Skilled migration
Subclass 189, 190, 491 and 191 — points-tested pathways where the work is done long before the invitation.
Skills assessment, points, invitation, visa
Skilled migration runs in a fixed order, and each stage constrains the next. A skills assessment obtained for the wrong occupation cannot be repurposed. Points claimed in an Expression of Interest must be provable at the date of invitation. Evidence assembled after the invitation is often too late to fix a defect that started two years earlier.
- Occupation and assessing authority — identifying the occupation your history actually supports, and which authority assesses it.
- Skills assessment — VETASSESS, ACS, Engineers Australia, IML, TRA or another body depending on the occupation.
- Points audit — testing every claim against the evidence you can produce.
- Expression of Interest — lodged in SkillSelect, with state or territory nomination where applicable.
- Visa application — within the period allowed after invitation.
Where these applications go wrong
- Reference letters that do not match ANZSCO. A letter that describes what you did in your employer's language, rather than in terms the assessing authority recognises, is the most common cause of a negative or partial assessment.
- Employment periods that cannot be evidenced. Assessing authorities want payslips, tax records and bank credits, not just a letter. Gaps between what a letter claims and what the payroll shows are treated seriously.
- Points claimed optimistically. Overstating skilled employment, partner skills or English is not a small error — it can engage PIC 4020 and carry a bar.
- Waiting for an invitation that will not come. If your score sits below where invitations are actually issuing for your occupation, the answer is usually a different pathway, not more patience.
Subclasses
| Subclass | What it is | Key features |
|---|---|---|
| 189 Skilled Independent |
Permanent residence without state or employer nomination. | Highest effective points needed; no location obligation. |
| 190 Skilled Nominated |
Permanent residence with nomination by a state or territory. | Additional points; state criteria and a commitment to that state. |
| 491 Skilled Work Regional |
Provisional visa via state nomination or eligible family sponsorship. | Regional live-and-work conditions; pathway to Subclass 191. |
| 191 Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) |
Permanent residence for holders of 491 or 494 who meet the residence and income requirements. | Requires a qualifying period in a designated regional area and evidence of income across the relevant income years. |
Reference letters and skills assessment support
Most of our skilled migration work is evidentiary. We draft reference letters that map genuine duties onto the ANZSCO description without overstating them, assemble the employment evidence in the form the assessing authority expects, and prepare project lists and organisational charts where the authority requires them.
Where an applicant's real work does not support the occupation they hoped for, we say so early. A negative assessment costs months and is visible to the Department afterwards.
Common questions
The pass mark is a floor, not a target. What matters is the score at which invitations are actually being issued for your occupation and subclass, and that moves with each round. We assess your realistic score, tell you where it sits against recent invitation patterns, and identify which points are worth pursuing — English, a partner's skills assessment, a professional year, or state nomination.
It is set by the occupation, not by preference. ICT occupations generally go to ACS, engineering to Engineers Australia, many professional and technical occupations to VETASSESS, management occupations to IML, trades to TRA, and nursing to ANMAC. Each has different evidentiary standards and different treatment of qualifications and experience, which is why the occupation decision has to come first.
This is common and usually solvable. A statutory declaration from a supervisor in their personal capacity, combined with payslips, tax records, contracts, position descriptions and work product, can carry an assessment. What does not work is a letter that says more than the person signing it is prepared to confirm if contacted — verification calls do happen.
Yes, as members of the family unit, and a partner's skills assessment and English can also add points to your claim. Both are worth testing early — a partner's assessment takes as long as yours and cannot be added after invitation.
Before the final year, not during it. The residence and income requirements are tested against documentary records that are easier to correct while you are still accruing them than to explain afterwards.
Find out where you actually stand.
Send your CV and qualifications. We will tell you which occupation your history supports, what your realistic score is, and whether it is worth pursuing.