Queensland Open Borders for Subclasses 491 and 190

Migration Queensland is a Queensland State Government agency. It’s responsible for nominating skilled and business visas. Queensland is city of safe and clean environment. It encourages skilled migrants to come to the state to live and work. Queensland has a strong economy with a responsible government. It provides many amazing work opportunities to domestic and overseas people.

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused many Australian states to be closed. However, Queensland open borders for subclasses 190 and 491.

Program Updates

Due to nomination allocation (quotas) being met, the State Nomination Program opens and closes periodically in Queensland. However, Queensland open borders for Skilled Nominated visa and skilled Work Regional visa. Migrant Queensland will remain open for the Skilled Migration program 2021–22 until the nomination allocation (quota) is filled.

Applications will not be processed during Christmas. However, the program will remain open. Migration Queensland will be approving only “decision-ready” applications for the Skilled Migration Program. Applications will not be considered if they are incomplete or contain out-of-date documents.

The Queensland skilled migration program is highly competitive. It has a limited number of nomination quotas. It isn’t guaranteed that you will be selected for the state nomination. Therefore, you should consider other migration options as well.

Queensland Eligibility Criteria for Subclasses 190 and 491

190 visa is for the skilled nominated workers. It permits skilled employees to live and work in Australia permanently. While the Skilled Work Regional Visa 190 is a provisional visa.

It allows skilled workers nominated by state/territory to live and work in regional Australia. Subclass 491 visa holders can apply for the Australian PR after 3 years from when their visa is granted.

Graduates of a Queensland University

As Queensland open borders for visa 491 and 190 visa holders. Therefore, graduates are eligible for a visa 491 only if they have a Ph.D. from Queensland. Whereas if you want to be eligible for a subclass 190, you must meet the “Skilled Workers Living in Queensland” criteria.

However, the application process will be limited to onshore applicants working in Queensland.

Criteria to Apply for Subclasses 190 and 491

PhD graduates applying for subclass visa 190 and 491 must have an occupation on LIN 19/051. They must have completed 100% of the course in Queensland. Further, they must have made a decision on a thesis or graduated within the last 2 years.

491 Visa Conditions for Masters and Bachelor Graduates

According to the eligibility criteria for subclass 491, Masters and Bachelor graduates must;

Have an occupation listed on LIN 19/051.
Graduated from a Queensland university.
Have completed 100% of the course
Have a 6.0 GPA or higher
Be proficient in the English language
Have work experience in a nominated or closely related occupation. They must have worked at least 3 months and 40 hours per week.
Have a job offer of at least 20 hours per week for 12 months.

Labour Hire Employment

Ensure that if a labour hire employment hires you, it must be registered in Queensland. Labor hire providers in Queensland must be licensed under the Labor Hire Licensing Act 2017. This includes companies that supply workers to Queensland from interstate or overseas.

You must provide evidence that your labour hire company fulfills the registration requirements. Moreover, an official statement of service must be written by the company you’ve been placed within.

Application Procedure

Step 1

Visit the Department of Home Affairs website and the Migration Queensland website to review your eligibility criteria, visa conditions, and document checklist. Make sure that you meet the eligibility for both the Department of Home Affairs and Migration Queensland.

You must have all the required documents. The application must include proof of registration, if necessary for the occupation.

Step 2

You have to submit your Expression of Interest (EOI) for Queensland State Nomination. Be sure that your EOI contains all your details, including your work experience. However, applicants who choose Queensland as their state of nomination will be prioritized.

Step 3

Migration Queensland evaluates all EOIs that comply with Home Affairs and Migration Queensland’s criteria. Successful applicants will be invited by email to apply and provide the necessary documents.

Furthermore, your documents must be uploaded via the Document Portal link provided in your invitation email. You can submit a single document per file. In case if you’ve multiple documents, then compile all of them in one file.

Step 4

Once you receive your invitation from Migration Queensland, you have to upload the required documentation. Pay the application fee to finalize your application. Though, the application is non-refundable. Don’t pay your application fee until you have been invited and have uploaded all your documents.

Then Migration Queensland will assess your application. Moreover, it may ask for more information if required.

Your application must be finalized within 14 days of the date of invitation. If you are unable to provide the relevant information within time, your application will be closed. You’ll have to submit a new Expression of Interest to get the Queensland nomination.

