Information current as of 11 October 2026.

The Australia PR points test 2026 still works on the same scale it has used since November 2019: you need at least 65 points to lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) for a Skilled Independent (subclass 189), Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) or Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa. What has changed is the competition and the policy outlook. On 17 September 2026 the Minister for Home Affairs announced that the points test has been redesigned with Treasury, and new processing priorities started two days later. This guide sets out the current points table factor by factor, shows how to count your score correctly, and explains what the announced redesign does and does not change yet.

Key facts at a glance

• Minimum score: 65 points to submit an EOI in SkillSelect. Meeting the minimum does not guarantee an invitation.
• Visas that use the points test: 189, 190 and 491 (plus some closed legacy visas).
• When points are counted: at the time you are invited, not when you lodge your EOI.
• Age: you must be under 45 at invitation. The maximum 30 points go to ages 25 to 32.
• English: Competent English earns 0 points, Proficient 10, Superior 20. New score thresholds apply to tests taken on or after 7 August 2025.
• Nomination points: 5 points for a 190 state or territory nomination, 15 points for a 491 nomination or eligible family sponsorship.
• Points test redesign: announced on 17 September 2026. No new points table and no start date have been published, so the current table still applies.
• Processing priorities: Ministerial Direction 122 has governed the processing order for 189, 190 and 491 applications since 19 September 2026.

How the Australia PR points test works

The points test is set out in Schedule 6D of the Migration Regulations 1994. You claim points in your EOI, and SkillSelect ranks EOIs within each occupation. When Home Affairs runs an invitation round (for the 189 and for family-sponsored 491), it invites the highest-ranked EOIs first. Where scores are tied, the earlier date of effect (the date you reached your current score) wins. State and territory governments run their own selection for the 190 and state-nominated 491, and they often weigh occupation demand, work in the state and other criteria alongside points.

Two rules catch people out. First, every claim must be true at the moment of invitation, and you must be able to prove it with documents when you lodge. Second, once invited, you generally have 60 days to lodge the visa application, and your claims are assessed against your circumstances on the invitation date. If you over-claim, the application can be refused, and your invitation is not reissued.

The current points table (2026)

The table below reflects the points test that applies to 189, 190 and 491 invitations as of the date of this article. Always cross-check with the official Home Affairs points table for the 189 visa before you submit an EOI.

Age (at invitation)

Age	Points
18 to 24	25
25 to 32	30
33 to 39	25
40 to 44	15
45 and over	Not eligible to be invited

English language

Level	Points	IELTS (each band)	PTE Academic, tests on or after 7 Aug 2025 (L / R / W / S)
Competent	0	6	47 / 48 / 51 / 54
Proficient	10	7	58 / 59 / 69 / 76
Superior	20	8	69 / 70 / 85 / 88

Competent English is a threshold requirement for these visas, so it earns no points. Home Affairs publishes the full score tables for IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, OET, Cambridge C1 Advanced and other accepted tests on its Superior English and Proficient English pages. Fully online, at-home versions of tests (such as IELTS Online and TOEFL iBT Home Edition) are not accepted. If you sat PTE before 7 August 2025, the older thresholds apply to that result (65 in each component for Proficient, 79 in each for Superior).

Skilled employment (last 10 years before invitation)

Overseas employment	Points	Australian employment	Points
Less than 3 years	0	Less than 1 year	0
3 to less than 5 years	5	1 to less than 3 years	5
5 to less than 8 years	10	3 to less than 5 years	10
8 to 10 years	15	5 to less than 8 years	15
		8 to 10 years	20

Employment must be in your nominated occupation or a closely related one, at least 20 hours a week, and within the 10 years before invitation. Combined overseas and Australian employment points are capped at 20.

