUD (A$), refer to the Department of Home Affairs.

You can include eligible family members in your subclass 190 application. Each person must meet identity, health, and character requirements set by Home Affairs.

Who you can include

You can include immediate family members in your subclass 190 application.

Eligible dependents:

• Your partner (married or de facto)
• Your dependent children

Evidence is required to prove each person is a genuine family member at the time you apply. If your family situation changes after lodgement but before a decision, you must formally request to add the new family member.

To add a dependent before a decision is made:

1. Complete Form 1436.

2. Provide identity and relationship documents.

3. Submit the request to Home Affairs as instructed.

You can include dependents in other skilled visas such as subclass 189, subclass 491, subclass 186, subclass 494, and subclass

1. The inclusion process is similar across these visas.

Documents for partners and children

You must prove both the identity and relationship of each dependent.

Prepare documentation that’s clear and consistent. Missing or incomplete evidence creates delays.

Relationship documents might include official records confirming marital status or parent-child relationships. These must clearly link you to the dependent.

Home Affairs checks whether the claimed relationship is genuine and properly documented. If documents are inconsistent or unclear, you risk refusal or delays.

Health and character for family

Every dependent must meet Australian health and character requirements.

Health checks are required for each family member. Home Affairs will send instructions after you apply.

Character requirements apply to all included family members. You may need to provide:

• Police clearances
• A completed Form Form 80 (if requested)
• Any other character documents specified by Home Affairs

Character is assessed separately for each applicant. If a dependent doesn’t meet these requirements, it can impact the entire subclass 190 application.

The Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190) doesn’t offer a typical “renewal” like temporary visas. Your options depend on timing, nomination status, and whether you submit a valid application to Home Affairs within the required period.

Reapplying and timing

You must lodge your subclass 190 application within 60 calendar days of receiving your invitation to apply. There’s no extension on this window.

If you miss it, you’ll need to wait for a new invitation through the skilled migration process.

Steps:

1. Log in to your ImmiAccount.

2. Complete the online application for subclass 190.

3. Upload all required supporting documents.

4. Pay the application charge in AUD (A$).

Late applications aren’t accepted. If you miss the 60-day deadline, your invitation lapses.

Should your situation change or you decide not to proceed, you may later pursue another pathway, such as subclass 189, subclass 491, subclass 186, or subclass 494, if eligible. Each requires a separate application and invitation.

Key deadlines to note

The most important deadline is the 60-day period from the date of invitation.

If you don’t apply within 60 days, Home Affairs won’t process your visa under that invitation.

Upload all required documents through your ImmiAccount when you apply. Incomplete applications risk delay or refusal.

For current application charges in Australian dollars, refer to the fee information published by the Department of Home Affairs. Fees change from time to time.

What starts processing

Processing doesn’t begin at invitation. It starts only after you:

• Submit the online application in ImmiAccount
• Pay the required visa application charge in Australian dollars

Home Affairs assesses your case once payment is made and you’ve lodged a complete application.

Attach all required documents at the time of application. This usually includes identity documents and any forms Home Affairs requests, such as Form Form 80. Upload everything directly in ImmiAccount.

Submitting the form without payment doesn’t start processing. Nomination alone doesn’t trigger assessment. Only a paid, complete online application activates the process under the skilled migration program.

Some Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190) applications go smoothly with careful preparation. Others involve character checks, inconsistent records, or prior visa issues that make legal guidance a good idea before you lodge with Home Affairs.

When employer handling is enough

You may not need a lawyer if your situation is straightforward and well documented. This usually applies when you have:

• No criminal history, charges, or past visa refusals
• No unexplained gaps in your last 10 years of addresses or employment
• Complete and accurate travel records
• Consistent information across all forms

If Home Affairs requires Form Form 80, prepare a full 10-year timeline before you start. Account for every address, job, study period, and trip.

Use passport stamps, boarding passes, and booking confirmations to confirm travel dates. If exact dates aren’t available, provide the most accurate estimate you can support.

Cross-check Form 80 with Form 1221 if both are required. Overlapping details such as travel, employment, and residential history must match exactly. Inconsistencies often delay skilled migration applications, including subclass 190, subclass 189, and subclass 491.

If your case looks like this, careful self-preparation may be enough.

Situations that benefit from a lawyer

You should seek legal advice before lodging if your case includes risk factors that could trigger refusal or extended security checks.

Common triggers include:

• Past visa refusals or cancellations
• Any criminal charges, including pending matters
• Spent convictions you’re unsure about disclosing
• Travel to conflict-affected or sensitive regions
• Long unexplained gaps in your history

Home Affairs treats omissions more seriously than disclosed offences. Failing to declare charges or past issues can lead to refusal and affect future applications, including subclass 190, subclass 189, or subclass 491.

A lawyer can help you prepare a clear written explanation, ensure full disclosure, and check that police certificates are still valid. Police certificates expire 12 months after issue, and you may need updated ones if processing drags out.

Legal advice is also valuable if you previously held or applied for visas such as subclass 186 or subclass 494 and ran into compliance issues.

Appeals, character issues and complex checks

Character concerns require immediate legal advice. This includes refusals or cancellations based on character grounds.

If Home Affairs refuses your subclass 190 application for character reasons, your options may include:

1. Lodging an appeal, if available

2. Providing further evidence addressing the character findings

3. Seeking Ministerial intervention in limited circumstances

If you later apply for a Protection visa (subclass 866) after a character-based refusal or cancellation, you may need confirmation from the Minister before lodging.

Form 80 is central in background checks. Authorities use it to review:

Disclose all travel, including to sensitive regions. Omitting trips can suspend processing while security agencies conduct extra checks.