Step 5

Submit the Expression of Interest carefully. If Migration Queensland approves your application, the Department of Home Affairs will invite you to apply for the visa. You’ll have to apply within 60 days. As you’ll not be able to apply again for 6 months if you make any mistake in your submitted EOI.

Documentation for Migration Queensland

Ensure you have a thorough understanding of the application process. You must meet the criteria for both Home Affairs and Migration Queensland to apply for a visa. Prepare all the required documents before submitting your Expression of Interest (EOI).

Here’s the document checklist for Migration Queensland;

State Nomination Application Form
Skills assessment
Settlement Funds Declaration form
Bank statement
Onshore commitment statement template
Evidence of residency in Queensland may include the Australian identification card, bill, or current lease agreement.
Statement of Service (Bachelor and Masters)
Payslips x 3 – beginning, middle and current for whatever period applying for, i.e. 3 or 6 months (Bachelor and Masters)
Job offer for a year (20 hours per week) (Bachelor and Masters)
PAYG/Income Statement or ATO Notification Assessment (Bachelor and Masters)
Extract of Superannuation showing employer contributions (Bachelor and Masters)
Academic Transcript (with GPA)
Passport Bio Page
Completion letter from Institute
Thesis or graduation certificate

If you fulfill the requirements for Queensland State Nomination so, Migration Queensland will invite you to submit further documents.

Skilled Workers Living in Queensland

Queensland Ph.D. graduates and skilled onshore workers may apply for visa 190. As we know, Queensland open borders for international traveling. The Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) allows people to work for 5 years in regional Queensland.

It allows the skilled employees to live and work in the state permanently. Visa 491 also provides a pathway to permanent residency in Australia.

You can work for one or more employers and work as a part-time employee for two employers. Further, you can also run your own business.

Watch South Australia is inviting offshore applicants | Queensland open for Onshore | Big updates for more details!

Applicable Regions

Queensland open borders for visa 190 and visa 491. Therefore, if you want to apply for a 491 Regional Visa, you must live and work in one of the following postcodes:

4124–4125
4133
4183–4184
4207–4275
4280–4287
4306–4498
4507
4517–4519
4550–4575
4580–4895

You’ll not be eligible for the visa 190 if you currently hold or have applied for the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa 491.

Eligibility Criteria

You must meet the Australian Department of Home Affairs and Migration Queensland criteria according to your visa category. As it can help you to be eligible for Queensland nomination.

According to the Department of Home Affairs criteria, you must;

Obtain a points-test score of 65 or higher, including state nomination points
Have a positive skills assessment for your nominated occupation.
Be under 45 years
The minimum level of English language competency is a must unless your assessing authority requires a higher level.
Submit further documents if you receive the invitation to apply for subclass 491 or 190 visas.

Migration Queensland requires you to;

Score 80 or higher on your points-test for subclass 190 and 65 or higher for subclass 491. Though, Migration Queensland will make its selections based on the highest points for each occupation.
Have an occupation listed on Home Affairs’ relevant list of eligible skilled occupations (LIN 19/051).
Be proficient in the English language.
Your job description in Queensland must have involved working at least 35 hours per week for the past 6 months in your nominated occupation. You must provide these details before submitting Expression of Interest (EOI) for subclass 190.
Before submitting your EOI for visa 491, ensure that you’ve been working full-time in your nominated occupation (minimum of 35 hours per week) for the past 3 months.
Provide proof that you’ll be working full-time for the next 12 months with a registered Queensland employer for a minimum of 35 hours per week. Moreover, applicants for a 491 visa qld must have ongoing employment in a regional area.
Visa 190 requires you to live and work in Queensland for 2 years. On the other side, the 491 visa requires you to stay for 3 years.

Documents for Skilled Workers

Queensland open borders for Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa and Skilled Nominated visa. However, make sure to review the document checklist for skilled workers for Migration Queensland.

It includes;

State Nomination Application form
Skills assessment
Settlement Funds Declaration form
Bank statement to show that you meet the Migration Queensland settlements funds requirements.
Onshore commitment statement template
Employment contract of at least 12 months and 35 hours per week
3 payslips (one each from the beginning, middle, and current. It depends on the length of the required period i.e., 3 or 6 months.
Evidence of licensing or registration (for Primary and Secondary Teachers only)
Statement of service (employment reference) to prove that you meet the requirements for work experience.
Evidence of residency in Queensland. It could either be a current lease agreement, bill, or Australian identification card.
Proof to show that your labour hire company is registered in Queensland.
PAYG/Income Statement or ATO Notification Assessment
Passport Bio Page
Extract of Superannuation showing employer contributions

If Migration Queensland invites you to submit an application, you will receive copies of the State Nomination Application, Settlement Funds Declaration Form and onshore commitment statement.

