NOTE: The 2023 – 24 program opened on 5 September 2023. Migration Queensland will only consider EOI’s lodged on or after 5 September 2023 – updated EOI’s will not be considered.
Skilled Migration Program:
Migration Queensland nominates skilled migrants who are living and working in Queensland under two visa subclasses:
The Skilled Nominated (Permanent) visa (subclass 190) – This visa is available for skilled workers who wish to live and work in Queensland permanently, and
The Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) – This visa allows nominated skilled workers to live and work in regional Queensland for five years and is a pathway to permanent residency.
Business Migration Program closed:
Skilled workers living in Queensland
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for a Queensland nomination, you must meet both the Australian Department of Home Affairs criteria and Migration Queensland criteria for your chosen visa category.
Home Affairs criteria requires you to:
- have a points-test result of 65 or higher, inclusive of state nomination points;
- have a positive skills assessment in your nominated occupation;
- be under 45 years of age;
- meet the minimum English language requirement of competent, unless a higher level is required by your assessing authority; and submit additional documents, if invited to lodge an application for a 190 or 491 visa.
Definition of Regional Queensland – applicable regions
Regional Queensland is defined as per the Department of Home Affairs’ list of designated regional area postcodes. You must live and work within one of the following post codes to be eligible for the 491 Regional visa:
4019–4022, 4025, 4037, 4074, 4076–4078, 4124–4125, 4133, 4183–4184, 4207–4275, 4280–4287, 4300–4301, 4303–4498, 4500–4512, 4514–4519, 4521, 4550–4575, 4580–4895.
Note: The above postcodes are applicable to those who have been nominated and applied for their 491 visa from 5 March 2022.
If you were nominated or applied for the 491 visa prior to 5 March 2022, the applicable Queensland postcodes are different.
If you were granted a 491 visa prior to 19 November 2019, the Gold Coast is not an eligible region.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for a Queensland nomination, you must meet both the Australian Department of Home Affairs criteria and Migration Queensland criteria for your chosen visa category.
Home Affairs criteria requires you to:
- have a points-test result of 65 or higher, inclusive of state nomination points;
- have a positive skills assessment in your nominated occupation;
- be under 45 years of age;
- meet the minimum English language requirement of Competent, unless a higher level is required by your assessing authority.
Please note: Businesses must have an office in Queensland. A virtual office will not be accepted.
Related:
Migration Queensland criteria requires you to:
| Requirement | Skilled Nominated (Permanent) visa (subclass 190) |
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) |
| Points | Have a points test result of 75 or higher (except for Trades occupations* which require 70 or higher) | Have a points test result of 65 or higher |
| Occupation | Have an occupation on Home Affairs relevant list of eligible skilled occupations | Have an occupation on Home Affairs relevant list of eligible skilled occupations |
| English | Have Competent English or higher (except for occupations where a higher level of English is required**) | Have Competent English or higher (except for occupations where a higher level of English is required**) |
| Work experience | Must provide evidence that you have been living in Queensland and undertaking full-time post qualification employment (minimum of 30 hours per week), in your nominated or closely related occupation for three months immediately before EOI lodgement. You must still be employed in your nominated or closely related occupation when your EOI is assessed. | Must provide evidence that you are living and working in regional Queensland and have full-time post-qualification employment (minimum of 30 hours per week) in your nominated or closely related occupation at the time of your EOI lodgement. You must still be employed in your nominated or closely related occupation when your EOI is assessed. |
| Evidence of ongoing employment | Must provide evidence that you have ongoing full-time (minimum of 30 hours per week) employment for a further twelve months at time of EOI lodgement in your nominated occupation | Must provide evidence that you have ongoing full-time (minimum of 30 hours per week) employment in regional Queensland for a further six months at time of EOI lodgement in your nominated occupation |
| Commitment to living in Queensland | Must commit to living and working in Queensland for two years from date of visa grant | Must commit to living and working in regional Queensland for three years from date of visa grant |
*A trade occupation is defined as an ANZSCO occupation grouping beginning with 3
** To be registered or licensed in certain occupations, a higher level of English is required. In these cases, it is the responsibility of the applicant to understand the language requirements of the skills assessment and registration process for their nominated occupations. Migration Queensland will not nominate anyone who has lower English language skills than is required for their occupation.
