Victoria State Nomination for 190 and 491: Conditions

Overview of the Skilled Victoria program

Victoria is Australia’s second most populous state and the country’s centre for culture, education and financial services. The Victorian skilled nomination program — Skilled Victoria — manages nominations for the 190 visa and the 491 visa for regional Victoria.

The Skilled Victoria program is designed to address skilled labour shortages in the state’s critical industries. Victoria usually has a priority occupation list that reflects the real needs of the local economy.

The administering authority

The Skilled Victoria program is run by Skills Victoria, a unit within the Victorian Government. The entire registration process takes place through the Skilled Victoria online portal.

Visa 190 in Victoria

The Victoria 190 visa is for people who want to live and work in Victoria as a permanent resident. Applicants need to be nominated by Victoria — which means meeting Victoria’s priority criteria, not simply having an occupation on the list.

Victoria’s priority occupation groups for the 190 visa usually focus on:

Health: Specialist doctors, specialist nurses, allied health professionals (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists)
Engineering: Civil engineers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, environmental engineers
Information technology: Software developers, cybersecurity specialists, data scientists
Education: Primary and secondary teachers, especially in STEM subjects
Trades: Electricians, plumbers, carpenters, construction project managers
Finance and accounting: Senior roles in finance and audit

Victoria connection requirement:

Victoria usually requires applicants to have a genuine connection to the state. Accepted forms of connection usually include:

Living and working in Victoria
Recently graduating from a Victorian education provider
Having a job offer from an employer in Victoria
Being a student studying in Victoria

In openings with limited quota, Victoria usually prioritises people already in Victoria (onshore) over those overseas (offshore).

Visa 491 in Victoria

The Victoria 491 visa is for people who want to live in regional Victoria — that is, all of Victoria except the Greater Melbourne area.

Regional Victoria includes major cities such as Geelong (in part), Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton, Wodonga, Mildura, Warrnambool and hundreds of smaller towns. However, you should check the specific postcode because some areas close to Melbourne may or may not fall within the regional area under the DHA definition.

Features of the Victoria 491 visa:

The occupation list for the 491 regional Victoria visa is usually different and broader than for the 190 (because labour demand in regional areas is higher)
The applicant needs a connection to regional Victoria (not Melbourne)
After the visa, it is mandatory to live and work in regional Victoria

The Skilled Victoria registration process

Step 1: Check the occupation list

Go to the Skilled Victoria portal and check whether your occupation is on the occupation list for the current registration round. This list may change from one opening to the next.

Step 2: Prepare an EOI on SkillSelect

Make sure you have an active EOI on SkillSelect with complete and accurate information. The EOI needs to correctly reflect your skills assessment, English score and work experience.

Step 3: Register through the Skilled Victoria portal

When there is an opening, complete an expression of interest through the Skilled Victoria portal. The application usually requires: personal information, occupation details, evidence of connection to Victoria, and your EOI number on SkillSelect.

Step 4: Victoria assesses

Skills Victoria reviews applications based on priority criteria. Those selected are contacted to confirm details before formal nomination.

Step 5: Nomination and ITA

After nomination, wait for DHA to send an ITA in the monthly invitation rounds.

Frequency of openings

Skilled Victoria does not open registration on a fixed monthly schedule. The program opens in waves when quota is available and when the state identifies a specific labour need. Some openings may be only for a specific occupation group (for example, only open for health or only for IT).

To avoid missing an opening, those interested should:

Register for email notifications on the Skilled Victoria website
Follow the official Skilled Victoria social media page
Prepare a complete application so it can be submitted the moment the portal opens

Special points about Victoria

Victoria is known as one of the most competitive states in the state nomination system, especially for common IT and engineering occupations
The actual EOI score needed to receive an ITA after a Victoria nomination is usually high
Victoria sometimes runs special openings for the health sector due to serious shortages
People studying a master’s or PhD at Victorian universities may have an advantage in some openings
Victoria has settlement support programs for nominated applicants — information about this support service is on the Skilled Victoria portal