Skilled visa FAQs

For subclass 190 visa nomination, if you are onshore, you must be living in Victoria. If you have claimed earnings from your employment in your Registration of Interest (ROI), your employer must be physically located in Victoria. Onshore applicants for subclass 491 visa nomination must be living and working in skilled employment in regional Victoria.

If you are onshore, you must be living in Victoria at the time of nomination to be eligible for Victorian skilled visa nomination.

If you are applying as an onshore applicant, there is no minimum time for you to have lived in Victoria to be eligible. You will be asked to provide evidence that you are living in Victoria after you are invited to submit an application.

Please see the ABS website where you can see a list of all ANZSCO occupations with their corresponding skill levels.  Any occupation with skill level 1, 2 or 3 is considered skilled.

The conditions of Victorian visa nomination are outlined on the Skilled Nominated subclass 190 and Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) subclass 491 visa pages.

The Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) is a permanent visa allowing you to live and work anywhere in the state of Victoria, including Melbourne.

The Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) is a provisional (5 year) visa with a pathway to permanent residence after living and working in regional Victoria for at least 3 years.

If you are nominated, you will automatically receive an invitation to apply for your visa from the Department of Home Affairs. You will have 60 days to lodge your visa application.

If your application is refused, you will not be able to submit a new application for 6 months. This ensures our resources are allocated to processing applications that meet the requirements of the visa.

Information about documents required can be found on the specific visa page:

• Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa
• Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)

You must indicate you have a full and valid Skills Assessment in your SkillSelect EOI when you apply for nomination. Please note: a provisional Skills Assessment issued for a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) will not be sufficient.

You do not have to use a migration agent or lawyer to apply for visa nomination.

If you require migration advice for your specific situation, please find a registered migration agent or lawyer.

You can find out more about using an agent or lawyer on the Using a Migration Agent page.

You can only have 1 active Registration of Interest (ROI) submitted at any time.

You cannot submit a separate ROI for each visa subclass or for a different occupation. If you wish to change the visa subclass or your occupation, you must withdraw your existing ROI and submit a new one.

Recent graduates and PhD students are eligible for Victorian nomination and must meet the eligibility requirements:

• Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)
• Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)

Once you have submitted a Registration of Interest (ROI) it will remain in our system until either withdrawn by you, invited by us or the program year ends. Your ROI cannot be updated once it has been submitted.

If the information in your ROI is incorrect or out of date, you must withdraw it and submit a new ROI.

Withdrawing and resubmitting a new ROI will not affect the ranking or position of your ROI in our assessment and does not negatively impact your chances of selection.

Invitation rounds occur throughout the financial year. There are no set dates for invitation rounds.

A Registration of Interest (ROI) is not an application for Victorian visa nomination, and there is no processing timeframe.

If you have submitted a Registration of Interest but have not received an email inviting you to apply for Victorian nomination, you cannot apply. There is no guarantee that your ROI will be invited.

If your ROI is assessed as eligible but not yet invited, it will remain under consideration for the following invitation rounds.

We receive a high number of ROIs, and we appreciate your patience during the invitation process.

It is important that your EOI is accurate and up to date. If you are invited to apply for visa nomination but unable to evidence any claims, your application may be refused. This includes years of experience working in your nominated occupation and where you are currently living.

Please review your EOI in SkillSelect and ensure the information is up to date and is consistent with the ROI information you have provided in your Live in Melbourne account, including visa subclass for which you intend to apply, state of interest and date of birth.

If the information in your SkillSelect EOI or the EOI points have changed, you do not need to withdraw and submit a new ROI.

You only need to withdraw and submit a new ROI, if the information you entered on the ROI form changes.

If you are invited to apply, you cannot modify your EOI. Please Contact Us about the information you wish to update on your EOI if you have been invited to apply.

You can claim ROI points for your skilled partner if they will be included in your visa application.

If your partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you cannot claim partner points in your ROI.

There is no minimum earnings requirement to be eligible for Victorian visa nomination. Earnings are just one of many factors used to select Registration of Interests (ROIs) for invitation.

Your employment does not have to be related to or the same as your nominated occupation. If you claim earnings, they must be from skilled employment from an employer physically located in Victoria for subclass 190 and regional Victoria for subclass 491. Virtual offices are not accepted.

Skilled employment includes any role that is at skill levels 1, 2 or 3 in the relevant ANZSCO classification.

Please see the ABS website where you can see a list of all ANZSCO occupations with their corresponding skill levels.

For example, if your nominated occupation is Mechanical Engineer (ANZSCO skill level 1), but you are currently working as a Truck Driver (ANZSCO skill level 4), you cannot claim earnings from this job as it is classified as skill level 4.