Qualifications and other factors

Factor	Points
Doctorate from an Australian institution, or a recognised overseas doctorate	20
Bachelor degree or higher (including a Master's) from an Australian institution, or a recognised overseas equivalent	15
Diploma or trade qualification completed in Australia	10
Award or qualification recognised by your assessing authority for your occupation	10
Specialist education: Master's by research or Doctorate from an Australian institution in an eligible STEM or ICT field, with at least 2 academic years of study	10
Australian study requirement met	5
Professional Year in Australia (at least 12 months in the 4 years before invitation)	5
Credentialled community language (NAATI)	5
Study in regional Australia	5

You only claim your single highest qualification under the qualifications factor. The other items in this table stack on top of it.

Partner and nomination points

Situation	Points
Single, or your partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident	10
Partner is under 45, has Competent English and a suitable skills assessment in an occupation on the same list as yours	10
Partner has Competent English only	5
Nominated by a state or territory for a subclass 190	5
Nominated by a state or territory, or sponsored by an eligible relative, for a subclass 491	15

How to calculate your Australia PR points step by step

1. Get your skills assessment first. Your assessing authority (for example ACS for ICT, Engineers Australia for engineers, or VETASSESS for many general occupations) decides whether your qualification is comparable to an Australian one and, critically, from what date your work counts as skilled. Only employment after that date earns points.
2. Work out your age on the likely invitation date. If you turn 33 or 40 in the next few months, your score may drop by 5 or 10 points before you are invited.
3. Count English points from a valid test. The test must have been taken within the 3 years before invitation, in each component, not as an overall score.
4. Count employment conservatively. Use only the period your assessing authority has deemed skilled, exclude periods under 20 hours a week, and stop at the 20-point combined cap.
5. Add your highest qualification and any bonus factors (Australian study, specialist education, Professional Year, NAATI CCL, regional study).
6. Add partner points based on your status at invitation.
7. Add nomination points only for the visa you are being considered for: 5 for a 190, 15 for a 491. Your 189 score has no nomination points.
8. Submit the EOI and keep it updated. An EOI stays in SkillSelect for 2 years. If you gain points (a better English result, another year of experience), update it so your date of effect and ranking move.

You can also run your claims through the official Home Affairs points calculator, which covers the 189, 190 and 491.

Worked examples for India and Malaysia applicants

Example 1: Software engineer in Bengaluru, age 29

Factor	Points
Age 29	30
PTE Academic at Proficient level	10
6 years of experience, of which ACS deems 4 years skilled	5
Bachelor of Technology, assessed as comparable	15
Married, partner has Competent English only	5
Total for 189	65
Total with 190 nomination	70
Total with 491 nomination	80

This applicant meets the minimum but would usually struggle to receive a 189 invitation in a competitive ICT occupation. Moving from Proficient to Superior English adds 10 points, which is often the fastest lever for applicants in India.

Example 2: Malaysian accountant who studied in Melbourne, age 26

Factor	Points
Age 26	30
IELTS 8 in each band (Superior)	20
Australian Master of Professional Accounting	15
Australian study requirement	5
Professional Year in accounting	5
NAATI CCL in Mandarin	5
Single	10
Total for 189	90

Malaysian passport holders are not exempt from English testing, so a Superior score is a major part of this profile. Graduates in this position often bridge the gap on a subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa while building Australian work experience, which adds further points over time.

189 vs 190 vs 491: how points play differently

	Subclass 189	Subclass 190	Subclass 491
Visa type	Permanent	Permanent	Provisional (5 years), with a pathway to permanent residence
Nomination points	None	5	15
Who selects you	Home Affairs invitation rounds	State or territory government	State or territory, or Home Affairs for family-sponsored
Where you live	Anywhere in Australia	Nominating state commitment	Designated regional area
Main competition factor	Points and date of effect within occupation	Points plus state criteria	Points plus regional and state criteria

Because the 189 offers no nomination points, it is usually the most competitive of the three. Home Affairs publishes the minimum score invited for each occupation after every round on its SkillSelect invitation rounds page. Check those results for your occupation rather than relying on predictions.

