Subclass 190 EOI 2026: Is an Expression of Interest a Visa Application?
An Expression of Interest for the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) is free and is not a visa application. Here's what happens once you lodge one.
No. An Expression of Interest (EOI) for the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) is not a visa application and costs nothing to submit. That is stated directly on the Department of Home Affairs' Skilled Nominated visa (Subclass 190) page, in the step describing how to submit an EOI: "Your EOI is not a visa application. There is no fee for submitting an EOI." Everything below reflects that page as published in July 2026, plus the SkillSelect EOI system it points to.
This article explains the published mechanics in general terms; it is not advice about your circumstances, and nothing here changes what the Department or a state and territory agency decides. State nomination criteria sit outside the visa criteria and change on their own timetable, so always check the current official material before acting.
What an EOI actually is
An EOI is a record of intention in SkillSelect. You enter claims about your occupation, skills assessment, English, work experience and qualifications; SkillSelect turns those claims into an estimated points score; and the completed EOI is then visible to state and territory government agencies, which decide independently whether to nominate you.
Nothing is assessed at this stage. No documents are verified, no case officer reads your claims, and no queue position is assigned. The EOI functions as a pool entry that puts you in front of the agencies that control access to this visa.
Why the distinction matters
Because an EOI is not an application, lodging one does not start a visa decision, does not give you a bridging visa, and does not preserve anything if your circumstances change. Three consequences follow from the Department's own wording:
- Assessment comes later. At EOI stage you make claims; after an invitation you must prove them with documents.
- The costs come later. The visa application charge attaches to the application, not the EOI — but see below, because the amounts are set elsewhere and change periodically.
- The gatekeepers are the states. Under the Be nominated section, the Department will only invite you if a state or territory government agency nominates you, and each agency sets its own criteria for who it nominates.
What happens step by step after you submit
Based on the Department's published steps:
- You select the Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa option in SkillSelect and lodge the EOI from inside or outside Australia.
- SkillSelect emails confirmation that the EOI has been submitted.
- SkillSelect estimates your points score from your claims. Below 65 points, you will not be invited.
- A state or territory agency reviews visible EOIs and may nominate you.
- If nominated, the Department invites you by email from SkillSelect. That invitation states the points score you must meet, which may be higher than 65 depending on your claims.
If you do not apply after two invitations, SkillSelect removes your EOI. Getting an invitation does not mean the visa will be granted.
How long can an EOI sit there?
The Department says you could receive an invitation up to two years after submitting an EOI. That is a ceiling on the published expectation, not a promise: nothing in the published criteria guarantees an invitation within that window, and the volume of places is tied to the Australian Government's migration planning levels for the skilled migration program.
Two deadlines then bite hard:
- Once invited, you have 60 calendar days to apply, and the Department states it cannot extend this.
- If a nominating agency withdraws your nomination after you apply, your application becomes invalid.
What you have to satisfy to be invited
The invitation stage is where the criteria become legally operative. At the time of invitation you must:
- be under 45. If you turn 45 after submitting the EOI but before the invitation, you will not be invited; if you turn 45 after the invitation, you can still apply;
- have an occupation on the relevant skilled occupation list for the 190 visa;
- declare a suitable skills assessment for that occupation. Departmental delegates now accept an assessment 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, while the Minister reserves the right to argue in court that Thapa was wrongly decided. Otherwise, the assessment must have been obtained in the 3 years before your invitation date, and any shorter validity period must not have expired;
- have at least competent English.
Health, character, any debt to the Australian Government, and the Australian Values Statement are criteria of the visa itself rather than filters on the EOI, but they still have to be met for a grant.
What changes once you press apply
Applying happens in ImmiAccount, reached from the "Apply for visa" button in SkillSelect, and the 60-day clock starts from the invitation date. This is the stage where money and evidence enter.
Two things worth knowing before you get there: the Department will not process the application until the first instalment of the visa application charge is paid, and a second instalment may be invoiced later where it applies. The charge is not refunded if the application is refused. Amounts are published on the Department's fees pages and change over time, so treat any figure you see quoted elsewhere as needing confirmation against the current official schedule.
Once lodged, you must show you can meet the points score on your invitation and every other criterion, with documents for each claim made in the EOI — skills assessment, English results, employment, qualifications and anything else you claimed. Assume the invitation points figure, not the estimated SkillSelect figure, is the target you have to evidence.
What the visa itself gives you, in brief
Subclass 190 is a permanent visa. Holders can live, work and study anywhere in Australia, sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence, and apply for Australian citizenship if eligible — which is why state nomination is contested and why the EOI pool, not the EOI itself, is what you should be preparing for.
Frequently asked questions
Is lodging a SkillSelect EOI for the 190 free in 2026?
Yes. The Department's 190 visa page states plainly that there is no fee for submitting an EOI, alongside the statement that an EOI is not a visa application. Government charges begin at the visa application stage, not at EOI stage.
Does submitting an EOI mean I'm in the queue for a visa?
No. There is no queue position and no assessment at EOI stage. A state or territory agency has to nominate you first, and only then will the Department invite you to apply. You could wait up to two years, or never receive an invitation at all.
Do I need a skills assessment before submitting my EOI?
The requirement attaches at invitation, not at EOI: you must declare a suitable skills assessment for your nominated occupation at that point. Practically, most people obtain one before lodging an EOI, because SkillSelect can only estimate your points accurately if your claims are backed by an assessment.
Can I be invited if I turn 45 after submitting the EOI?
No. The Department says you will not be invited if you turn 45 after submitting the EOI but before the invitation. If you turn 45 after the invitation is issued, you can still apply. This is one reason the "free EOI" stage is not a neutral holding pattern.
What happens if I get an invitation but miss the deadline?
Invitations give you 60 calendar days to apply, and the Department states it cannot extend this time. Separately, if you fail to apply after two invitations, your EOI is removed from SkillSelect — so repeated non-application ends the EOI altogether.
Is receiving an invitation the same as getting the visa?
No. An invitation means you may apply; the Department states explicitly that getting an invitation does not mean you will be granted the visa. You still have to meet the points score stated on the invitation and all other criteria, supported by documents.
What if the state withdraws my nomination after I apply?
Your application becomes invalid. This is stated in the Department's nomination criteria and is one of the few things at this stage that can end an application regardless of how strong the underlying claims were.