State nomination: the 190 and 491 routes, explained
If you're short of points for the independent route, an Australian state can nominate you — for 5 or 15 extra points. How the nomination works, what states expect of you, how the 20,350 places of 2025–26 are divided among the states and why this is the least predictable part of the journey.
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Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
Whoever adds up their points and comes out below the practical threshold of the independent route isn't out of the game. Australia has two routes in which a state or territory nominates you, that is: puts you forward. And that nomination is worth points:
- 5 extra with the 190. That visa is permanent, with the expectation that you live there for the first two years.
- 15 extra with the 491. That visa is five years provisional, in a regional area, with a path to permanent residence afterwards.
How the three routes relate to each other is an article in itself. This piece is about how you get that nomination.
Eight programmes, no single counter
Here lies the essential difference from the rest of the journey: there is no central procedure. Every state and every territory has its own nomination programme, with its own occupation list, its own requirements and its own calendar. What New South Wales asks says nothing about what South Australia asks, and an occupation that is in demand in one state isn't even on the list in another.
Moreover, states work with quotas. Each programme year Home Affairs allocates a number of nomination places per state, and some programmes close as soon as their quota is full. For 2025–26 the Australian government set the total on 4 November 2025 at 20,350 places. Such an allocation is the number of new primary applicants a state may nominate, not the number of visas granted.
| State or territory | 190 | 491 |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 2,100 | 1,500 |
| Victoria | 2,700 | 700 |
| Queensland | 1,850 | 750 |
| Western Australia | 2,000 | 1,400 |
| South Australia | 1,350 | 900 |
| Tasmania | 1,200 | 650 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 800 | 800 |
| Northern Territory | 850 | 800 |
| Total | 12,850 | 7,500 |
So timing is no detail here: a state that opens in July can be closed by spring, and the small territories have proportionally the most 491 places.
What states want from you
The common denominator in what nomination programmes ask, in ascending weight:
- Your occupation on their list, often with extra requirements on top of the national ones: more years of experience, or a higher language-test score than the minimum.
- Commitment to the state. The 190 expects you to live and work there for the first two years; states test whether that is plausible. Applying for jobs in that state, family there, or an earlier stay all help.
- Sometimes a job offer or demonstrable funds, especially with the 491, where regional employers and communities weigh in.
And one thing you need to know with it. In your Expression of Interest, the registration with which you compete for an invitation, you indicate which states you are open to. But it is the state that chooses you, not the other way round. You can improve the odds; you can't force it.
Don't promise anything you don't intend. Whoever gets nominated by a state where they never want to live signs up for an expectation they are going to break. That builds their permanent residence on a false start. Choose the states where you can really settle, and let the rest go.
What you get if it works
The 190 is a permanent visa. You may:
- stay in Australia indefinitely;
- work and study anywhere;
- enrol in Medicare, the public health insurance;
- sponsor relatives;
- and, when you're ready, become a citizen.
One thing does expire: the travel component. Five years after the grant you need a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) to re-enter as a permanent resident.
After the invitation you have 60 calendar days to apply, without extension. An invitation can come up to two years after the Expression of Interest.
How to approach this in practice
Start with your occupation: look up which states have your occupation on their list (the searchable ANZSCO tool from the occupation-list check shows that per occupation). Then read those states' own migration sites. The requirements are there verbatim, including whether the programme is open. And recalculate your points per candidate state, with the bonus.
Plan in a margin for it. The processing time of a nomination varies strongly per state and per round, and this is honestly the least predictable part of the whole journey. Precisely for that reason it pays to have your documents and language test in order before you approach the states. A candidate who can submit as soon as the state says yes is a more attractive candidate.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.2: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Australia or go straight to step 4.2 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Home Affairs — subclass 190, State Nominated: permanent, five years of travel rights, then a Resident Return visa — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Home Affairs — subclass 491, Skilled Work Regional — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Home Affairs — nomination allocations per state and territory, 20,350 for 2025–26 — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
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