Work through eleven questions about your circumstances to see how your estimated score is calculated. Each question explains the relevant requirements, helping you distinguish points you can support now from points that would depend on a future change, such as a higher English test result.
Before you begin
Check the relevant date for each claim
Most points depend on your circumstances when the invitation to apply is issued. Your Expression of Interest, or EOI, records the information you provide through SkillSelect; submitting it does not fix your score permanently. Keep it up to date, and read the partner section carefully because changes in relationship status can also matter during processing.
Understand what the minimum score means
The minimum points threshold is 65, but reaching it does not guarantee an invitation. The score needed in practice varies by occupation, visa and selection process, so compare your result with information that is relevant to your circumstances.
Using the calculator
You can work through the questions without entering your name or uploading documents. Keep the answers focused on the eligibility information requested, and read the website privacy notice if you would like to understand how information is handled.
Which visa would you like to calculate points for?
The same eleven categories apply to all three visas. The additional points for nomination or family sponsorship depend on the visa you select.
You may also see subclasses 188 and 489 in older guidance or the Department’s calculator. New applications for the 188 programme closed on 31 July 2024, and the 491 replaced the 489 for new invitations from 16 November 2019. This tool focuses on points for visas 189, 190 and 491; people who already hold an older visa should check the provisions that apply to their circumstances.
Compare with the recorded subclass 189 invitation round
Choose your occupation to compare your score with the lowest score invited for that occupation in the recorded subclass 189 round on 4 June 2026. Use a 189 score for this comparison, excluding any 190 or 491 nomination or sponsorship points. The result describes that particular round and cannot predict the next one.
How old will you be when an invitation to apply is issued?
Use your age at invitation. If you are exploring a future scenario, remember that your age band may change while you wait.
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Read the requirements for this item
Your age is assessed on the date of invitation, so a birthday after you submit the EOI can change your points. For example, turning 33 reduces the age score by 5 points, while turning 40 reduces it by a further 10.
You must be under 45 when invited for these visas. If you submit an EOI at 44 but turn 45 before an invitation is issued, you will no longer meet the age requirement for an invitation, even if your total remains high.
02
English language ability
Which English level can you demonstrate under the visa requirements?
Competent English is the minimum requirement and earns no points. Proficient and Superior English attract additional points.
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Read the requirements for this item
The main applicant needs at least Competent English. That level earns no points, while Proficient English earns 10 and Superior English earns 20. Certain passport holders can establish Competent English without a test, but a qualifying test result is needed to claim the higher English points.
Check the accepted test, the date it was taken and the score required in each component. An overall result does not make up for a component that falls below the required score; the result must satisfy the rules that apply at invitation.
The approved tests and score requirements changed on 7 August 2025. Results from tests taken on or before 6 August 2025 may remain usable for up to three years, subject to the visa rules. Choose the table that matches your test date and check the validity period before claiming points.
Tests taken from 7 August 2025
English test
Competent English · 0 points
Proficient English · 10 points
Superior English · 20 points
IELTS Academic
6 · 6 · 6 · 6
7 · 7 · 7 · 7
8 · 8 · 8 · 8
IELTS General Training
6 · 6 · 6 · 6
7 · 7 · 7 · 7
8 · 8 · 8 · 8
PTE Academic
47 · 48 · 51 · 54
58 · 59 · 69 · 76
69 · 70 · 85 · 88
TOEFL iBT
16 · 16 · 19 · 19
22 · 22 · 26 · 24
26 · 27 · 30 · 28
Cambridge C1 Advanced
163 · 163 · 170 · 179
175 · 179 · 193 · 194
186 · 190 · 210 · 208
CELPIP General
7 · 7 · 7 · 7
9 · 8 · 10 · 8
10 · 10 · 12 · 10
LANGUAGECERT Academic
57 · 60 · 64 · 70
67 · 71 · 78 · 82
80 · 83 · 89 · 89
Michigan English Test (MET)
56 · 55 · 57 · 48
61 · 63 · 74 · 59
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OET (health professionals)
290 · 310 · 290 · 330
350 · 360 · 380 · 360
390 · 400 · 420 · 400
Tests taken on or before 6 August 2025
English test
Competent English · 0 points
Proficient English · 10 points
Superior English · 20 points
IELTS Academic or General Training
6 · 6 · 6 · 6
7 · 7 · 7 · 7
8 · 8 · 8 · 8
PTE Academic
50 · 50 · 50 · 50
65 · 65 · 65 · 65
79 · 79 · 79 · 79
TOEFL iBT
12 · 13 · 21 · 21
24 · 24 · 27 · 23
28 · 29 · 30 · 26
Cambridge C1 Advanced
169 · 169 · 169 · 169
185 · 185 · 185 · 185
200 · 200 · 200 · 200
OET (health professionals)
B · B · B · B
B · B · B · B
A · A · A · A
Scores are shown in this order: listening, reading, writing and speaking. Each component must meet its own required score. immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
03
Skilled employment outside Australia
How much eligible work have you completed outside Australia in your nominated or a closely related occupation during the ten years before invitation?
