Points Calculator Australia
This table is the Department of Home Affairs points test for the subclass 189, 190 and 491 skilled visas: 65 points lets you lodge an Expression of Interest, and in the 15 October 2026 subclass 189 round agent-reported invitations ranged from 65 to 100 points depending on occupation (results not yet official as at 16 October 2026).
Last reviewed: 17 October 2026 · Cosmos Immigration case team
Points Calculator
| FACTOR | DESCRIPTION | POINTS |
| Age | 18-24 years | 25 |
| 25-32 years | 30 | |
| 33-39 years | 25 | |
| 40-44 years | 15 | |
| English | Competent English | 0 |
| Proficient English | 10 | |
| Superior English | 20 | |
| Overseas skilled employment – (outside Australia)1 | Less than 3 years | 0 |
| At least 3 but less than 5 years | 5 | |
| At least 5 but less than 8 years | 10 | |
| At least 8 years | 15 | |
| Australian skilled employment – (in Australia)1 | Less than 1 year | 0 |
| At least 1 but less than 3 years | 5 | |
| At least 3 but less than 5 years | 10 | |
| At least 5 but less than 8 years | 15 | |
| At least 8 years | 20 | |
| Educational qualifications | A Doctorate from an Australian educational institution or a Doctorate from another educational institution, that is of a recognised standard. | 20 |
| At least a Bachelor degree from an Australian educational institution or at least a Bachelor qualification, from another educational institution, that is of a recognised standard. | 15 | |
| A diploma or trade qualification from an Australian educational institution. | 10 | |
| Attained a qualification or award recognised by the relevant assessing authority for your nominated skilled occupation as being suitable for that occupation | 10 | |
| Specialist education qualification2 | A Masters degree by research or a Doctorate degree from an Australian educational institution that included at least 2 academic years study in a relevant field. | 10 |
| Australian study requirement | You must have at least 1 degree, diploma or trade qualification from an Australian educational institution that meets the Australian study requirement. | 5 |
| Professional Year in Australia3 | Completion of a Professional Year in Australia | 5 |
| Credentialled community language4 | Hold a recognised qualification in a credentialled community language | 5 |
| Study in regional Australia | You must have at least 1 degree, diploma or trade qualification from an Australian educational institution that satisfies the Australian study requirement obtained while living and studying in an eligible area of regional Australia | 5 |
| Partner skills | Your spouse or de facto partner must also be an applicant for this visa and meet age, English and skill criteria | 10 |
| Your spouse or de facto partner must also be an applicant for this visa and has competent English | 5 | |
| You are single or your partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident | 10 | |
| Nomination | You were invited to apply for a Subclass 190 (Skilled — Nominated) visa and the nominating State or Territory government agency has not withdrawn the nomination | 5 |
| You were invited to apply for a Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) | 15 |
Points test rows as published by the Department of Home Affairs on the subclass 189 page; use the official calculator on that page for a binding figure. Our Australia skilled migration page explains how invitations work above the 65-point floor and our occupation list guide covers which list your occupation sits on.
What changed in October 2026
Your score only matters against the round it is read in. Here is what moved this month.
Latest SkillSelect round (official results only, as at 16 October 2026)
- 15 October 2026 — subclass 189 round held; official results pending. Home Affairs publishes results about three weeks after a round.
- 4 June 2026 — 10,000 invitations issued (published).
What it means from Dubai. You do not need a job offer for subclass 189, 190 or 491, so the round calendar is the clock you work to. Rounds are infrequent, and once invited you have 60 days to lodge (14 December 2026 for this round), so we prepare the file before the invitation, not after. For most offshore profiles this year, subclass 190 through Tasmania or the Northern Territory is the realistic state route, because 491 places are scarce and New South Wales has closed 491 to new applicants. English at 8 in each band and the timing of your age band move your score more than anything else you control.
Source: SkillSelect invitation rounds. No predictions on this page; we talk through likely ranges for your occupation in your assessment.
- As at 16 October 2026, a subclass 189 invitation round ran on 15 October 2026, the first since 4 June 2026 (which issued 10,000 invitations). Home Affairs had not yet published the results; it usually does so about three weeks after a round. Agent-reported, not yet official: nurses and midwives invited at 70–75 points, secondary teachers at 80, early-childhood and university teachers at 90, mechanical and chemical engineers at 85, telecommunications at 85–95, electronics at 100, construction trades at 65, painters at 75 and welders at 80. No invitations were reported for accounting, ICT or civil engineering.
- As at 16 October 2026, people invited on 15 October have 60 days to lodge, so their deadline is 14 December 2026. The next round date has not been announced; Home Affairs publishes it on the SkillSelect page.
- As at 16 October 2026, state nomination for 2026–27 (caps reset on 1 July) is open in two places. Tasmania has 2,050 places (1,250 subclass 190 and 800 subclass 491), open since 17 August, with no overseas 491 pathway this year. The Northern Territory has 1,850 places (850 subclass 190 and 1,000 subclass 491), open since 21 August. The ACT allocation is pending, and the first Canberra Matrix round will follow the new portal by about a month. New South Wales closed subclass 491 to new applicants (as at 15 October). Victoria, Queensland and South Australia had not opened their 2026–27 programs or were awaiting allocation.
