• ACT – Invitation Rounds

ACT – Invitation Rounds

The Department of Home Affairs allows the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government to nominate applicants for the following visa types:

If you are interested in being considered by the ACT Government, you need to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) visa SkillSelect. SkillSelect is the program administered by the Department of Home Affairs.

ACT held a skilled migration nomination invitation round on 30 January 2025.

As part of this invitation round there was a total of 230 Sc 190 nominations issued and 314 Sc 491 nominations issued. A breakdown of the invitations provided can be found below:

Canberra residents
Matrix nominating Small Business Owners 
190 nominations: 12 invitations (minimum matrix score 115)
491 nominations: 5 invitations (minimum matrix score 115)

Matrix nominating 457 / 482 visa holders
190 nominations: 22 invitations
491 nominations: 4 invitations

Matrix nominating Critical Skill Occupations
190 nominations: 170 invitations
491 nominations: 207 invitations

Overseas applicants
Matrix nominating Critical Skill Occupations
190 nominations: 26 invitations
491 nominations: 98 invitations
The next invitation round will be held before 27 March 2025.

Canberra Matrix

To apply for an ACT nomination, you must complete the Canberra Matrix. This is a means of ensuring the process is fair and equal. It selects applicants who will be most valuable to the Canberra region. To estimate your total score, you can use our Canberra Matrix Calculator.

Cost

To apply for the ACT Nomination, there is a non-refundable service fee of $300 which is charged for the processing of the applications. This is an administration charge only and does not guarantee an approval of the application for ACT nomination.

ACT Nomination Requirements

The ACT Nomination Program has specific requirements depending on the nomination pathway you are applying for. To view more detailed information regarding the nomination requirements, see our page on ACT Skilled Migration Nomination Requirements (190 and 491 Visa).

ACT Nomination Pathways

  1. Canberra Residents

To follow this pathway, you must be living in Canberra.

  • ACT 491 Nomination – to apply you must be living and working in Canberra for at least 3 months
  • ACT 190 Nomination – to apply you must be living and working in Canberra for at least 6 months
  1. Overseas Applicants

To follow this pathway, you and any dependents cannot be in Australia.

  • ACT 491 Nomination – to apply, you must have at least three years relevant experience in your nominated occupation
  • ACT 190 Nomination – to apply, you must have a genuine ACT job offer in your nominated occupation
  1. Doctorate Streamlined Nomination

The ACT offers this pathway to holders of a Doctorate completed at an ACT university. To apply for this pathway, you must meet the following criteria:

  • Canberra resident – you are living in Canberra, and you completed a professional or research doctoral degree at an ACT university
  • Interstate/overseas applicant – you were awarded a professional or research doctoral degree from an ACT university in the last two years
  1. Significant Economic Benefit

This stream allows the ACT Government to invite individuals to apply for ACT Nomination if their employment is considered to be of significant economic benefit to the Territory. You cannot request to apply for this stream. The invitation can only be initiated by the ACT Government.

ACT Critical Skills List

The ACT Occupation List identifies the skills that are currently in demand in Canberra (for migration purposes).  The ACT Occupation List is used to determine the eligibility for ACT support of the following programs:

To determine whether your occupation is in high demand in the ACT, see our page on ACT Critical Skills List.

ACT Government nomination invitation round 

The ACT Government had an invitation round on 5 April 2024.

For Canberra residents there was a total of 121 Sc 190 nomination invitations issued and 142 Sc 491nomination invitations issued. The highest number of nomination invitations were provided in the Critical Skills pathway.

For Overseas residents there was a total of 19 Sc 190 nomination invitations issued and 103 Sc 491 nomination invitations issued.

The ACT Government has not advised on the date for the next invitation round but they have noted that this will depend on operational requirements.

190 visa assessment 491 visa assessment

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