Australia PR Points Calculator 2026: 189, 190 and 491

To lodge an Expression of Interest for a skilled visa you need at least 65 points on Australia’s points test, and in practice most successful 189 candidates score much higher. The free calculator below adds up your points for the Skilled Independent (subclass 189), Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) and Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visas, using the points table that applies today. The government has announced a reform of the points test but, as of our check, no new point values or start date have been legislated, so the current table still governs.

Australia PR points calculator (189, 190 and 491)

Choose the option that matches each category. The tool shows your points for each visa and what you could add. It uses the current points table, so use it as a guide and check your own details with the Department of Home Affairs, a skills assessing authority or a registered migration agent.

What is the points test?

The points test is how Australia scores people who apply for the main skilled permanent and provisional visas without an employer sponsor. You submit an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect, claiming points for age, English, work, study and other factors. Home Affairs then invites the highest-ranked people to apply, and you must be able to prove every point you claimed at the visa application stage. Our guides to the skilled occupation list and skills assessment and state nomination visas cover the steps around it.

The points table (current)

The English bands for Proficient and Superior are commonly met with IELTS 7 or PTE 65, and IELTS 8 or PTE 79, in each skill. See our guides on the PTE Proficient score for PR and PTE score requirements for the 189 visa.

Points by visa: 189, 190 and 491

Worked examples

These are invented profiles for illustration. Profile D is below 65 for a 189 but could reach the pass mark with a 491, or by lifting English from Competent to Proficient, which adds 10 points. Remember that age points depend on your age when you are invited, so a birthday can move you into a lower band.

65 points is not enough: what scores get invited?

Meeting 65 only allows you to submit an EOI. Invitations are ranked by points and by the date you reached that score, and the cut-off varies a lot by occupation. Migration agencies reported lowest invited scores in the 15 October 2026 round ranging from 65 for some trades such as carpenters, bricklayers and electricians, to 70 to 75 for registered nurses, 75 to 80 for secondary school teachers and economists, 85 for architects and actuaries, and 100 for electronics engineers. These are agency reports rather than official Department figures, because the Department had not published occupation cut-offs when we checked. The 4 June 2026 round invited about 10,000 people, and invitees from 15 October must lodge by 14 December 2026.

State nomination programs for 190 and 491 are also moving targets. Reports in October 2026 said Victoria had not yet opened its 2026-27 program, NSW had closed its 491 program for the year, and the Northern Territory was not accepting new 190 or offshore applications. Check each state’s website. Our state nomination guide explains how they choose.

How to increase your points

• Improve your English. Moving from Competent to Proficient is worth 10 points, and to Superior worth 20. It is often the cheapest and fastest increase.
• Complete a Professional Year. It adds 5 points if you finish it in Australia in the last 4 years, and many accounting, IT and engineering graduates do it.
• Get a skills assessment and count your experience correctly. Only skilled employment in your nominated occupation, or a closely related one, counts, and your assessing authority must agree.
• Study in a regional area. That can add 5 points if you meet the regional study rules.
• Get your partner assessed. A partner with a positive skills assessment and competent English adds 10, and competent English alone adds 5.
• Consider NAATI accreditation. The credentialled community language test adds 5 points for people who speak a community language.
• Go for state nomination. A 190 or 491 can add 5 or 15 points, but each state sets its own criteria.
• Mind your age band. If you are close to a band change, plan your EOI date so you are invited before it changes.

Common mistakes

• Claiming points you cannot prove. Everything must be backed by documents when you apply. Claiming points that do not apply can lead to refusal.
• Counting unskilled or unassessed work. Only skilled employment counts, and it generally needs to be at least 20 hours a week.
• Thinking 65 means you will be invited. It only means you can lodge an EOI.
• Ignoring the age at invitation rule. Your age at the date of invitation is what counts.
• Forgetting that the EOI can lapse. An EOI generally expires after two years, so check yours.
• Using an outdated table. Points rules changed in 2019 and a new reform is coming, so use a current source.

If you are an international student

Many international students build their points through an Australian degree, a Professional Year, regional study and English. If your goal is permanent residency, plan these steps early and read our pathway guides for IT and engineering graduates and trade and TAFE graduates. After study, many graduates use the Temporary Graduate visa (485) to gain experience, and some move to an employer-sponsored visa instead of a points-tested one.

Sources and further reading

• Department of Home Affairs, SkillSelect points table (official)
• Department of Home Affairs, SkillSelect
• IDP, Points test reform 2026: what is confirmed and what is not
• TooRoo Migration Lawyers, Federal Budget flags reform to the skilled migration points test
• NRI Affairs, Australia’s 2026 migration changes: what is law and what is proposed
• VisaPlan, SkillSelect invitation rounds October 2026 (agency-reported scores)
• Onederland, Australia PR points table

Last checked 19 October 2026. The Department of Home Affairs points table page could not be opened by our research tools, so the point values come from the long-standing points table (in force since 16 November 2019) and are consistent with migration agency summaries that say the current test still applies. Invitation scores are agency reports, not official minimums. Rules and reform details can change, so confirm every point with the Department or a registered migration agent. This is general information, not migration advice.

Related guides

More on PR pathways: state nomination visas (190 and 491), skilled occupation list and skills assessment, PTE for PR and Australian citizenship.

Frequently Asked Questions