To qualify for an Australian work visa, you generally need a positive skills assessment in an occupation on a current government list, competent English, health and character clearances, and either 65 or more points on the General Skilled Migration points test or a sponsoring employer or nominating state. Australia work visa requirements shift depending on which subclass fits your situation, so the first decision is choosing the right pathway before you spend money on assessments and tests.
Which Work Visa Fits Your Situation
The Department of Home Affairs runs Australia’s skilled migration program under the Migration Act 1958. Five subclasses cover most skilled workers, and they split into two streams: points-tested and employer- or state-driven.
- Skilled Independent (subclass 189) is a permanent visa for skilled workers with no employer sponsor or state nomination. You need at least 65 points, an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect, and an invitation to apply. The base application charge starts at AUD 4,910.
- Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) is also permanent but requires nomination by an Australian state or territory. State nomination adds 5 points, which can lift borderline applicants over the threshold.
- Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) is provisional. It requires nomination by a state or territory or sponsorship by an eligible family member in a designated regional area, adds 15 points, and obliges you to live and work regionally for up to five years before you can apply for the permanent subclass 191.
- Skills in Demand (subclass 482) is a temporary employer-sponsored visa lasting up to four years. Your employer must be an approved sponsor nominating you for a role they cannot fill locally. The base charge starts at AUD 3,210.
- Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) is a permanent employer-sponsored visa with three streams: Direct Entry, Labour Agreement, and Temporary Residence Transition, the last of which is for workers already on a subclass 457 or 482 who have spent at least two years with their sponsor.
Subclasses 189, 190, and 491 flow through the same SkillSelect Expression of Interest system and share most eligibility rules. The employer-sponsored routes (482 and 186) skip the points test but carry their own salary and nomination conditions.
Core Eligibility Every Skilled Applicant Must Meet
An Occupation on a Current List
Your occupation must appear on a relevant list maintained by the Department of Home Affairs. The main lists in use are the Core Skills Occupation List, the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List, the Short-term Skilled Occupation List, and the Regional Occupation List. Which list your occupation sits on decides which subclasses are open to you.
A Positive Skills Assessment
Every occupation is tied to a designated assessing authority, and it is your job to contact them and complete their process. Assessments involve a detailed review of your qualifications and employment history against Australian standards; some authorities also require practical examinations or professional interviews.
A skills assessment is valid for three years from the date of issue unless the assessing authority states a shorter period. Even if the authority states a longer validity, the Department caps it at three years. The assessment must still be valid when the Department invites you to apply, so timing your assessment against your likely place in the SkillSelect pool matters.
Competent English at Minimum
At the time of invitation, you need at least “competent” English. For IELTS, that means a score of at least 6 in each of listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Competent English earns zero points; “proficient” (IELTS 7 in each band) adds 10 points, and “superior” (IELTS 8 in each band) adds 20. The Department accepts scores from several providers, including IELTS Academic, IELTS General Training, and PTE Academic, and results must be recent at the time of application.
Health Clearance
You must complete a medical examination with a panel physician approved by the Department. The exam screens for communicable diseases and estimates whether any health condition you have would impose significant costs on Australia’s healthcare system. The current Significant Cost Threshold is AUD 86,000. If the Department estimates your care would exceed that figure over the relevant period, your application can be refused on health grounds unless you qualify for a waiver. Examination fees vary by country and by the tests the panel physician requests.
Character Clearance
You need police clearance certificates from every country where you have lived for 12 months or more during the past 10 years, each covering the period from when you turned 16. Under section 501 of the Migration Act 1958, a “substantial criminal record” includes a sentence of imprisonment of 12 months or more, including suspended or periodic sentences. Failing the character test gives the Minister or a delegate power to refuse or cancel a visa. Providing false or misleading information is treated separately and can trigger cancellation and future bans, so full disclosure is safer than an omission that later surfaces.
How the Points Test Works
The points test applies to subclasses 189, 190, and 491. Sixty-five points is the floor, not a pass mark. The Department runs regular invitation rounds and selects the highest scorers, so in competitive occupations the practical cutoff sits well above 65.
