Victoria’s state nominated skilled visa program closing to new ROIs on 28 April 2026
Victoria’s 2025-26 state nominated skilled visa program will be closing to new Registrations of Interest (ROIs) at 4:00pm AEST on Tuesday 28 April 2026, after reopening in October 2025 for less than 7 months.
As such, eligible candidates who wish to be considered for Skilled Nominated (Subclass 190) visa or Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (Subclass 491) visa nomination are urged to lodge their Expression of Interest (EOI) and Registration of Interest (ROI) by Tuesday 28 April 2026. Candidates who have already submitted an EOI and ROI are otherwise urged to ensure that the details in their EOI and ROI remain up-to-date.
In 2025-26, the Australian Government allocated Victoria 3,400 skilled visa places (2,700 places for the Subclass 190 visa and 700 places for the Subclass 491 visa), down from 5,000 places in 2024-25 (3,000 places for the Subclass 190 visa and 2,000 places for the Subclass 491 visa). Victoria’s 2025-26 state nominated skilled visa program has again attracted significant interest this year and received many more ROIs than available places.
Going forward, the Victorian Government will continue to consider all submitted ROIs for remaining nomination places in the 2025-26 program year, and will reopen its state nominated skilled visa program for 2026-27 sometime in the new financial year.
What is the difference between the Subclass 190 visa and Subclass 491 visa?
The Skilled Nominated (Subclass 190) visa is a permanent residency visa that allows you to live and work in Australia as a permanent resident.
The Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (Subclass 491) visa is a 5-year visa requiring you to live/work in a designated regional part of Australia, with a direct pathway to permanent residency. Subclass 491 visa holders can generally apply for a Permanent Residence (Subclass 191) visa after at least 3 years of living and working in a designated regional area, amongst other requirements.
How many points do I need for a Victorian nomination?
You will need at least 65 points to be considered for Victorian nomination. This includes the 5 additional points for Subclass 190 visa nomination and 15 additional points for Subclass 491 visa nomination.
Nonetheless, while having at least 65 points allows you to submit a ROI to be considered for Subclass 190 visa nomination or Subclass 491 visa nomination, this does not guarantee that you will be nominated by the Victorian Government.
The Victorian Government has otherwise previously emphasised that it does not prioritise candidates with the highest points, and instead ranks candidates through the following ROI ranking factors:
age;
English language level;
years of experience in your nominated occupation;
education level;
occupation skill level;
partner’s skill (if applicable); and
salary – onshore candidates only.
Am I eligible to submit a Registration of Interest (ROI) for Victorian nomination in 2025-26?
The Victorian Government is still accepting ROIs from candidates in all occupations available for the Subclass 190 visa and Subclass 491 visa programs up until 4:00pm AEST on Tuesday 28 April 2026, subject to certain eligibility criteria, e.g. that for onshore candidates, only persons who are living and working in a designated regional area in Victoria can register their interest for Subclass 491 visa nomination.
Interested candidates may review the Victorian Government’s eligibility criteria on its website.
Need help with working out your immigration options in Australia?
Our immigration lawyers at Inclusive Migration have extensive experience in advising prospective migrants to Australia about their employer-sponsored, skilled migration and family migration options in Australia.
Should you wish to discuss your eligibility for a Skilled Visa in Australia, please do not hesitate to email info@inclusivemigration.com.au, submit an enquiry using the contact form on our website or send us a message on WhatsApp.