The new points test announced in September 2026: what is confirmed

In a National Press Club address on 17 September 2026, the Minister for Home Affairs said the points test had been redone in consultation with Treasury to get the best economic return from the permanent skilled program. Two specific points were confirmed in the published speech:

• The new test will let the government select particular skills for an uplift, so they score as if they were a higher qualification.
• On implementation, people skilled in the housing trades will receive the same points as a university qualification. Under the current table that is the difference between 10 and 15 points.

What has not been published as of 11 October 2026:

• A start date.
• A new points table or a new pass mark.
• The list of occupations that count as housing trades.
• Any transitional rules for EOIs already in SkillSelect.

The review began with a Home Affairs discussion paper released on 24 April 2024. Many websites now present specific future scores, such as a higher pass mark or the removal of Australian study points, as settled. None of those details had been confirmed in official material at the time of writing. Until a legislative instrument changes Schedule 6D, the current table applies to every invitation.

For a wider summary of the other changes announced the same day, see our guide to Australia's new migration rules from September 2026.

Processing priorities after invitation (Ministerial Direction 122)

Your points decide whether you are invited. Once you lodge, a separate rule decides how quickly your application is processed. From 19 September 2026, Ministerial Direction 122 replaced Direction 119 for the 186, 187, 189, 190, 191, 491, 494 and other skilled visas. The order is:

1. Applications in construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources, or in law enforcement or defence interests.
2. Applicants who were in Australia when they lodged.
3. Primary applicants who were offshore at lodgement and whose application is not combined with another person's application at any time.
4. All other applications.

Priority affects the order of processing, not eligibility. A software engineer applying from Chennai with a partner and children included will usually sit in the last group, so plan for longer waits.

Common mistakes that cost points or cause refusals

• Counting experience before your skilled date. If ACS or another assessing authority deducts years before your work is deemed skilled, those years earn nothing.
• Ignoring birthdays. Turning 33 or 40 before invitation removes 5 or 10 points, and turning 45 removes eligibility altogether.
• Letting documents expire. English tests must fall within 3 years of invitation, and skills assessments have their own validity periods (often 3 years, sometimes less).
• Claiming partner points without evidence. A partner's English test and skills assessment must exist at invitation, not be arranged afterwards.
• Overstating hours or duties. Employment references must match the tasks of your nominated ANZSCO occupation and show at least 20 hours a week.
• Using an online, at-home English test. These results are not accepted for visa purposes.
• Relying on unofficial cut-off predictions. Check published round results for your occupation and state nomination criteria.
• Not updating the EOI. New points only count once your EOI reflects them.

Ways to increase your points in 2026

• Improve English: moving from Proficient to Superior adds 10 points, usually faster than adding work experience.
• Add a partner skills assessment: a partner under 45 with Competent English and a positive assessment on the same occupation list can add 5 points over the Competent-English-only claim.
• Sit the NAATI CCL test: 5 points if your language is offered.
• Complete a Professional Year: available in accounting, ICT and engineering for eligible Australian graduates.
• Consider state nomination: a 190 adds 5 points and a 491 adds 15, and state criteria may suit your profile better than 189 competition.
• Keep working: crossing the 3, 5 or 8 year marks of skilled employment moves you up a band.

How EazyViza can help

EazyViza is backed by Collins Quarters, a migration and commercial law firm with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Chennai and Kuala Lumpur. Our team works with skilled applicants in India, Malaysia and onshore in Australia at each stage of the points-tested process:

• A skilled migration pathway assessment that checks your real points score against the evidence you hold.
• Skills assessment help, including how your assessing authority is likely to treat your experience.
• EOI and SkillSelect preparation so every claim is supportable on the invitation date.
• Lodgement support for the subclass 189 and subclass 190 once you are invited.

Not sure where you stand? Start with our free eligibility checker.

Disclaimer

This article is general information, current as of 11 October 2026, and is not legal advice. Australian migration law and policy change often, and the redesigned points test may change the scores above once it is implemented. Check the Department of Home Affairs website or speak with a registered migration agent or lawyer before you make decisions about your visa.