- The visa
- Permanent from the day the visa is granted. No sponsor, no state, live anywhere in Australia.
- Choose this if
- your occupation sits on the MLTSSL and your score reaches 85 or more.
Three General Skilled Migration Visas. One of Them Has Your Name On It.
General Skilled Migration Australia runs on three subclasses: the 189, the 190, and the 491. Tell us your occupation and your score, and we will tell you which one will invite you.
Which of the Three Is Yours?
Every skilled migration visa Australia offers under this program is based on a points test. Your occupation, your score, and where you are willing to live decide which of the three fits you.
- The visa
- Permanent from the day the visa is granted. One state nominates you and adds 5 points. You commit to two years there.
- Choose this if
- you sit at 70 to 85 points, or your occupation appears on a state list rather than the MLTSSL.
- The visa
- Provisional for five years, then the 191. A state or an eligible family member sponsors you and adds 15 points.
- Choose this if
- your score sits below 75 and you can genuinely live and work in a regional area.
Still not sure which one fits your profile? That question takes us about ten minutes to answer properly.
What Is Skilled Migration Australia, and How Does It Work?
The General Skilled Migration program is Australia's points-tested route to permanent residency for skilled workers with no employer backing them. A general skilled migration visa Australia grants under this program is either permanent from the day it is granted, or provisional for five years, depending on which of the three subclasses you take. You score yourself against age, English, qualifications and experience under the official points test, lodge an Expression of Interest, and wait to be ranked against everyone else in your occupation.
The Department of Home Affairs invites from the top of that ranking down until the places for your occupation run out.
The Number That Actually Matters
Sixty-five points puts you in the pool, and that pass mark is set in the Home Affairs points test. Your occupation decides whether you ever leave it.
| Points typically needed | Occupations | Check the source |
|---|---|---|
| 65 to 75 | Registered Nurses, Aged Care Workers, Secondary Teachers, Early Childhood Teachers, Chefs, most trades | Invitation rounds |
| 75 to 85 | Civil Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Construction Project Managers, Pharmacists | Invitation rounds |
| 85 to 95 | Accountants (221111), Auditors, Management Consultants | Invitation rounds |
| 95+ | Software Engineers (261313), ICT Business Analysts (261111), most ICT codes | Invitation rounds |
Indicative bands drawn from recent rounds. Home Affairs publishes the actual cutoffs after each round, and they move. Our invitation rounds tracker follows them month by month.
An Aged Care Worker at 70 points sits in a strong position. An Accountant at 70 points sits twenty points adrift. Same score, different outcome, and nobody tells you which one you are until you have already waited a year.
State nomination changes the maths. The 190 adds 5 points, and the 491 adds 15, which is why a score that fails under the 189 often succeeds under one of the others.
Run your profile through our skilled migration points calculator before you plan around any of these numbers.
The Six Steps, in Order
Skills assessment.
Get a positive assessment from the body that covers your ANZSCO occupation code: Engineers Australia, ACS, VETASSESS, TRA, ANMAC or CPA Australia. Most stay valid for usually three years, though some bodies set shorter periods; ACS sets two, and each body publishes its own validity rule.
English test.
Sit IELTS, PTE, OET, TOEFL or Cambridge. Competent English is the floor. Proficient adds 10 points and Superior adds 20, per the points table.
Lodge your EOI.
Submit an Expression of Interest in SkillSelect. It is free, and it stays live for two years. See how many EOIs you can submit.
Invitation to Apply.
Home Affairs issues invitations after each round. The clock starts the day it arrives.
Lodge, then wait.
Upload everything through your ImmiAccount, pay the charge, complete health checks through Bupa Medical Visa Services, and police checks through the AFP.
Three Deadlines Govern Everything
60 days
to lodge after your invitation arrives. Home Affairs grants no extensions.
2 years
of EOI validity. After that, it lapses, and you start again.
Under 45
on the day you are invited, not the day you applied. Age points also step down at 33 and again at 40.
Miss the first, lose the invitation. Miss the third, lose the pathway.
What It Costs
The same charge applies across the 189, 190 and 491. Charges are indexed on 1 July each year, so always confirm the current figure on the Home Affairs pricing table before you budget.
Beyond the charge, expect costs for your skills assessment, English test, police checks and health examinations. Based on the cases we run, most single applicants spend $8,000 to $11,000 all in, and a couple with one child spends closer to $14,000. Those totals are our own estimates rather than a published figure, so treat them as a planning guide.