- As at 16 October 2026, tracker-reported planning levels put subclass 190 at up to 35,500 places and subclass 491 down to 14,110.
- What this means if you apply from the UAE: 190 is the realistic state route for offshore profiles, 491 places are scarce, and the 189 threshold depends on demand for your occupation rather than a single pass mark. Superior English (8 in each band) adds 10 points over Proficient (7 in each band), and the age bands change at 33, 40 and 45.
Figures come from dated third-party trackers; we re-check the Home Affairs SkillSelect page at every review.
Australia points test questions people ask us
Does this calculator tell me whether I will be invited?
No. It tells you whether you clear the 65-point floor and how far above it you sit. Whether you are invited depends on demand for your occupation in each round and on whether a state is nominating it this program year. A pattern we see, not a promise: a 38-year-old Abu Dhabi accountant scored 25 for age, 10 for Proficient English, 15 for eight years of overseas experience and 15 for a bachelor degree, 65 in total; eligible to lodge, but with no accounting invitations reported in the 15 October 2026 round, the useful conversation was 190 nomination and Superior English.
How many points do I get for English in the Australia points test?
Competent English (for example IELTS 6 in each band) scores 0 but is the minimum to apply. Proficient English (7 in each band) scores 10. Superior English (8 in each band) scores 20, so moving from Proficient to Superior adds 10 points. PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, OET and Cambridge C1 Advanced have equivalent bands.
Do I get points for my UAE work experience?
Yes, under overseas skilled employment: 5 points for at least three years, 10 for at least five and 15 for at least eight years in the ten years before invitation. Only employment that the assessing authority treats as skilled and that matches your nominated occupation counts, and the authority may deduct qualifying years before it starts counting. UAE reference letters need duties, dates and hours on company letterhead to be accepted.
189, 190 or 491: which should I aim for from Dubai?
Subclass 189 is permanent and needs no sponsor, but the 15 October 2026 round (agent-reported, not yet official) invited most professions at 80 points or more, so it suits high scorers in occupations that are being invited. Subclass 190 adds 5 points and needs a state nomination; as at 16 October 2026 only Tasmania and the Northern Territory had opened, which makes 190 the realistic route for most Dubai profiles. Subclass 491 adds 15 points but places are scarce this year, Tasmania has no overseas 491 pathway and New South Wales has closed 491 to new applicants. We match your occupation to what is actually open rather than to the visa with the biggest points boost. Age is assessed at invitation and the bands change at 33, 40 and 45, so the round calendar and your birthday are part of the same calculation.
Can I apply for Australia PR from Dubai without a job offer?
Yes. Subclasses 189, 190 and 491 are points-tested, so no employer or job offer is needed. You need a positive skills assessment, at least Competent English, a minimum of 65 points and an Expression of Interest in SkillSelect; 190 and 491 also need a state or territory nomination. The whole process runs online from Dubai, and you keep your UAE job until the visa is granted.
Will my UAE, Indian or Pakistani degree pass an Australian skills assessment?
It is assessed by the authority Home Affairs lists against your occupation: ACS for ICT, Engineers Australia for engineers, VETASSESS for many professional and trade occupations, ANMAC for nurses, AITSL for teachers, and CPA Australia, CA ANZ or IPA for accountants. Indian and Pakistani degrees are assessed routinely against the Australian Qualifications Framework, and degrees from accredited UAE universities are assessed the same way. A UAE attestation stamp is not a skills assessment. The authority also checks your work history against the occupation's tasks, so reference letters matter as much as the degree. Your points for qualifications are only claimable once the authority has assessed them.
Do I need a UAE police clearance certificate for Australia PR?
Yes. Home Affairs asks for a police certificate from every country where you have spent 12 months or more in total in the last 10 years since turning 16, and for most of our clients that includes the UAE. In the UAE it is the good-conduct certificate from Dubai Police or the Ministry of Interior, applied for through their apps or service centres with a valid Emirates ID. Home Affairs normally asks after you lodge and the certificate must be recent, so we time it rather than ordering it early. Indian and Pakistani certificates take longer, so those are the ones to start first.
Do I need proof of funds for Australia PR from the UAE, and does tax-free income matter?
Home Affairs does not ask for settlement funds for subclass 189, 190 or 491. Some state and territory nomination programs ask for evidence of financial capacity before they nominate, and each state sets the amount and the form of evidence for its own program year, so we check the state page at assessment. Tax-free UAE income is not a problem: what gets asked for is bank statements and a salary certificate, not tax returns.
Get your points checked against your occupation, including whether a state is nominating it this year.
Reviewed by the Cosmos Immigration case team, 17 October 2026. Cosmos Immigration is a private consultancy, not a government body; program criteria are set by the relevant governments and change without notice.
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