Victoria's 190 and 491 Nomination for 2026-27: New Fees and the Victorian Points Test
Victoria's state nomination program for 2026-27 will charge new fees: $60 to submit a Registration of Interest (ROI) and $180 to apply for nomination for the Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) or Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa. GST is added if you're in Australia when you pay. Victoria has also published the full Victorian Points Test (VPT) it uses to rank every ROI, with the weighting of each factor and its priority industries.
It hasn't opened yet, though. Live in Melbourne announced the changes on 13 October 2026 and says opening details will follow. That gives you time to work out your VPT score and fix what you can before you pay anything.
Weighing Victoria against other states? Book a consultation.
What Victorian nomination costs in 2026-27
| Fee | Excluding GST | Including GST (paying from inside Australia) | When you pay it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration of Interest | $60 | $66 | Once per program year, when you submit the ROI |
| Subclass 190 nomination application | $180 | $198 | Only if you're invited and submit a nomination application, each time you submit one |
| Subclass 491 nomination application | $180 | $198 | Only if you're invited and submit a nomination application, each time you submit one |
These are state fees. They sit on top of the visa application charge the Department collects if you're later invited to apply for the visa.
The fees are generally non-refundable, and the refund policy is blunt about it. Not being invited, being refused nomination, withdrawing or changing your mind all fail to earn a refund. So does using more than one Live in Melbourne account for the same person. Refunds are limited to administrative or technical errors, or a service that can't be provided.
An ROI lasts only for the program year it's submitted in, which runs from 1 July to 30 June. If you lodged an ROI in an earlier year, it won't carry over. You'll have to submit a new one, and pay, once the 2026-27 program opens.
How the Victorian Points Test works
Every ROI is ranked by its VPT total, and the highest are invited. There is no pass mark. Your VPT is completely separate from your SkillSelect points: you still need at least 65 on the Department's points test to be eligible for the visa, but Victoria doesn't rank you on that number.
Seven factors make up the VPT. Victoria draws them from your SkillSelect expression of interest and your ROI.
The seven factors at a glance
| Factor | Most points available |
|---|---|
| Age | 300 |
| English | 200 |
| Annual earnings from skilled employment in Victoria | 150 |
| Years of experience in nominated occupation | 100 |
| Education | 100 |
| Occupation skill level | 50 |
| Partner's skill | 50 |
| Total possible | 950 |
1. Age
| Your age | VPT points |
|---|---|
| 18 | 265 |
| 19 | 282 |
| 20 to 29 | 300 |
| 30 | 286 |
| 31 | 270 |
| 32 | 256 |
| 33 | 240 |
| 34 | 226 |
| 35 | 210 |
| 36 | 196 |
| 37 | 180 |
| 38 | 166 |
| 39 | 150 |
| 40 | 136 |
| 41 | 106 |
| 42 | 76 |
| 43 | 46 |
| 44 | 16 |
2. English language
| English level | VPT points |
|---|---|
| Competent | 0 |
| Proficient | 100 |
| Superior | 200 |
3. Years of experience in your nominated occupation
| Experience | VPT points |
|---|---|
| 0 years | 0 |
| 1 year | 20 |
| 1 to 3 years | 40 |
| 3 to 5 years | 60 |
| 6 to 8 years | 80 |
| More than 8 years | 100 |
4. Education
| Highest qualification | VPT points |
|---|---|
| Other | 25 |
| Bachelor or Honours | 50 |
| Masters | 75 |
| PhD | 100 |
5. Occupation skill level
| Skill level of your occupation | VPT points |
|---|---|
| Skill level 1 occupation | 50 |
| Skill level 2 occupation | 0 |
| Skill level 3 occupation | 0 |
6. Partner's skill
| Your situation | VPT points |
|---|---|
| All three partner conditions met (listed below) | 50 |
| Single, Australian partner, or conditions not met | 0 |
7. Annual earnings from skilled employment in Victoria
| Annual earnings (AUD) | VPT points |
|---|---|
| $80,000 to $84,999 | 8 |
| $85,000 to $89,999 | 16 |
| $90,000 to $94,999 | 24 |
| $95,000 to $99,999 | 32 |
| $100,000 to $104,999 | 39 |
| $105,000 to $109,999 | 47 |
| $110,000 to $114,999 | 55 |
| $115,000 to $119,999 | 63 |
| $120,000 to $124,999 | 71 |
| $125,000 to $129,999 | 79 |
| $130,000 to $134,999 | 87 |
| $135,000 to $139,999 | 95 |
| $140,000 to $144,999 | 103 |
| $145,000 to $149,999 | 111 |
| $150,000 to $154,999 | 118 |
| $155,000 to $159,999 | 126 |
| $160,000 to $164,999 | 134 |
| $165,000 to $169,999 | 142 |
| $170,000 and over | 150 |
No earnings points are published below $80,000. Victoria's Annual Earnings Estimation guide, on the Live in Melbourne website, explains what counts as earnings.
To get the 50 partner points, all three conditions must be met:
- you claimed the 10 partner skills points in your SkillSelect EOI;
- your partner will be included in your state nominated visa application; and
- your partner's occupation is a current priority industry occupation.
Experience bands appear above exactly as published. Victoria doesn't say how it scores a period that falls between "3 to 5 years" and "6 to 8 years", so don't assume the higher band.
Where the points really come from
Age decides more than anything else. A 29-year-old starts on 300 points. At 44 the same person starts on 16. No combination of degree and experience closes that gap: a PhD and more than 8 years' experience add 200 between them.