Caveats for selected occupations
- Accountants (General)
- Only applicants employed in an accounting firm or a medium or larger sized business will receive an invitation. For this purpose, a medium sized business is characterised as a business that employs 20 people or more.
- must be a CPA, CA or IPA, or are studying towards becoming a CPA, CA or IPA.
- Internal and External Auditors
- must have a job as an Auditor (not an Accountant).
- Cooks and Chefs
- No takeaway or fast-food businesses.
Important notes:
- If you have been nominated for, applied for or hold a Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491), Migration Queensland will not nominate you for the Skilled Nominated (Permanent) visa (subclass 190). This restriction also applies to the Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489).
- If you are eligible for both the 190 and the 491 visas, please submit one EOI and select both visa classes. Please do not submit multiple EOIs – if you do, we will select the first one in the queue and close the rest. You will be offered one invitation only.
- Businesses must have an office in Queensland; a virtual office will not be accepted.
- You will receive copies of the State Nomination Application and Settlement Funds Declaration form, if/when Migration Queensland invites you to lodge an application.
- If you have more than one skills assessment, please only submit one EOI for the occupation that best meets your current employment.
- Please ensure that you read the application process, document checklist and all explanatory notes (below) before submitting your application
- Migration Queensland handle a high volume of applications and client enquiries; enquiries about where your application is in the queue or when you will be invited to apply will not receive a response.
- Priority will not be given to invitations where documents or visas are expiring.
- Labour Hire employment: if you are employed through a labour hire provider, they must be licensed to operate in Queensland. All labour hire providers operating in Queensland must be licensed under the Labour Hire Licensing Act 2017, including providers that are based interstate or overseas who supply workers within Queensland. You will be required to provide evidence that your labour hire provider complies with these licensing requirements.
Related:
Application process
Step 1
Review your eligibility criteria, visa conditions, and document checklist on the Department of Home Affairs website and Migration Queensland website. Ensure that you meet both the Home Affairs eligibility criteria and Migration Queensland criteria and that you have all your documentation – including proof of registration, if required for your occupation – ready before you apply.
Step 2
Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) with SkillSelect. Provide all information on your EOI, including work experience. You must select ‘Queensland’ as your only state of interest to be considered.
Step 3
Migration Queensland considers all EOIs that meet the above criteria. If you are invited to apply for nomination, you will receive an email invitation to lodge an application and be requested to provide the documents required (see list below).
Step 4
When you have received your invitation from Migration Queensland:
- upload the required documents – only upload one document per file. If you have multiple documents, merge and save them as one file, and
- pay the non-refundable application fee to finalise your application. Do not pay the fee until you have been invited to apply and all your documents have been uploaded.
Migration Queensland will then assess your application and request any further information.
Note: You will be given 14 calendar days to finalise your application from the date of invitation. Applications not finalised within the time frame will be closed and you will need to submit a new EOI if you wish to seek Queensland nomination again.
Step 5
If you are nominated by Migration Queensland, you will also receive an invitation from the Department of Home Affairs to lodge your visa application. You will be given 60 days to lodge your visa application.
Select a state below to see it’s 190 visa requirements:
Australia
State and territory requirements
Each state and territory has its own list of occupations, requirements and processes you must follow.
More information about the requirements and processes on how Australian states or territories nominate applicants is available.
Bridging Visa R
Genuine Student (GS)
Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme (MATES)
NSW 491 Pathway 1 – Apply directly to NSW
Upcoming Immigration Changes 2024