Victoria 190 nomination open for 2026-27

Victoria opened its 2026-27 skilled visa nomination program on 26 October 2026, but only for the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190). Victoria has 900 subclass 190 places this year. The Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491) is still closed, because the Australian Government has not yet confirmed Victoria's 491 places. If you are an international student or graduate in Melbourne with a skills assessment and 65 points, you can now submit a Registration of Interest.

Two weeks ago we wrote about how the new Victorian Points Test ranks you. At that point the program was not open. Now it is, and this article covers what the official pages say about who can register and how.

What opened and what did not

The Live in Melbourne announcement is short. Registrations of Interest (ROIs) for subclass 190 nomination are open. Victoria has been given 900 places for 190 in 2026-27.

For subclass 491, the places have not been finalised and ROIs are not being accepted. Victoria says it will publish more once the 491 numbers are confirmed. So if your plan was the regional visa, there is nothing to lodge yet. Keep your SkillSelect EOI current and watch the official site.

One practical note from the same page: Victoria has posted a notice about a possible payment provider issue causing some payments to be declined. If your card is declined when you pay the ROI fee, that may be why. Check the site before you try again.

Who can register for 190 nomination

The subclass 190 page lists Victoria's requirements. To be eligible for nomination you must:

be living in Victoria or living overseas
be committed to living and working in Victoria
be under 45 years of age
have at least Competent English
have a valid skills assessment in an occupation on the eligible skilled occupation list for this visa
have at least 65 points on the Australian Government's points test, including the 5 points for state nomination

If you live in Australia but outside Victoria, Victoria will not select your ROI. There are case-by-case exceptions for border communities, but that is all.

You do not need to be working. There is no minimum work experience or hours requirement. If you do have skilled work in Victoria for an employer physically located in Victoria, you can include an estimate of your annual earnings in your ROI, and that earns ranking points. Work for a business with only a virtual office in Victoria does not count, and neither does non-skilled work.

Two timing rules trip people up. When you submit a nomination application, your English test and your skills assessment must each have at least 12 weeks of validity left. Victoria says it cannot nominate you if either has expired.

How the process works

The steps on the official page are:

Check that you meet the subclass 190 requirements above.
Submit or update your Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect with the Department of Home Affairs.
Create an account on the Live in Melbourne portal and submit a Registration of Interest, using your EOI number.
If your ROI is selected, you get an email inviting you to apply for nomination. Lodge the nomination application through the portal before the invitation expires.
If nominated, lodge your visa application with Home Affairs within 60 days.

An ROI is not an application. It has no processing time, and submitting one does not guarantee anything. Victoria ranks every ROI with the Victorian Points Test and invites the highest totals in each round. There is no fixed pass mark. Certain occupations in healthcare, social assistance, education and construction are also prioritised.

Invitation rounds happen through the year with no set dates. The program will close to new ROIs in 2027, on a date still to be announced. An eligible ROI that is not picked stays in the pool for later rounds.

Fees and ROI rules

The fees page sets out the 2026-27 charges:

Registration of Interest: $60, or $66 including GST if you pay from inside Australia
Subclass 190 nomination application: $180, or $198 including GST, payable only if you are invited and apply

Fees are generally non-refundable, including when an ROI never leads to an invitation. Only Visa and Mastercard are accepted.

Some rules about the ROI itself, from the Registration of Interest page:

If you submitted an ROI in a previous year, it does not carry over. You must submit a new one for 2026-27.
You can only have one active ROI at a time, and only for one occupation.
You cannot edit an ROI after submitting. If your earnings, partner points or EOI number change, withdraw it and submit a new one. The ROI fee is charged once per program year, so you are not charged again. Victoria says resubmitting does not hurt your ranking.
You do not attach documents to the ROI. Documents come later, if you are invited.
If your SkillSelect EOI changes but your ROI details do not, you do not need a new ROI. You do need the EOI to be accurate, because Victoria checks it.

If you are invited

You must be able to prove every claim. Victoria lists the documents it may ask for: passport, and for Victorian residence things like six months of bank statements, a lease, utility bills or a Victorian licence. If you claimed earnings, add your employment contract, a position description, your last four weeks of payslips and a superannuation statement.

The average processing time for a nomination application is 20 business days. The common refusal reasons listed on the official page are over-estimated earnings, working for an employer not in Victoria, living in another state, incorrect partner points, changing your EOI after invitation, and expired English or skills assessment results. A refused application can mean you cannot apply again for 6 months.

If you are nominated, you agree to live and work in Victoria for at least two years and to complete settlement surveys. The surveys do not affect your visa.

What this means if you are still studying

For many students in Melbourne, the hard part is not the ROI. It is the skills assessment and the 65 points. If you are near the end of your course, work out whether your occupation is on the eligible list and what your assessing authority needs. If your Student visa ends before any of this can happen, you need a separate plan. Our guide on what to do when your student visa is ending walks through the money side.

The new rules that started in October also matter here. If you are thinking of a further course while you wait, read our October 2026 Student visa changes guide first, because onshore applications are now restricted for many people.

Questions people ask

Can I submit an ROI for the 491 now?

No. Victoria is not accepting 491 ROIs until the Australian Government confirms its 2026-27 491 places. Only subclass 190 is open.

I registered last year. Do I need to pay and register again?

Yes. An ROI is only valid for the program year it was submitted in. For 2026-27 you need a new ROI, and the $66 fee applies once for the year.

Does working in Melbourne help my ranking?

Only skilled work for an employer physically located in Victoria counts, and only if it pays $80,000 a year or more under the Victorian Points Test. You can still register without any job, but you cannot claim earnings.

Talk it through before you pay

The requirements above are Victoria's, and the Home Affairs visa rules sit on top of them. Where you fit depends on your occupation, your points and your visa dates. OneCall Melbourne can connect you with an education consultant who can look at your situation. Start at OneCall Melbourne or call Sarah, OneCall's line, on 0485 057 057. If you need paid work while you plan, our jobs page explains the free help we give students getting into support work.

Sources

General information only, checked against the official sources above on the day it was written. It is not migration advice: only a registered migration agent or a lawyer can give you that.

Victoria 190 nomination open for 2026-27: 900 places, 491 still closed