However, if you are a Mechanical Engineer (ANZSCO skill level 1), but you are currently working as a Mechanical Engineering Technician (ANZSCO skill level 2), you can claim earnings from this job as it is classified as skill level 2.

Please see Annual earnings estimation guide for information on how to calculate this figure.

If invited to apply for Victorian visa nomination, and you have claimed annual earnings in your Registration of Interest (ROI), you will be required to provide evidence in the nomination application.

You must support all your claims of earnings with documents in your application. You will be required to provide a current employment contract, your most recent four weeks of pay slips, an extract from your superannuation account showing the most recent contribution from your employer, and a position description that describes your role.

During our assessment of your nomination application, we may require additional supporting information. If so, we will ask for this during our assessment.

You can find more information on annual earnings on the Annual Earnings Estimation Guide page.

You must tell the Victorian Government when your visa is granted.

If you were offshore at the time of nomination, you must also tell the Victorian Government once you arrive in Victoria to settle. You do not need to inform us if you arrive in Victoria temporarily to activate your visa.

The commitment begins on the date you arrive in Australia. If you already live within Australia, the commitment begins at the time your visa is granted.

If you are nominated, we will contact you at various times.

As per the nomination declaration you sign, you agree to complete surveys if requested by, or on behalf of, the Victorian Government, including a survey upon arrival and at six monthly intervals after visa grant or arrival in Australia.

These surveys are a condition of nomination. They provide us important feedback.

There are no employment or work requirements for Victorian nomination for a subclass 190 visa. If you claimed annual earnings in your Registration of Interest, if selected you will be required to provide evidence of your annual earnings in the nomination application. Any earnings you claimed must be from skilled employment in Victoria. Skilled employment includes any role that is at skill levels 1, 2 or 3 in the relevant ANZSCO classification.

If you are living in Australia (onshore), you must be living in Victoria. We will not be selecting Registration of Interests (ROIs) from onshore applicants living in Australian states and territories other than Victoria. We do make some case-by-case exceptions for those living in border communities who can clearly demonstrate they are working in  Victoria.

If you are living overseas (offshore), you are eligible to apply for a Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa nomination. You must be committed to living in Victoria.

Offshore applicants are eligible to apply for Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa nomination.

Graduates can apply for the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) if they meet the eligibility requirements.

You are not required to be working to be eligible for Victorian subclass 190 visa nomination. There are no minimum work experience requirements.

Living in Victoria (onshore):

• If you are living in Victoria and work in skilled employment for an employer physically located in Victoria,you can provide an estimate of your annual earnings in your Registration of Interest (ROI). Virtual offices are not accepted. View our Annual earnings estimation guide for information on what you can and cannot claim.
• If you are living in Victoria and not working, working in non-skilled employment, or working for an employer not physically located in Victoria, you are still eligible to apply for nomination, but you are not eligible to claim earnings in your Registration of Interest (ROI).

Living overseas (offshore):

• If you are living overseas, you are not required to claim earnings in your Registration of Interest (ROI).

Yes, Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) holders can live and work anywhere in Victoria including Melbourne.

You must have at least 65 points (including points awarded for state nomination) to be nominated by Victoria.

Eligibility requirements can be viewed on the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) page.

If you are living offshore or in regional Victoria, you can submit a Registration of Interest if you have a Skills Assessment for any eligible occupation on the Department of Home Affairs skilled occupation list. Health, social services and teaching occupations are being prioritised and we encourage applicants in all other occupations to submit a Registration of Interest as you may be considered.

Yes, subclass 491 visa holders may be eligible to apply for the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191). The requirements for the subclass 191 visa include living and working in a designated regional area for at least 3 years. For more information, please see the Department of Home Affairs’ website.

Yes, graduates and PhD students are eligible for the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491), as long as they meet the eligibility requirements.

Living in regional Victoria (onshore):

• If you are living in regional Victoria, you must be working in skilled employment for an employer physically located in regional Victoria. Virtual offices are not accepted.
• You can provide an estimate of your annual earnings in your Registration of Interest (ROI). View our Annual earnings estimation guide for information on what you can and cannot claim.
• If you are not working, working in non-skilled employment, or working for an employer who is not physically located in regional Victoria, you are not eligible to apply for nomination.

If you are living overseas (offshore):

• If you are living overseas, you are not required to claim earnings in your Registration of Interest (ROI).

Regional Victoria comprises all the areas of the state of Victoria outside Melbourne. It also includes some outer areas of Melbourne.

The Mornington Peninsula and Geelong are considered designated regional areas of Victoria for migration purposes.

For a complete list of postcodes considered to be in regional Victoria, please see the Department of Home Affairs’ website.

You must have a minimum of 65 points (including points awarded for state nomination) to be selected to apply for Victorian Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491) visa nomination. You must also meet all other eligibility requirements.