Australia Subclass 190 Application Steps 2026: From EOI to Visa Grant

The Subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated visa) runs in a fixed order: you lodge a free Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect, a state or territory government agency may nominate you, Home Affairs then sends an invitation, and you have 60 calendar days from the date of that invitation to lodge the visa application in ImmiAccount. After lodgement you supply documents, health and character checks are completed, and Home Affairs notifies you of the decision in writing. This article follows the Department of Home Affairs' official page "Skilled Nominated visa (Subclass 190)", as at July 2026.

One thing to plan around from the start: the 190 is not a visa you can apply for on demand. It is invitation-driven, and the two things that decide whether your file survives are a nomination from a state or territory government and the two clocks described below. This is general information about how the published process works, not advice on your own case — your occupation, points claims, health and character position and any deadline you are under all turn on your individual circumstances, so confirm against the official pages or a registered migration agent or legal practitioner before acting.

What has to be true before step one?

Before an EOI is worth submitting, three conditions from the Department's process summary must be met: your occupation is on the relevant skilled list, you hold a suitable skills assessment for that occupation, and you can satisfy the points test. You must also be invited to apply — there is no direct application route.

The remaining eligibility detail sits in the points claims you make. SkillSelect estimates your score from those claims, and the estimated score must be at least 65 points for you to be invited. Home Affairs allocates places for the skilled migration program to meet the Australian Government's migration planning levels, so an eligible EOI is not by itself a promise of an invitation.

Stage	Who acts	Time limit on the page
Submit EOI in SkillSelect	You	No fee; you could receive an invitation up to 2 years after submitting
State or territory nomination	State/territory government agency	No published timeframe
Invitation to apply	Home Affairs (SkillSelect email)	Up to 2 years after EOI submission
Lodge visa application	You, in ImmiAccount	60 calendar days from invitation, cannot be extended
Decision	Home Affairs	Written notification; use the processing time guide as an indication only

How does the EOI step actually work?

You submit the EOI through SkillSelect and select the Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa. You can do this from inside or outside Australia, there is no fee, and you will receive an email confirming submission.

An EOI is not a visa application. Once submitted it becomes visible to state and territory governments, and if your skills match what they need, a state or territory government agency may nominate you. A nomination leads to an invitation.

Two consequences follow from that design. First, you are waiting on someone else's selection process, not a queue with a published position. Second, everything you claim in the EOI must later be proved — the invitation states the points score you must be able to demonstrate, and after you apply you must show you meet that score and all other criteria.

What happens if you are invited twice and do not apply?

If you do not apply for the visa after two invitations, your EOI is removed from SkillSelect. That is worth weighing before submitting an EOI you are not ready to act on: the EOI is free, but invitations are not unlimited.

What starts the 60-day clock, and can it be extended?

The invitation email from SkillSelect starts the clock. You have 60 calendar days from the date of invitation to apply, and Home Affairs states it cannot extend this time. Two further points sit on the same page:

• Home Affairs will not process your visa application if you are 45 at the time of your invitation.
• Getting an invitation does not mean the visa will be granted.

You may receive an invitation up to 2 years after submitting your EOI, so the practical risk is being invited when your documents are not ready. English results, police certificates and a skills assessment are the usual constraints, and Australian police certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of issue for immigration purposes.

Which documents should be ready before the invitation arrives?

The Department asks for documents supporting every EOI claim plus the standard identity, relationship and character set.

• Identity: pages of your current passport showing photo, personal details and issue/expiry dates; national identity card if you have one; proof of any change of name.
• Relationship: divorce, death, separation documents or statutory declarations if you are or have been married, widowed, divorced or permanently separated; evidence of a genuine and continuing relationship for a partner (joint bank statements, joint billing accounts, joint lease or mortgage, shared address evidence). De facto partners need registration evidence or enough documents to show at least 12 months before you apply.
• Character: a complete disclosure National Police Certificate from the Australian Federal Police if you have spent a total of 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since turning 16 — standard disclosure certificates and state or territory police certificates are not accepted. Also overseas police certificates from every country where you spent 12 months or more in the same period, military service records or discharge papers if applicable, plus Form 80 and Form 1221.
• English: proof of at least competent English at time of invitation.
• Dependants: for every dependant 18 or under who is applying with you, copies of birth certificates or the family book showing the names of both parents, and adoption papers if applicable; Form 1229 or a statutory declaration for parental consent from anyone who has a legal right to decide where the child lives and is not coming to Australia with the child; for a dependent child over 18, Form 47a and financial dependency evidence where the child is over 18 but not yet turned 23 and dependent on you or your partner, or is 23 or over and unable to earn a living to support themselves due to physical or cognitive limitations and dependent on you or your partner, with a medical report required if they are 23 or likely to turn 23 while the application is processed.
• EOI claims: skills assessment, English, Australian and overseas skilled employment, qualifications, Australian study requirement, specialist education, accredited community language, regional study, partner skills, or Professional Year, depending on what you claimed.

One timing point has changed in applicants' favour: delegates of the Minister will now accept a suitable skills assessment for the nominated occupation obtained within the 60-day invitation period, following the decision in Thapa v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs [2021] FCCA 686. Medical practitioners must be registered, and barristers and solicitors admitted to practice, at the time you are invited.

Assume a scenario: an applicant receives an invitation with a points score that includes a skilled employment claim, but their skills assessment expires in the same month. Under the current approach they can obtain a fresh assessment inside the 60-day window rather than having held it on the invitation date.