If you plan to move from subclass 491 to Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) Visa (subclass 191), or switch between skilled migration pathways, unresolved character findings can follow you. Early legal advice reduces the risk of long-term consequences across visa subclasses.

You must secure nomination from a state or territory government and meet criteria set by the Department of Home Affairs. The visa depends on your occupation, skills assessment, age, English ability, and points score at the time you receive an invitation to apply.

Basic eligibility and nomination

The Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190) is part of Australia’s skilled migration program. Unlike subclass 189, you can’t apply without nomination from a state or territory government.

You must:

• Be nominated by an Australian state or territory government
• Receive an invitation to apply
• Meet the points test pass mark at the time of invitation
• Satisfy all criteria set by Home Affairs

State and territory governments assess your suitability before nominating you. Their nomination is mandatory and forms part of your visa application.

Home Affairs manages the visa process. Australian Border Force is responsible for border entry, not visa assessment.

Other skilled migration visas, such as subclass 491 and subclass 186, have different eligibility structures. Subclass 190 is a permanent residence pathway and doesn’t require employer sponsorship, unlike subclass 494.

Skills, occupation lists and assessments

Your occupation must appear on the relevant skilled occupation list for this visa. The list is set out in a legislative instrument.

You also need a suitable skills assessment for that occupation. The assessment must be:

• For your nominated occupation
• Issued within 3 years before the date of invitation
• Based on recognised qualifications and training

Your occupation must align with the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO). If ANZSCO classifies your role as involving low-skilled tasks in certain contexts, you may not qualify.

If your assessment relies on an Australian qualification, that qualification must come from a course registered on CRICOS.

Without a valid skills assessment, Home Affairs will refuse your application.

Age, English and points test

You must be under 45 years old at the time you receive your invitation to apply. If you turn 45 before invitation, you do not meet the age requirement.

You must show at least competent English at the time of invitation. This standard isn’t flexible.

You need at least 65 points on the points test. You must reach this threshold when you’re invited to apply.

Home Affairs checks these criteria at invitation, not when you first express interest. If you don’t meet any of them, your subclass 190 application won’t go anywhere.

You and any family members included in your Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190) application must meet strict health and character standards. Home Affairs won’t grant the visa until you satisfy both requirements and provide the right evidence.

These checks apply across the skilled migration program, including the Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189), Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 491), Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186), Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 494), and the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) Visa (subclass 191).

Health checks

Australia maintains strict public health standards. To protect those standards, Home Affairs requires most visa applicants to meet minimum health criteria before approval.

You must complete health examinations as directed by Home Affairs. This applies to:

• You as the primary applicant
• Your partner
• Any dependent children included in the application

Home Affairs will tell you what medical evidence to provide. You must follow those instructions and submit proof that you meet the health requirement.

If you don’t complete the required examinations or provide requested documentation, Home Affairs won’t finalise your Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190) application.

Police and character checks

You must meet Australia’s character requirement. Home Affairs will assess your background before granting a skilled migration visa.

Declare all criminal conduct, including:

• Charges
• Convictions
• Any past criminal proceedings

You may need to submit:

• An Australian Federal Police National Police Check
• A completed Form Form 80 (if requested)
• A letter of good conduct from the captain or company of a vessel, if you worked at sea

If you don’t disclose criminal history, you risk refusal. The same character standards apply to other permanent and provisional skilled visas, including subclasses 189, 491, 186, 494, and 191.

Timing and document expiry

Home Affairs must get valid health and character documents before granting your visa. Don’t obtain police checks too early, as documents can expire.

Follow this process:

1. Wait for instructions from Home Affairs where required.

2. Complete medical examinations as directed.

3. Obtain police checks close to submission.

4. Upload documents promptly to avoid expiry issues.

If documents expire before a decision, Home Affairs may ask for updated evidence. This can delay your Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190) outcome.

Check Department of Home Affairs procedural instructions and document validity rules before lodging your evidence.

The Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190) grants permanent residence from the date Home Affairs approves your application. Your long-term options depend on how you meet state nomination conditions and whether you later pursue other skilled migration pathways.

Long-term outcomes

The Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190) is a permanent residence visa under Australia’s skilled migration program. Once Home Affairs grants the visa, you hold permanent resident status.

As a permanent resident, you can:

• Live and work in Australia without time limits
• Enrol in Medicare
• Sponsor eligible family members for certain visas
• Travel in and out of Australia while your travel facility remains valid

Home Affairs assesses your application based on the information you provide, including documents such as Form Form 80 (Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment) if requested.

You do not need to apply for a separate permanent visa after grant, unlike provisional pathways such as:

If you qualify independently without state nomination, you may also consider the Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189), which does not require nomination.

State residence expectations

When a state or territory nominates you, it expects you to live and work in that jurisdiction after visa grant. These expectations form part of the nomination process, not a separate visa condition imposed by Home Affairs.

Before nomination, you usually confirm that you will:

• Reside in the nominating state or territory
• Seek employment in your nominated occupation
• Notify the state of key changes, if required under its nomination agreement

Home Affairs grants the visa, but each state manages its own nomination criteria. Those criteria may include employment targets, registration requirements, or evidence of job search efforts.

You should keep records of your employment, address history, and compliance with any state commitments. This documentation may become relevant if you later apply for another skilled migration visa or sponsorship.

Related visa options

Your long-term strategy may involve other skilled migration visas depending on your employment and location.

If you work in regional Australia, you might transition from a provisional visa such as the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 491) to the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) Visa (subclass 191) once you meet income and residence requirements set by Home Affairs.

If an employer sponsors you, options may include:

• Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) – permanent residence through employer nomination
• Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 494) – provisional pathway leading to permanent residence where eligible

Compare common skilled migration pathways:

Home Affairs manages all these visa applications. Review the specific eligibility criteria for each visa before changing pathways.