491 – Small Business Owners Pathway

The 491 Small Business Owners Pathway is now open. However, you’ve to provide your Expression of Interest to submit a 491 – Small Business Owners Assessment Form.

Changes from 1st of April 2021

Queensland open borders for subclass 491 and 190 visa. You can work or run a business on these visas in Queensland. Though, if you’ve purchased a pre-existing business, then it must;

have been in operation for 2 years rather than 1 year.
Instead of total investment in the business, the minimum purchase price should have been $100,000.

Commission agents or leasing agents of franchises (such as petrol stations) and entrepreneurs with home-based businesses (such as couriers and cleaning services) will not be considered.

These requirements do not apply to businesses purchased before 1 April 2021. The business must have been settled before the 1st of April. Moreover, you must have a valid contract for the business as well before this date.

New Criteria

Businesses that have been continuously running for at least 2 years can apply for the 491-SBO visa stream. It is also necessary for the business to generate profits. It must have a turnover of $200,000 in the 12 months before the application.

Queensland open borders for subclasses 491 and 190. You must follow the latest updates in visa requirements to be eligible for these visas.

Eligibility Criteria for SBO in Regional Queensland

Small Business Owners (SBO) is a pathway for skilled migrants running a small business in regional Queensland. The good news is that Queensland open borders for subclass 491 and 190 visas.

However, to apply for SBO in regional Queensland, you must have an occupation listed on Home Affairs Legislative Instrument LIN 19/051. Ensure that you must have a positive skills assessment in an occupation on LIN 19/051.

It’s important that you meet the eligibility criteria of the Department of Home Affairs and Migration Queensland. Queensland open borders for subclass 491 and 190 visas. Applicants are required to fulfill the requirements by the Department of Home Affairs.

According to Home Affairs criteria, you must;

Obtain a points-test score of 65 or higher, including state nomination points
Your nominated occupation must have a positive skills assessment.
Be under 45 years
The minimum level of English language competency is a must unless your assessing authority requires a higher level.
Submit further documents if you receive the invitation to apply for a subclass 491 visa qld.

As Queensland open borders for subclass 491 and 190 visas. There’s a specific eligibility criterion for Migration Queensland that require you to;

Have an occupation listed on the Legislative Instrument (LIN 19/051)
Have been operating a business for a minimum of 6 months prior to EOI or 2 years for a start-up
Hold a visa permitting you to work full-time and run a business for at least 35 hours per week.
Have purchased a pre-existing business in regional Queensland.
Have purchased a business for at least $100,000 or have operated a profitable start-up for at least 2 years with a turnover of $200,000.
Have 100% of business ownership.
Your business must be in operation for at least 6 months before application.
Have one Australian employee working at least 20 hours per week.
Provide evidence of sufficient settlement funds.

The Business Visas for Queensland

Currently, the Business Migration Program is open. The program will stay open until all of the quotas are taken.

Visa for Business Innovation and Investment (Temporary) (subclass 188)

The Business Innovation and Investment visa (subclass 188) is a state-nominated five-year temporary visa that can lead to the 188 Business Innovation visa ( permanent).

Please confirm that you meet the requirements for each subclass 188 visa stream in Queensland:

188: Business Innovation
188: Investor
188: Significant Investor
188: Entrepreneur: Not yet open; eligibility requirements will be announced in the coming months.

Applicants for Visa 188 who will be asked to upload supporting documents must do so within the two-week time frame given by BSMQ. If you don’t do that, the invitation could be canceled.

What to do now?

The Queensland Government has announced to open the state for visa 190 and visa 491. Queensland open borders for subclasses 491 and 190. Queensland Migration is currently open for Subclass 190 and Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (Subclass 491) visa.

Queensland has set specific criteria for the graduates and skilled workers wishing to obtain Visa 190 and 491. Applicants must be familiar with the application process for any of these visas.

However, if you need guidance in the application process, you can book your consultation with our consultancy firm!

Nasir Nawaz

I’m Nasir Nawaz. I’m a registered migration consultant in Australia. I am based in Sydney. I’ve studied Master of Laws at the University of New South Wales. I’m providing immigration services for several years.

Consult with me for legal advice on Australian visas to permanently live, study, and work in Australia.