Subclass 190 Points Evidence 2026: Employment, Study and Partner Skills Documents
What the Department of Home Affairs requires you to prove after a 190 invitation — employment, study, Professional Year and partner skills claims.
Every points claim in your Expression of Interest (EOI) has to be backed by documents once you apply. The Department of Home Affairs states this plainly on its Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) page: after you apply, you must show that you can meet the points score on your invitation — "which will include proving any claims you made in your EOI" — and meet all other eligibility criteria. That page is the basis for everything below, read as at July 2026. It is general information about how the published requirements fit together, not advice on any individual case; the Department's points table and current official pages stay the reference, particularly where a rule's current status needs checking.
What does a 190 invitation actually commit you to?
An invitation fixes the number you have to prove. The invitation includes the points score you must score based on your EOI claims, and the application is then assessed against those claims.
The surrounding mechanics on the Department's page:
- You must submit an EOI through SkillSelect; there is no fee for submitting one, and it is not a visa application.
- SkillSelect estimates your score from your EOI claims, and you need an estimated score of at least 65 points to be invited.
- An invitation can arrive up to 2 years after you submit your EOI.
- Once invited, you have 60 calendar days to apply. The Department says it cannot extend this time.
- Getting an invitation does not mean you will be granted the visa, and the application charge is not refunded if the application is refused.
- If you do not apply after two invitations, your EOI is removed from SkillSelect.
- Your application will not be processed if you are 45 at the time of your invitation.
Which points claims does the Department list documents for?
The 190 page lists the claim areas that may require documents, and twice directs applicants to use the points table (the Department's points calculator) to check what is needed for their particular claims:
- Skills assessment
- English language skills
- Australian and/or overseas skilled employment
- Educational qualifications
- Satisfying the Australian study requirement
- Specialist education
- Accredited community language
- Study in regional Australia
- Partner skills
- Professional Year in Australia
The practical consequence is that evidence is organised by claim, not by document type. A single payslip, transcript or letter does not "cover" your application; each claimed item needs its own support, and the points table is where the Department tells you what that support is.
How do employment claims get tested?
"Australian and/or overseas skilled employment" appears as one line in the Department's document list, but the claim you made in the EOI is what gets tested — the periods, the occupation and the skilled character of the work you declared.
A skills assessment for your nominated skilled occupation is a separate claim area on the Department's list, listed alongside Australian and/or overseas skilled employment rather than as its anchor. On timing, the Department notes that delegates will now accept a suitable skills assessment obtained within the 60-day invitation period. That change follows the decision in Thapa v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs [2021] FCCA 686, and the Department records that the Minister administers the Migration Regulations 1994 in accordance with that decision while reserving the right to argue in a court that Thapa was wrongly decided.
Two occupations carry an extra, explicitly dated requirement. Medical practitioners need one of the certificates issued by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency — unconditional or general medical registration, or conditional specialist registration allowing practice in the specialty with no further training or supervision — and must be registered at the time of invitation. Barristers and solicitors need proof of admission to practice in the relevant state or territory, and must be admitted at the time of invitation.
What proves qualifications, Australian study and specialist education?
These are listed as separate claim areas on the 190 page: educational qualifications, satisfying the Australian study requirement, specialist education, study in regional Australia and accredited community language. Because they are separate entries, they are not interchangeable — claiming one does not discharge another, and the evidence has to address each item you declared in the EOI.
English sits alongside them as its own claim, with a clear timing rule: you must provide proof of at least competent English at the time of invitation for this visa.
Where does a Professional Year fit?
Professional Year in Australia is one of the ten listed claim categories. The 190 page does not set out the documentary detail for it, so the specific documents come from the points table for the claim as you made it. Treat it as a standalone claim: completing a Professional Year does not itself evidence your qualifications or your Australian study requirement, which are assessed on their own listed items.
What does partner skills evidence involve?
Two things stack here. First, partner skills is a points claim on the Department's list, so it has to be proved like any other claim. Second, the 190 page has a partner documents section that applies regardless of the points claimed:
- identity documents and photos
- character documents
- marriage certificate, if applicable
- documents about other relationships, if applicable
For a de facto relationship, you provide either evidence that the relationship is registered by an Australian State or Territory, or enough documents to prove you have been in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months before you apply.
For both married and de facto applicants, you must provide evidence of a genuine and continuing relationship. The Department's examples include joint bank account statements, billing accounts in joint names, joint leases or mortgages, and documents showing your partner has lived at the same address as you. If your partner or dependent children are not included in the application, the page asks you to give the reason — for example, they already hold Australian citizenship or are a permanent resident.
What happens if the documents don't match the EOI?
The 190 page requires accurate information, and it warns that the Department may not ask for what is missing: "we are not obliged to do so and may make a decision on your application without requesting more documents." If you did not attach everything when you applied, the instruction is to attach documents as soon as you can through ImmiAccount. If you made a mistake on the application, you must tell the Department as soon as possible and complete Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers.
Two other evidence items have their own freshness rules worth noting while you assemble the package: Australian police certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of issue, and only complete disclosure National Police Certificates issued by the Australian Federal Police are accepted for immigration purposes.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to prove points I did not claim in my EOI?
You must prove the claims you made. The invitation sets out the points score you must score based on those EOI claims, and the Department's requirement is to prove any claims made in the EOI and meet the other eligibility criteria.
Can I obtain my skills assessment after I receive the invitation?
Yes. The Department states that delegates will now accept a suitable skills assessment for your nominated skilled occupation obtained within the 60-day invitation period, following the Thapa decision.
How long do I have to lodge the application after an invitation?
60 calendar days from the date of your invitation, and the Department says this time cannot be extended. An invitation itself may arrive up to 2 years after you submitted your EOI.
What documents show that my partner is my partner?
The Department asks for identity documents and photos, character documents, and a marriage certificate where applicable. De facto partners need registration by an Australian State or Territory, or documents proving at least 12 months of de facto relationship before you apply, plus evidence the relationship is genuine and continuing.
Can I add documents after I lodge the application?
Yes — the Department asks you to attach anything you did not include at lodgement as soon as you can in ImmiAccount. However, it is not obliged to request further documents and may decide the application on what it already has.
Does an invitation guarantee the visa will be granted?
No. The Department states that getting an invitation does not mean you will be granted the visa, and the application charge is not refunded if the application is refused.