Skilled Migration Processing Time: How Long It Takes
| Stage | Indicative duration | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Skills assessment | 4 to 12 weeks | Each assessing body publishes its own |
| EOI wait for an invitation | 0 to 24 months, occupation dependent | Invitation rounds |
| State nomination decision (190 and 491) | 4 to 20 weeks | Published by each state program |
| Visa processing after lodgement | Varies by subclass | Home Affairs processing times |
| Total, assessment to grant | 1.5 to 4 years | Our estimate, combining the stages above |
The EOI wait is the variable that decides everything. A nurse at 75 points may be invited in weeks. An ICT professional at 90 may wait two years. Home Affairs refreshes its processing times tool monthly, and our Australian PR processing time guide tracks the wider picture.
Is GSM Even Your Route?
A GSM visa Australia wide is the most common way to apply for PR in Australia, and it suits most skilled workers. Sometimes the honest answer is no, and knowing that early saves you two years.
GSM works for you when:
- your occupation appears on the MLTSSL or a state list
- you are under 45
- your score reaches your occupation's real band or can get there
Look elsewhere when:
- your occupation sits outside every skilled list
- you are 45 or older at invitation
- your score sits 20 points short with no lever left to pull
The alternatives are real. Employer sponsorship through the 482 Skills in Demand visa leads to permanent residency via the 186 Employer Nomination Scheme, and it runs on the Core Skills Occupation List rather than the MLTSSL, so an occupation closed to GSM is often open there. Students already onshore should read 500 visa to permanent residency.
Why Applicants Choose The Migration
We start with your occupation, not your paperwork.
Your ANZSCO code sets your real cutoff, and that number decides which of the three subclasses is worth pursuing.
We optimise points before you lodge.
NAATI CCL, Professional Year, partner skills, regional study, English upgrades. We tell you which ones pay and which ones waste your money.
We run state strategy across all eight programs.
Occupation lists, criteria and invitation behaviour differ everywhere. See which state is easiest for PR.
We give honest eligibility reads.
When a case is not ready, we say so and tell you what to fix. Verify our registration on the MARA register.
Many people search for a GSM visa lawyer in Australia. Australia GSM applications are handled by MARA-registered migration agents rather than lawyers, unless that lawyer also holds MARA registration. Check the register either way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Australia's points-tested pathway to permanent or provisional residency for skilled workers with no employer sponsor. It covers three subclasses: the 189 Skilled Independent, the 190 Skilled Nominated, and the 491 Skilled Work Regional.
Six steps: skills assessment, English test, EOI in SkillSelect, state nomination if you are going for the 190 or 491, Invitation to apply, then lodge through ImmiAccount within 60 days.
Under 45 on the date of invitation. Age points peak between 25 and 32 and step down from 33 onward, as set out in the points table.
Under 45 at invitation, a positive skills assessment for an occupation on the relevant skilled occupation list, at least 65 points including any nomination bonus, Competent English, and clear health and character checks.
Sixty-five to lodge an EOI, per the Home Affairs points test. Winning an invitation takes more, and how much more depends on your occupation. Score yourself on the points calculator.
Nurses, teachers, aged care workers and most trades are invited around 65 to 75. Civil and Mechanical Engineers around 75 to 85. Accountants around 85 to 95. ICT occupations often need 95 or more. Home Affairs publishes the actual cutoffs after each invitation round, and we track them in our invitation rounds blog.
Typically 1.5 to 4 years from skills assessment to grant, depending on subclass, occupation, and how long your EOI waits. Permanent residency Australia is granted through the 189 and 190 starts on the day the visa is granted, so your citizenship clock begins there. Check the current window on the Home Affairs processing times tool and see our PR processing time guide.
SkillSelect is the Home Affairs system where you lodge an Expression of Interest. Your EOI stays live for two years, and state governments can see it. Once invited, you have 60 days to lodge. Read the difference between EOI and ROI.
Yes, through the 189, which needs no sponsor. Invitations are competitive and usually require 85 to 95+ points. Below that, the 190 adds 5 points through state nomination, and the 491 adds 15 points through state or family sponsorship in a regional area.
MLTSSL governs the 189. State lists for the 190 draw on the MLTSSL and the STSOL. Regional lists cover the 491. The CSOL applies to employer-sponsored visas such as the 482 and 186, not to GSM. Verify the current lists at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au.
You can self-lodge. A MARA-registered migration agent reduces refusal risk by picking the right subclass, defending your points claim, running a state nomination strategy and managing the 60-day window. Verify any agent at mara.gov.au.
Book Your GSM Strategy Session
Thirty minutes gives you your real points score, your occupation's actual cutoff, the subclass most likely to invite you, and a clear timeline and cost.
The Migration follows the MARA Code of Conduct at every stage. No registered migration agent can guarantee a visa outcome.