Skills Assessment and the Points Test for Visas 189, 190, 491

If you are considering a skilled visa — 189, 190 or 491 — a skills assessment is not just “one item on a checklist”. It is an absolute prerequisite even to begin the process.

A skills assessment is a prerequisite, not bonus points

The first key point: a positive skills assessment does not add points to your score. But without one, you cannot lodge an EOI.

Understand the role of a skills assessment within the points test correctly:

• Skills assessment: Opens the door into the SkillSelect system — no skills assessment means no entry.
• Points score: Determines your priority order in the EOI pool — a higher score means you are invited sooner.

This is the structure: the skills assessment is a condition (binary — you have it or you don’t), and the score is the ranking (continuous — high or low).

The points test system

The points test awards points across several criteria:

Age (up to 30 points): Points decrease with age; the highest band is the 25–32 years old group.

English (up to 20 points): “Superior” English (IELTS 8+ or equivalent) earns 20 points; “Proficient” (IELTS 7+) earns 10 points.

Australian work experience (up to 20 points): Counts the years of lawful work in Australia in your nominated occupation.

Overseas work experience (up to 15 points): Counts the years of overseas work in your nominated occupation.

Qualifications (up to 20 points): An Australian qualification or a recognised overseas qualification; studying in a regional area adds points.

Specialist qualifications and partner skills: Extra points if your partner also has a skills assessment and meets the English requirement, or if you are a New Zealand citizen.

Reference score to lodge: The minimum to submit an EOI is 65 points, but in practice the cut-off for each invitation round is often much higher — varying by occupation and month.

The order of steps

1. Identify the ANZSCO occupation you want to nominate
2. Check the visa lists — is your occupation on the MLTSSL (for 189), or STSOL/ROL (for 190/491)?
3. Identify the assessing authority for that occupation and visa
4. Lodge the skills assessment — obtain a positive result
5. Calculate your points test score — see how many points you have
6. Lodge the EOI in SkillSelect — this is an “expression of interest”, not a visa application
7. Wait for an invitation (Invitation to Apply — ITA) — the Department invites by round, with higher scores invited first
8. Lodge the visa application — after receiving an ITA

Steps 1–4 are prerequisites before you do step 5.

Validity of the skills assessment when lodging the visa

When you receive an ITA and lodge your visa application, your skills assessment must still be within its validity period. If the result has expired, you need to redo it before lodging.

This matters for those who obtained a skills assessment long ago and have only just received an ITA: check the expiry date before lodging the visa.

190 and 491 — adding the state element

Visa 190 (State Nominated): A state selects you based on local labour needs. The EOI requirement is similar to 189 but with the added step of lodging a separate EOI with the state (State Nomination of Interest — SNOI). Being nominated by a state adds 5 points to your score.

Visa 491 (Skilled Work Regional): Similar but for regional areas. Nomination adds 15 points — this is why many people aim for 491 when they are short of points for 189.

Combining with 482 — not mutually exclusive

If you are in Australia on a 482 visa (temporary, employer-sponsored), you can still simultaneously:

• Prepare and lodge a skills assessment
• Accumulate points for Australian work experience
• Lodge an EOI and wait for an ITA for 189/190

Keeping both pathways running in parallel — 482→186 TRT and a skilled visa — is a strategy many people use to increase their total number of options.