Count paid work of at least 20 hours a week within the relevant ten-year period, subject to the skilled employment requirements.
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Points for eligible employment in Australia and overseas are combined, with a maximum of 20 points for employment in total.
Read the requirements for this item
Only eligible work in your nominated occupation, or a closely related occupation, can be counted. It must fall within the ten years immediately before invitation, so you may need to exclude part of an older period of employment.
For these points, employment means paid work of at least 20 hours a week. Unpaid placements and work below that weekly threshold do not qualify. If the work was an internship or part of your training, check whether it meets the skilled employment criteria rather than counting it solely because you received payment.
A closely related occupation may be in the same ANZSCO unit group, form part of an established career progression, or be accepted as closely related by the assessing authority. The actual duties and the level at which you were working matter, so check which periods can be recognised before adding up the years.
04
Skilled employment in Australia
How much eligible work have you completed in Australia in your nominated or a closely related occupation during the ten years before invitation?
The combined maximum for eligible work in Australia and overseas is 20 points.
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Points for eligible employment in Australia and overseas are combined, with a maximum of 20 points for employment in total.
Read the requirements for this item
As with overseas employment, the work must be in your nominated or a closely related occupation, be paid for at least 20 hours a week and fall within the ten years before invitation. Check that the period qualifies as skilled employment before counting it.
For the period claimed in Australia, you must also have held an eligible substantive visa, meaning a visa other than a bridging, criminal justice or enforcement visa, or a Bridging Visa A or B. You must have complied with the conditions of the visa you held, including any work restrictions.
Employment in Australia and overseas shares a single 20-point limit. For example, if the two categories would otherwise add up to 25, the calculator awards 20 employment points in total.
05
Educational qualifications
What is your highest eligible qualification?
This category awards points for one qualification. Having several degrees does not add their points together.
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Read the requirements for this item
You receive points for your highest eligible qualification rather than for every qualification you hold. An overseas award must meet the recognised-standard requirement. The assessing authority may comment on its Australian equivalent; where further advice is needed, a qualifications assessment from VETASSESS may help establish the level, subject to the Department’s assessment.
Doctorate points depend on the academic level of the qualification. Being entitled to use “Dr”, for example as a medical practitioner, dentist or veterinarian, does not by itself establish that you hold an eligible doctoral qualification.
The qualification requirements must be met at invitation. Check the award, completion and recognition evidence before making the claim, especially where the overseas level is unclear.
06
Specialist education qualification
Have you completed an eligible Australian master’s by research or doctorate in a specified science, technology, engineering, mathematics or ICT field?
The award must meet the specialist education rules, including at least two academic years of study at an Australian institution in an eligible field.
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Read the requirements for this item
An eligible specialist education qualification can add 10 points separately from your main qualification points. It must be an Australian master’s degree by research or doctoral degree following at least two academic years of study in a specified field; a programme’s name alone is not enough to establish eligibility.
The specified areas cover natural and physical sciences, including biological, chemical, earth and mathematical sciences, physics and astronomy; information technology, including computer science and information systems; and engineering and related technologies, including aerospace, civil, electrical and electronic, geomatics, manufacturing, maritime, mechanical and industrial, and process and resources engineering. Check the formal field classification of your degree against the complete official list.
A coursework master’s degree does not qualify for this particular category, even where its subject matter is highly specialised. It may still be relevant to the main qualification category above.
07
Australian study requirement
Have you completed an Australian degree, diploma or trade qualification that satisfies the Australian study requirement?
The general requirement includes two academic years of registered study, completed over at least 16 calendar months in Australia, taught in English while you held a visa allowing study.
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Read the requirements for this item
This category awards 5 points for one or more eligible Australian degrees, diplomas or trade qualifications that together meet the Australian study requirement. Broadly, the courses must be CRICOS-registered, amount to at least two academic years, usually expressed as 92 registered weeks, and be completed over at least 16 calendar months in Australia. Teaching must be in English, and your visa must have allowed you to study.
A course advertised as “two years” does not automatically establish all of these requirements. Check completion records, credits, any overlapping study and time spent outside Australia. This requirement also appears in the graduate visa framework, but satisfying it for points does not by itself establish eligibility for a 485 visa. It is also relevant to the regional study points below.
08
Study in regional Australia
Did you obtain the eligible Australian qualification while living and studying at a campus in a designated regional area?
Both your residence and the campus must meet the regional requirements. Distance education is excluded.
