Australia Points Test Explained for UAE Applicants

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Australia points test explained for UAE applicants

The Australian points test decides whether your Expression of Interest for a subclass 189, 190 or 491 visa is invited. The threshold is 65 points, but in the 4 June 2026 round many professions were invited at 80 or above, and the next 189 round is expected by 30 September 2026. Below is the Home Affairs points table as at August 2026, the scores actually invited, and a worked calculation for a typical UAE profile, so you can check your own number before you lodge or update an EOI.

At a glance

  • The points test applies to the subclass 189, 190 and 491 visas. All three need an Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect and an invitation.
  • The minimum is 65 points, but 65 rarely gets an invitation. In the 4 June 2026 round, minimum scores ranged from 65 for several trades to 80–95 for many professions.
  • A 33-year-old UAE professional with a master’s, 8 years of overseas experience and Superior English scores 75 before partner or nomination points.
  • Age and English are the big levers: turning 33 costs 5 points; Superior English (IELTS 8 in each band) is worth 20 against 0 for Competent.
  • The 2026–27 program keeps 185,000 places, with 21,090 for Skilled Independent and 35,500 for State/Territory Nominated, and a stated priority for people already in Australia.

What the points test is, and which visas use it

The Skilled Independent (189), Skilled Nominated (190) and Skilled Work Regional (491) visas are invitation-only. You lodge an Expression of Interest in SkillSelect setting out your age, English level, qualifications and work history. For the 189 and the family-sponsored 491, Home Affairs issues invitations in periodic rounds. For the 190 and the state-nominated 491, a state or territory nominates you, and that nomination triggers the invitation independently of the departmental rounds.

Home Affairs’ EOI page states that to be invited you must “meet or exceed the points threshold of 65”, and that meeting the minimum does not mean you will be invited. Invitations go to the highest-ranked EOIs first. Where scores are equal, the earlier date of effect ranks higher. You can update an EOI at any time before an invitation arrives. Our Australia points calculator follows the table below.

The 2026 points table, factor by factor

The table combines the Home Affairs points tables for the 189, 190 and 491, updated in June and July 2026. The nomination row is the only line that differs between the three subclasses.

Factor Requirement Points
Age (at invitation) 18 to under 25 25
25 to under 33 30
33 to under 40 25
40 to under 45 15
English Competent 0
Proficient 10
Superior 20
Overseas skilled employment (outside Australia) Under 3 years 0
3 to under 5 years 5
5 to under 8 years 10
8 years or more 15
Australian skilled employment 1, 3, 5 or 8+ years 5, 10, 15 or 20
Qualifications (highest only) Doctorate (PhD) 20
Bachelor degree or higher 15
Australian diploma or trade qualification 10
Qualification recognised by your assessing authority 10
Specialist education Australian research master’s or doctorate in STEM/ICT 10
Australian study Meets the Australian study requirement 5
Regional study Australian study in a designated regional area 5
Professional Year Accounting, ICT or engineering, in Australia, within 4 years of invitation 5
Community language NAATI credential at the required level 5
Partner Partner under 45 with Competent English and a skills assessment 10
Partner with Competent English only 5
Single, or partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident 10
Nomination State or territory nomination (190) 5
State nomination or eligible family sponsorship (491) 15

The conditions attached to the employment rows need reading carefully. Combined employment points, Australian and overseas together, are capped at 20. Only work in your nominated occupation or a closely related one counts, and “employed” means at least 20 hours a week. The experience must fall within the 10 years before invitation. Separately, you must be under 45 on the day the invitation is issued, and only your highest qualification is scored. Doctorate points apply to a completed PhD, not to other qualifications that carry the title Doctor.

English: where UAE candidates gain or lose 20 points

Home Affairs changed its approved English tests on 7 August 2025. For tests taken on or after that date, the accepted tests are IELTS Academic, IELTS General Training, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT (registered as “Taking TOEFL for Australia”), Cambridge C1 Advanced, CELPIP General, OET, LANGUAGECERT Academic and the Michigan English Test. All must be sat at a secure test centre. Fully online and at-home versions are not accepted.

Level Points IELTS (each band) PTE Academic (L / R / W / S)
Competent (minimum to be invited) 0 6 47 / 48 / 51 / 54
Proficient 10 7 58 / 59 / 69 / 76
Superior 20 8 69 / 70 / 85 / 88

The gap between Proficient and Superior is 10 points, which for many occupations is the difference between the score invited in June 2026 and a score that ranks below it. The PTE Academic thresholds are not uniform across components: Superior requires 85 in writing and 88 in speaking, against 69 in listening and 70 in reading, so a candidate can clear three components and still fall short on one. Scores must have been achieved within the 3 years before you apply. Results from tests taken on or before 6 August 2025 are scored under the older tables and remain usable until 6 August 2028, depending on the visa.

A worked example: a 33-year-old in Dubai

The calculation below uses a profile common among skilled professionals in the UAE: age 33, a master’s degree, 8 years of skilled work in the UAE in the nominated occupation, IELTS 8 in every band, and no Australian study or employment.

