You are here: / / Errors in entering EOI information for Skilled visas

  • Errors in entering EOI information for Skilled visas

Errors in entering EOI information for Skilled visas

Key points

  • Your points at invitation are locked in. When you lodge, your assessed score must not be lower than the score in your invitation.
  • Every claim in your EOI must be true and supported by evidence. Most points factors are tested as at the date of your invitation, not the date you lodge.
  • There is no current Department policy for correcting an over-claimed EOI. If your assessed score is lower than your invitation score, the visa cannot be granted, even if the mistake was genuine.
  • You cannot change your nominated occupation after you lodge the visa application.

Points assessment

For skilled visas the applicant must meet both of the following requirements:

  • their assessed score must not be less than the score stated in the invitation to apply for the visa; and
  • their assessed score must not be less than the qualifying score applicable to the visa for which they were invited to apply

Related: Who can claim partner skills points?

Assessed score must not be less than the score stated in the invitation

The applicant’s assessed score must not be less than the score stated in the invitation to apply for the visa.

This is because invitations are ranked and issued on the basis of the declared skills and attributes and nominated occupations included in the intending migrant’s expression of interest (EOI). To preserve the integrity of the invitation process, applicants must demonstrate that their assessed score against the points test factors is not less than the indicative score on which they were invited to apply. If your assessed score is less than the score in your invitation, your application may be refused.

There is no requirement for the individual points test criteria assessed for the application to be identical to those estimated by SkillSelect when issuing the invitation. The factors that contribute to the assessed score may vary, as a case officer assesses each factor before them.

This criterion acts as a disincentive to inflate claims in the EOI in order to obtain a higher-ranking position in SkillSelect and, ultimately, an invitation to apply for a Subclass 189 visa.

What if your EOI over-claims points?

Earlier Department policy allowed an officer to correct an invitation score where an applicant had made an inadvertent error in their EOI, as long as the corrected score would still have resulted in an invitation. That policy is not in the Department’s current instructions for the 189 and 190 visas (we checked the policy in force in November 2026). The current instructions only say that your assessed score must not be lower than the score stated in your invitation.

This means a genuine mistake is treated the same way as any other over-claim:

  • If you find an error before you are invited, update your EOI straight away.
  • If you find it after you are invited but before you lodge, it is usually better to let the invitation lapse (it expires after 60 days) and correct your EOI, rather than lodge an application that cannot succeed.
  • If your assessed score is lower than your invitation score, the visa will be refused and the visa application charge is not refunded.
  • Deliberately false claims can also lead to refusal under Public Interest Criterion 4020 and a 3-year exclusion period.

Your individual claims do not have to match your EOI exactly. The case officer assesses each factor, so points you cannot prove on one claim can be offset by points you can prove on another, as long as the total is not lower than your invitation score.

Visa Assessment Skilled Occupation List Skilled Visa Processing Times Visa Comparison Charts Skilled Migration News

Nominated skilled occupation cannot later be changed

The primary applicant must nominate, in their visa application, the skilled occupation specified in their invitation to apply for the 189, 190 or 491 visa.

There are no provisions in migration law that allow an applicant to change their nominated skilled occupation after the visa application has been lodged.

Secondary applicants

Family members who apply together with the primary applicant, or are added to the application before a decision is made:

  • do not need their own invitation
  • do not need to meet an age requirement
  • do not need to nominate a skilled occupation.

If you are claiming partner points, your partner must be included in the application, and their skills assessment, English and age must meet the requirements at the time of invitation.

Points Test Points for Two Year Study in AU Points for Regional Study Points for Specialist Educational Qualifications

Common EOI mistakes and how to avoid them

Points claim Common mistake How to avoid it
Age Claiming points for an age bracket you have already left by the invitation date (the brackets change at 25, 33 and 40) Check your age on the likely invitation date and update your EOI as soon as you have a birthday. You must also be under 45 when invited
English Using a test result that has expired, or that does not meet the claimed level in every component Your test must be taken in the 3 years before the invitation date. An eligible passport is enough for competent English, but proficient and superior English points always need a test
Skilled employment Counting work of less than 20 paid hours a week, unpaid leave, Professional Year placements, or work outside the 10 years before invitation Claim only paid work in your nominated or a closely related occupation in the 10 years before invitation. Combined employment points are capped at 20. Some states only accept work after your assessing authority’s skilled date
Qualifications Claiming a qualification level that was not recognised in your skills assessment Overseas qualifications must be of a recognised standard. Match your claim to the qualification your assessing authority recognised. Points are given for your highest qualification only
Australian study Claiming the 5 points without meeting the Australian study requirement You need Australian degrees, diplomas or trade qualifications from CRICOS-registered courses totalling at least 92 weeks, completed over at least 16 calendar months, taught in English, while you were in Australia on a visa that allowed study
Partner Claiming skilled partner points when your partner was 45 or over, or did not have a suitable skills assessment (not a 485 assessment) and competent English at invitation Have your partner’s skills assessment and English test in place before you are invited, and include your partner in the application. If you were single when invited and then marry, get advice before lodging: you cannot switch to skilled partner points
Skills assessment Being invited after your skills assessment has expired, or relying on a 485 graduate skills assessment An assessment is valid for 3 years from issue, or a shorter period if one is stated on it, and must be valid on the invitation date. A 485 skills assessment cannot be used for a 189, 190 or 491
Professional Year Claiming the 5 points for a Professional Year completed more than 48 months before invitation, or counting the placement as skilled employment The Professional Year must be completed in the 48 months before invitation. The work placement earns no employment points
State or regional nomination Assuming the nomination points are safe once you are invited The 5 points (190) or 15 points (491) depend on the nomination staying in place until a decision. If it is withdrawn, you lose the points and cannot meet the nomination requirement

Before you submit or update your EOI

  1. Collect every document that supports each points claim.
  2. Calculate your points using the points test table and compare them with your EOI.
  3. Check dates: age, English test, skills assessment and employment periods.
  4. Update your EOI straight away if anything changes, for example a birthday or new English result.
  5. Get advice if you are unsure about any claim. Over-claiming can lead to refusal.

Frequently asked questions

No. While your invitation is current (60 days), your EOI is locked and your claims are assessed as they stood on the invitation date. If you do not lodge within 60 days, the invitation lapses and you can update your EOI again. Before you are invited, you can update your EOI at any time.

An EOI stays in SkillSelect for 2 years. If you are not invited in that time, it expires and you can submit a new one.

Under-claiming does not lead to refusal, because your assessed score will not be lower than your invitation score. However, claiming fewer points may have reduced your chance of an invitation.

The pass mark for the 189, 190 and 491 visas is 65 points. In practice, invitations often need more, depending on your occupation and the state or territory.

Not always. If the claims you can prove still add up to at least your invitation score, this requirement is met. If they add up to less, the visa will be refused. The Department’s current policy does not provide for correcting an invitation score, even after a genuine mistake. A deliberately false claim can also lead to refusal under PIC 4020 and a 3-year exclusion period.


Related guides

Recent News

Other Immigration Updates