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Read the requirements for this item
You may receive a further 5 points where the qualification meets the Australian study requirement and was obtained while you lived and studied at a campus in a designated regional area. “Regional” has a specific migration meaning, so check the relevant postcode and rules rather than assuming that any location outside a capital city qualifies.
Distance education does not qualify for these points simply because the institution is based in a regional area. The location and manner of your actual study need to meet the applicable requirements.
09
Professional Year in Australia
Have you completed a qualifying Professional Year in Australia?
Check the approved programme, the minimum 12-month requirement and completion within the four years before invitation.
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Read the requirements for this item
Professional Year is a structured professional development programme, rather than simply a year spent working. To claim these points, the completed programme must meet the approved requirements for accounting, ICT or computing, or engineering, relate to your nominated or a closely related occupation, and satisfy the minimum 12-month requirement in Australia.
Completion must fall within the 48 months before invitation, even if you began the programme earlier. Use the completion date on the official record and check that the programme and its completion meet the points requirements.
The recognised professional bodies are the Australian Computer Society, CPA Australia, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, the Institute of Public Accountants and Engineers Australia. Programme availability can change or close to new entrants, so confirm the position with the relevant body before paying for a new enrolment; recognition of past completion and availability of a new course are separate questions.
10
Credentialled community language
Do you hold an eligible NAATI community language credential, accreditation or certification?
Eligible categories include NAATI accreditation at paraprofessional level or above, certification at certified provisional level or above, or a qualifying community language credential.
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Read the requirements for this item
An eligible NAATI credential can add 5 points. NAATI is the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters. Check which category your credential falls into and whether it remains valid; the accepted categories include the specified accreditation and certification levels as well as the Credentialed Community Language, or CCL, credential.
For Vietnamese speakers, the CCL test assesses interpreting between English and Vietnamese in everyday situations. You do not need a language degree to sit it, but you do need the bilingual skills to meet the test standard. Passing CCL for migration points does not qualify you to work as a certified translator or interpreter.
11
Partner circumstances and skills
Which option describes your circumstances with a spouse or de facto partner?
A de facto partner is a partner in a qualifying committed relationship without marriage. Having no spouse or de facto partner, or having one who is an Australian citizen or permanent resident, may qualify for 10 points.
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Read the requirements for this item
To claim 10 points for a skilled partner, your spouse or de facto partner must be an applicant for the same visa and must not be an Australian citizen or permanent resident. At invitation, they must be under 45, have Competent English, nominate an occupation on the same applicable skilled occupation list as yours and hold a suitable skills assessment. An assessment obtained for the subclass 485 visa is not accepted for this purpose.
If your partner is an applicant for the same visa, is not an Australian citizen or permanent resident and has Competent English at invitation, you may receive 5 points even if they do not meet all the skilled partner criteria.
A separate 10-point category applies if you have no spouse or de facto partner, or your partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident. This category is not fixed solely by your status at invitation: a relationship change while the application is being processed can affect the claim. Being unmarried does not mean you can select the single option if you have a qualifying de facto partner.
12
Nomination or family sponsorship
The subclass 189 visa does not require nomination or sponsorship, so no additional points are awarded in this category.
A qualifying state or territory nomination adds 5 points for the subclass 190 visa. You need the nomination to receive an invitation, and it must not be withdrawn.
For the subclass 491 visa, qualifying state or territory nomination, or eligible relative sponsorship accepted by the Minister, adds 15 points. One of these is required for the relevant visa pathway, and the nomination or sponsorship requirements must continue to be met.
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What to check alongside your points
Your nominated occupation
Check that the occupation is available for the visa you want and that you have the required assessment from the designated authority. Even a high points total cannot make an occupation eligible for a visa if the applicable list does not include it.
The evidence for each claim
Your documents must establish that you met the relevant requirements at the time specified for each claim. If the Department assesses your points below the score stated in your invitation, you will not meet that visa criterion. Check the dates and evidence before relying on the calculator’s total, and report changes that affect the application.
State or territory requirements
For state-nominated visas 190 and 491, each state or territory applies its own selection criteria alongside the visa requirements. These may concern occupations, residence or employment, so compare the rules in the places where you could realistically live and work. Family-sponsored 491 applications follow a different pathway.
Understanding the limits of your result
This tool provides an estimate based on your answers and the published points framework. It does not verify your documents, establish that your occupation is eligible or assess your visa history, health or character. Before using the result in an EOI or making a significant decision, check the supporting evidence and the current requirements for your visa, skills assessment and any nomination.
Have a visa question or need help getting started?
A 30-minute consultation gives us time to discuss your circumstances, consider initial options and identify the documents that need checking. Some matters require a further review of the records before I can give a complete assessment.