How do you lodge the application?

When you have your invitation, apply online. You can be in or outside Australia when you apply.

1. Log into SkillSelect and select the 'Apply for visa' button, which transfers you to ImmiAccount.
2. Log in or create an ImmiAccount — it is a separate login from SkillSelect.
3. Attach your documents.
4. Pay the application charge; Home Affairs will not process the application until the first instalment is paid.
5. Note the transaction reference number (TRN).

If you apply in Australia you must hold a substantive visa, or a Subclass 010 (Bridging A), Subclass 020 (Bridging B) or Subclass 030 (Bridging C) visa, otherwise the application is not valid. You cannot be in immigration clearance when you apply or when the decision is made.

What happens between lodgement and a decision?

Home Affairs confirms receipt. From there, expect limited contact: the Department does not give status updates within the standard processing time, and it is not obliged to request further documents — it may decide on the application as lodged. Check ImmiAccount for any requests and attach anything you missed as soon as you can.

Other things that occur during this period:

• Bridging visa: applying onshore grants a Bridging visa A (BVA), which comes into effect if your current visa expires before the decision. Do not ask to have your current visa cancelled; if it is cancelled you would be unlawful and the BVA ceases.
• Health and biometrics: if you did not complete health examinations before applying, you will be told if they are needed. Biometrics may also be requested.
• Second instalment: if applicable, pay it when Home Affairs sends the invoice.
• Changes: tell the Department about changes to phone, email, address or passport, changes to marital or de facto status, the birth of a child, or if you want to withdraw. Correct mistakes on a lodged application using Form 1023.
• Adding family: members of the family unit can be added after lodgement but before the decision, using Form 1436 and payment in ImmiAccount. Family members who apply must meet health and character requirements; those not coming to Australia must still meet the character requirement and may need to meet health.

If you applied outside Australia, do not arrange travel, leave your job or sell your home until you are advised in writing that the visa is granted.

How long does processing take?

Home Affairs publishes the global visa processing times tool showing times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application. Actual times vary with whether you lodged a complete application, how quickly you respond to requests, how long checks take, how long external agencies take on health, character and national security, and — for permanent migration — how many places are available in the migration program.

What does the outcome look like?

You will be told the decision in writing. If granted, you receive the visa grant number, the date the visa starts, and any visa conditions. If refused, you are told why and whether you have a right to review; the application charge is not refunded on refusal.

The 190 is permanent: you stay indefinitely, work and study in Australia, enrol in Medicare, sponsor eligible relatives, and access the Adult Migrant English Program if eligible. The travel component expires 5 years after grant, after which you need a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) to re-enter as a permanent resident. You become a permanent resident on the day the visa is granted; for citizenship purposes, residency starts on the grant day if you are in Australia, or the day you enter on the visa if you were outside.

What does it cost?

The Department's page sets out the main applicant's cost through the Visa Pricing Estimator, with concessions in limited circumstances, plus a charge for each family member who applies with you. An extra charge — the second instalment — may apply to any applicant aged 18 or over with less than functional English; pay it only when asked, and it is requested only if the visa is going to be granted. The second instalment for family members is AUD 4,885. The estimator excludes the second instalment and other costs such as health checks, police certificates and biometrics.

From 1 July 2026, a lower visa application cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application, recognised through the applicant's passport, with family members also eligible based on the primary applicant's passport. Eligible countries listed are Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a state nomination before I can get a 190 invitation?

Yes. Once your EOI is submitted it becomes visible to state and territory governments, and a state or territory government agency must nominate you before Home Affairs invites you to apply. Home Affairs allocates places for the skilled migration program against the Government's migration planning levels, so an eligible EOI does not guarantee an invitation.

How long do I have to apply after receiving a 190 invitation?

60 calendar days from the date of invitation, and Home Affairs states this cannot be extended. You may receive an invitation up to 2 years after submitting your EOI, and if you fail to apply after two invitations your EOI is removed from SkillSelect.

What points score do I need for the Subclass 190?

SkillSelect estimates your score from your EOI claims, and you need an estimated score of at least 65 points to be invited. Your invitation states the score you must be able to demonstrate, and after applying you must prove the claims behind it as well as meet all other criteria.

Can I get a skills assessment after I am invited?

Yes, under the Department's current approach delegates will accept a suitable skills assessment for your nominated occupation obtained within the 60-day invitation period, following the decision in Thapa v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs [2021] FCCA 686. Medical practitioners and lawyers have a stricter timing rule: registration or admission must exist at the time of invitation.

Can I stay in Australia while the 190 is being processed?

If you applied onshore you were granted a Bridging visa A, which comes into effect if your current visa expires before a decision, allowing you to stay lawfully while the application is processed. Do not ask to have your current visa cancelled, because you would then be unlawful and the BVA would cease.

Can I travel overseas after lodging the application?

If you are in Australia you do not need to tell Home Affairs about travel while the application is processed, because you can be outside Australia when the decision is made — but check through VEVO that your current visa lets you return. If you applied outside Australia, do not arrange travel until you are advised in writing that the visa is granted.

Is the visa application charge refunded if the 190 is refused?

No. Home Affairs states it will not refund the application charge if the application is refused. The refusal notice will tell you why it was refused and whether you have a right to a review of the decision.

References

• Department of Home Affairs — Skilled Nominated visa (Subclass 190)