Age
You must be under 45 at the time of invitation. Applicants aged 45 or older at that moment are ineligible for points-tested visas entirely, and no other factor compensates. Points by age bracket:
- 25 to 32: 30 points
- 18 to 24: 25 points
- 33 to 39: 25 points
- 40 to 44: 15 points
If you turn 45 after lodging your Expression of Interest but before receiving an invitation, you lose eligibility.
Work Experience
Points come from overseas and Australian employment, capped at a combined 20 points. Only work in your nominated or a closely related occupation counts, only the past 10 years count, and “employment” means at least 20 hours per week of paid work.
Overseas experience: 5 points for three to five years, 10 points for five to eight years, 15 points for eight or more years. Australian experience: 5 points for one to three years, 10 for three to five, 15 for five to eight, and 20 for eight or more. Australian experience is weighted more heavily.
Extras That Can Lift Your Score
State nomination on a subclass 190 adds 5 points. Regional nomination or eligible family sponsorship on a subclass 491 adds 15. Pushing English from competent to proficient adds 10 points, and reaching superior adds 20. For applicants close to the threshold, these are often the fastest levers.
The SkillSelect Invitation Process
For points-tested visas you cannot lodge whenever you like. You submit an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect with your personal details, skills assessment result, English scores, and work history; the system calculates your points automatically. If you meet 65 points you enter the pool. The Department runs regular invitation rounds and picks the highest scorers.
Once invited, you have 60 days to submit a full application through ImmiAccount. You can update your EOI before invitation if your circumstances change, for example a stronger English result or additional qualifying experience.
Employer-Sponsored Requirements
The employer-sponsored pathway starts with your employer, not with you. They must be an approved sponsor and nominate you for a specific position they cannot fill with an Australian worker.
For the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), the streams are Core Skills, Specialist Skills, and Labour Agreement. Core Skills requires your occupation to sit on the Core Skills Occupation List. Specialist Skills covers certain major ANZSCO groups where the nominated salary meets a higher income threshold. The Labour Agreement stream applies when the employer has a formal agreement with the Australian government.
Salary is a hard requirement. Employer-sponsored nominations lodged between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026 must meet the Core Skills Income Threshold of AUD 76,515 per year. That threshold is scheduled to rise to AUD 79,499 for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026. Employer-sponsored applicants still need to meet the same English, health, and character requirements as points-tested applicants; only the points test itself is bypassed.
Documents To Gather Before You Lodge
Missing paperwork is the most avoidable cause of delay. Start collecting well in advance.
- Certified copies of your current passport bio-page and birth certificate.
- The positive result letter from your designated assessing authority.
- Official score reports from an accepted English test provider.
- Academic transcripts and degree certificates supporting your skills assessment.
- Work experience evidence: pay records, tax returns, and detailed reference letters on company letterhead specifying your job title, duties, hours, and dates of employment.
- Police clearance certificates from every country where you lived for 12 months or more in the past 10 years.
- Health examination results from a Department-approved panel physician.
- Form 80 (Personal Particulars for Assessment Including Character Assessment).
- Form 1221 (Additional Personal Particulars Information), required for applicants aged 16 and over.
Any document not originally in English needs a certified translation from an accredited provider. Upload everything in high-resolution digital format; blurry scans and incomplete translations are among the most common reasons applications stall.
Lodging Through ImmiAccount and What Comes Next
All applications go through ImmiAccount, the Department’s secure online portal, where you upload forms, upload documents, and pay the visa application charge in one transaction. The base charge for a subclass 189 starts at AUD 4,910 for the primary applicant; a subclass 482 starts at AUD 3,210. Additional charges apply for partners and dependent children.
Processing times vary by subclass. As of early 2026, the median for permanent skilled visas sits around 9 months, and temporary skilled visas around 87 days. These are medians. Complex cases, incomplete documentation, or extra health or character checks can push timelines beyond those figures. The outcome comes through ImmiAccount, and a granted visa is linked digitally to your passport with no physical label.
Workplace Rights Once You Are Working
One boundary worth knowing before you arrive: your employer cannot cancel your visa. Only the Department of Home Affairs can grant, refuse, or cancel one. Every worker in Australia has the same minimum workplace rights regardless of visa status, and the Fair Work Ombudsman enforces them. If you experience workplace exploitation, the Ombudsman’s Assurance Protocol generally protects you from visa cancellation for work-related condition breaches that arose from that exploitation, provided you cooperate and commit to following your visa conditions going forward.