Factor Claim Points
Age 33 (in the 33 to under 40 band) 25
English Superior 20
Overseas employment 8 years in nominated occupation 15
Qualification Master’s (counts as bachelor or higher) 15
Subtotal 75
Single, or partner with skills assessment +10 = 85
State nomination 190 / 491 +5 / +15

Age is the row to watch. At 32 the same profile scores 30 for age instead of 25, giving a subtotal of 80 rather than 75. Age is scored at the date of invitation, not the date the EOI is lodged, so the relevant birthday is the one that falls before the next round.

The partner rows deserve a second look. If your partner is under 45, has Competent English and holds a suitable skills assessment, the claim is worth 10 points. Competent English alone is worth 5. Being single, or having a partner who is an Australian citizen or permanent resident, is also worth 10. For the profile above, a partner with Competent English only takes the total to 80; a partner with a skills assessment takes it to 85.

What score actually gets invited

Home Affairs publishes the outcome of each round. The most recent 189 round, on 4 June 2026, issued 10,000 invitations with a tie-break date of 24 April 2026. Electricians, plumbers, carpenters, bricklayers and wall and floor tilers were invited at 65. Registered nurses, secondary teachers, general practitioners, physiotherapists and social workers were invited at 75. Management consultants, construction project managers, engineering managers and solicitors needed 80. Architects, chemists and sonographers needed 85. Electronics engineers, telecommunications engineers and life scientists needed 95, and urologists 100.

Occupations missing from the list matter as much as the scores. Home Affairs’ footnote says an absent occupation either had no EOIs available to invite or none that met the round’s parameters. Accountants and ICT occupations such as software engineers do not appear in the June 2026 results at all. An EOI in one of those occupations can hold 80 or 85 points and still not be invited through a 189 round. For those applicants a 190 or 491 nomination is the alternative route, and the July 2026 nomination figures show how narrow it currently is. Tasmania nominated 146 people for the 190 and 23 for the 491. Every other state and territory nominated fewer than five for each.

The next 189 round is expected by 30 September 2026. An EOI can be invited up to 2 years after submission and at most twice. Once invited, you have 60 days to lodge the application, and the EOI is frozen during that period.

The program numbers behind the rounds

On 12 May 2026 the government set the 2026–27 Permanent Migration Program at 185,000 places, unchanged from 2025–26, with 132,240 for skilled migration. Skilled Independent rises to 21,090 from 16,900. State/Territory Nominated is 35,500 and Employer Sponsored 58,040. Regional falls to 14,110 from 33,000. Home Affairs allocates 129,590 of the 185,000 places to people already in Australia and notes that in 2024–25, 61 per cent of permanent skilled visas went to onshore applicants.

For an applicant lodging from the UAE, that onshore allocation is the main constraint, and it shows in processing. As at August 2026, offshore 189 applications being allocated under Ministerial Direction 119 were generally lodged in November 2025. Offshore 190 and 491 applications being allocated were generally lodged in February 2025. Our Australia skilled migration guide compares the three subclasses in more detail.

From the UAE: what this means for you

Skills assessment first. No points can be claimed for a qualification, or for employment, until the relevant assessing authority has recognised them. The assessment must have been obtained within the 3 years before invitation. Typical evidence is certified degree certificates and transcripts, plus employment references on company letterhead stating role, duties, dates and weekly hours. UAE labour contracts and salary statements support the employment claim. References from employers you left some years ago take longest to obtain, so request them early. Our credential check reviews what you hold before you pay for an assessment.

English testing. IELTS and PTE Academic both run test centres in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Book a centre sitting; at-home tests are not accepted. If your occupation’s minimum invited score in June 2026 was above 75, Superior English is the realistic target. Scores must be achieved within the 3 years before application.

Timing. Allow weeks to months for the skills assessment before the EOI can be lodged with a full points claim. After invitation the 60-day window is fixed, so passports, your marriage certificate and children’s birth certificates should be gathered before the EOI is lodged, not after.

Budget. The visa application charge starts from AUD 6,135 for the 189 and AUD 6,140 for the 190 and 491 for the main applicant. Skills assessment, English test, health and character costs are additional. Our Australia overview covers the full pathway.

Frequently asked questions

Is 65 points enough to get invited?

Sixty-five makes you eligible; it does not rank you. In June 2026 only a handful of trades were invited at 65; most professions needed 80 or more.

Can I claim points for my UAE work experience?

Yes, as overseas skilled employment: 5 points for 3 years, 10 for 5, 15 for 8 or more, in your nominated or a closely related occupation, at least 20 hours a week, within the 10 years before invitation.

Does a master’s degree score more than a bachelor’s?

No. Both earn 15 points. Only a completed PhD earns 20; the extra 10 for specialist education applies only to Australian research degrees in STEM or ICT.

What to do next

Start with a free points check, then book a free eligibility assessment. Call 04 357 7796 or request a 20-minute review with a MARA-registered consultant in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. We have completed 10,569 assessments since 2014. We do not promise outcomes; invitations and grants are decided by Home Affairs and the states, not by us.

Sources

Cover photo: Donovan Kelly via Pexels

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