Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190): permanent residence with state nomination

The subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated visa) is a permanent-residence visa for skilled workers who are nominated by an Australian state or territory. It is a permanent visa, not a temporary one. This page explains how it works and what it asks of you.

What the 190 is

The 190 sits within the General Skilled Migration (GSM) program — independent skilled migration that does not need an employer sponsor. However, the applicant must have a nomination from a specific state or territory.

What a 190 gives you

As a permanent resident, a 190 holder can:

• live and work in Australia indefinitely, with no time limit;
• work for any employer, in any role (not tied to a specific employer);
• access Medicare and certain social benefits;
• include family members (partner, children) in the application or sponsor them later;
• pay domestic tuition rates at Australian universities;
• move towards Australian citizenship after the required period of residence (including time as a permanent resident).

The 190 has no expiry on the right to remain — but the initial travel facility is usually granted for 5 years. After that you need a Resident Return Visa (RRV) to keep travelling in and out as a permanent resident.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a 190, an applicant generally needs to meet all of the following:

• Age: under 45 at the time of the Invitation to Apply (ITA).
• English: at least Competent English — broadly IELTS 6.0 in each band, or an equivalent score in PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge, or OET.
• Skills assessment: a valid skills assessment from the authority designated for the occupation, still valid when the visa is lodged.
• Occupation on the list: the occupation must be on the relevant skilled occupation list accepted by the nominating state.
• Points: at least the minimum points in the SkillSelect points test (before nomination points); a successful state nomination adds 5 points.
• State nomination: confirmed nomination from a state or territory.
• Health and character: meet the health and character requirements.

The process

1. Prepare the groundwork — complete the skills assessment and English test first; these take the longest (a skills assessment can run several weeks depending on the authority, and the English result must still be valid).
2. Create an EOI in SkillSelect — declare your details fully to maximise points: qualifications, work experience (in and outside Australia), English score, skills-assessment result, and state preference.
3. Apply to the state — watch the portals of the states you are interested in and apply when nomination opens; each state has its own criteria and cycles.
4. Receive nomination and an ITA — nomination adds the points automatically; in the monthly invitation rounds, if your points are high enough you receive an ITA.
5. Lodge the visa — within the set period after the ITA, lodge the complete application with all supporting documents.

The obligation after grant

This is the part many people overlook. When you receive a 190 nominated by a particular state, you take on a commitment to live and work in that state, typically for the first two years after grant. Not meeting it can affect a later citizenship application, even where it is framed as a commitment rather than a strict visa condition.

190 compared with 491

The 190 and 491 both need state nomination, but differ:

• the 190 is permanent; the 491 is a temporary 5-year visa;
• the 190 adds 5 points; the 491 adds more (helpful when you are short on points);
• the 190 has no regional-living requirement; the 491 requires living and working in a designated regional area;
• the 190 grants PR directly; the 491 needs a further step (the 191) to reach permanent residence.

Specific figures and lists change over time, and conditions vary by state — always confirm the current requirements on the official source, and consider a registered migration agent for your own case.