English is the second lever, and it's one you can move. Going from Competent to Superior English is worth 200 VPT points, more than the 150 available for the top salary band. Victoria says plainly that the VPT favours younger, highly qualified applicants with higher English.
Picture a 32-year-old engineer in a skill level 1 occupation, with Proficient English, a Masters, 4 years' experience and a $95,000 salary in Victoria. Her VPT comes to 573: 256 for age, 75 for education, 60 for experience, 50 for skill level, 32 for earnings and the rest for English. Moving up to Superior English would lift it to 673, a bigger jump than anything else she could change before the program opens.
What does 573 mean? Nobody can say, and Victoria won't. It ranks ROIs against whoever else is in the pool at each round, and says it can't tell you your chances or how your score compares. Treat any website that promises a "safe" VPT score with suspicion.
Priority industries and the two ways to be invited
Every eligible occupation can submit an ROI, and every ROI is considered two ways in each invitation round:
- Most competitive: the highest VPT totals across all eligible occupations are invited.
- Priority industry: the highest VPT totals within each priority industry, or subgroup, are invited too.
So an occupation on the priority list competes in a smaller pool as well as the main one. For 2026-27 the priority industries are:
| Priority industry or subgroup | Occupations Victoria lists for 2026-27 |
|---|---|
| Healthcare | Radiography, radiation therapy, nuclear medicine and sonography; optometry; hospital pharmacy; orthotics and prosthetics; occupational therapy; physiotherapy; podiatry; audiology; speech pathology; specialist physicians and surgeons (a long list of specialties); psychiatry; emergency medicine; obstetrics and gynaecology; radiology; ophthalmology; pathology; midwifery; nurse educators, researchers, managers and practitioners; registered nurses in every listed specialty (254412 to 254499); and dental technicians |
| Social assistance | Clinical, organisational and educational psychologists, psychologists nec, social workers and welfare workers |
| Education: Teachers | Middle school, secondary school and special needs teachers, and special education teachers nec |
| Education: Early childhood | Early childhood (pre-primary school) teacher, with ROIs showing at least 1 year's relevant experience and Proficient or Superior English prioritised |
| Construction: Professionals | Geotechnical engineer, geophysicist, hydrogeologist, construction project manager, surveyor and other spatial scientist |
| Construction: Trades | Glazier, bricklayer, stonemason, plumbers, drainer, gasfitter, carpenters and joiners, building inspector, electricians, air-conditioning and refrigeration mechanic, sheet metal worker, metal machinist, electrical engineering technician, solid plasterer, wall and floor tiler, roof tiler, toolmaker, metal fabricator, motor mechanic (general) and automotive electrician |
Check the full ANZSCO list on the Live in Melbourne website before relying on any single occupation.
Personal reasons, such as age or an expiring visa or document, won't move you up the list: Victoria says it can't prioritise them. Our guide to 133111 Construction Project Manager covers one of the priority occupations in detail.
What to do before the program opens
Work out your VPT now from the evidence you actually hold, then see what can still move. English is the obvious one.
Keep your SkillSelect EOI accurate. Victoria builds the VPT partly from it, and our post on lodging EOIs for skilled visas explains what you can change.
Once you're nominated, the visa has its own requirements. Our subclass 190 guide covers them, from the 65 points to processing times.
And don't bet everything on one state. Others set their own criteria, as the Tasmanian changes for 2026-27 show.
FAQ
Is the Victoria nomination open for 2026-27?
Not yet. On 13 October 2026 Victoria announced its fees and published the Victorian Points Test, and said information about the 2026-27 program opening will be published on the Live in Melbourne website when available. Anyone with an ROI from an earlier year must submit a new one once it opens.
How do I apply for an ROI in Victoria?
Through the Live in Melbourne portal once the 2026-27 program opens. A Registration of Interest costs $60, or $66 with GST if you're in Australia when you pay, and it's charged once per program year. If Victoria invites you, the nomination application costs a further $180, or $198 with GST.
How much does Victorian state nomination cost?
For 2026-27, $60 for a Registration of Interest and $180 for a subclass 190 or 491 nomination application, plus 10% GST if you're in Australia when you pay. The nomination fee applies only if you're invited and apply, and the fees are generally non-refundable, even if you aren't invited.
What is the Victorian Points Test?
It's the score Victoria uses to rank Registrations of Interest for subclass 190 and 491 nomination. It combines age, English, experience in your occupation, education, occupation skill level, partner's skill and annual earnings from skilled employment in Victoria. There is no pass mark: the highest scores in each round are invited.
Is 75 points enough for a 190 in Victoria?
Victoria doesn't rank you on your SkillSelect points. You need at least 65 SkillSelect points to be eligible for the visa, but Victoria invites by its own Victorian Points Test total, compared with everyone else in the pool at each invitation round. It has no pass mark and says it can't tell you your chances.
What are the priority occupations for Victoria in 2026-27?
Victoria prioritises listed occupations in four industries: healthcare, social assistance, education and construction. They include registered nurses, allied health professionals, psychologists, social workers, teachers, early childhood teachers, construction professionals and construction trades. All eligible occupations can still submit an ROI and compete in the main pool.
Want your Victorian Points Test score checked against your evidence before you pay the ROI fee? Book a consultation and we'll go through it with you. Our permanent residency planning service looks at every state option, not just Victoria.
Work with us.
Share your requirements with us, and we'll take care of everything from start to finish, ensuring a seamless experience.
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