Frequently asked questions

Australia’s permanent Migration Program includes certain skilled visa categories that require a state or territory government to nominate you, before you can apply to the Australian Government for that visa.  

Nomination allows Australia’s states and territories to deliver skilled and business migration programs tailored to helping meet their specific skilled workforce and economic needs. 

In each jurisdiction, a state or territory government agency is responsible for state nomination. This agency determines the requirements for state nomination for relevant visas. In Queensland, this is the Migration Queensland team within Trade and Investment Queensland. 

Further information on state nomination and the various visa categories is available on the Department of Home Affairs Migration Program planning levels web page.

Each year, the Australian Government provides states and territories with a quota of nomination places for the Skilled Nominated (Permanent) visa (subclass 190) and Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491). These quotas are published on the Department of Home Affairs Migration Program planning levels web page. 

The quotas, also referred to as ‘nomination allocations’, are the number of new primary applicants each state or territory can nominate in a financial year. 

From the 2025–26 financial year, the Migration Program will move to a multi-year planning model, extending the Program planning horizon to four years from the current twelve-month cycle.

The quotas provided to states and territories are determined by the Australian Government.

If you are still studying, you cannot apply for Queensland nomination whilst on a student visa.  

However, if you have a completion letter from your educational institute stating you have finished your course, you may be eligible for Queensland nomination. You will need to meet all requirements of your chosen nomination pathway. 

Applicants already in Australia must be working full-time in an eligible occupation and meet minimum work experience requirements.

Skilled workers in Queensland and Skilled workers outside Australia must be working in an occupation closely related to their skills assessment at the time of invitation. This is defined as being within the same ANZSCO Unit Group (4-digit code) as your nominated occupation.

For example, the following occupations would be considered closely related:

• 233211 Civil Engineer
• 233212 Geotechnical Engineer
• 233213 Quantity Surveyor
• 233214 Structural Engineer
• 233215 Transport Engineer

If you have full-time work rights, for example, and are a dependent of a Masters or PhD student, you may be eligible for Queensland nomination. You will need to meet all the requirements of your chosen nomination pathway.

No. Migration Queensland will not re-nominate any applicants in the same program year. This also extends to errors with points - make sure that you review your Expression of Interest (EOI) thoroughly to ensure your points are correct when submitting your EOI.

If you have more than one skills assessment, you should only submit one EOI for the occupation that is most relevant to your current employment. In the Registration of Interest form you can only select one EOI and visa subclass.

Yes. To be considered for invitation to apply for Queensland nomination, you must select Queensland as your only state of interest in your EOI.

Yes. You should make sure that your EOI is up to date to reflect your current circumstances. You should update your EOI if you have changed jobs, residential location or your English language test result.

If you are living and working in Queensland, your EOI must list Australia as your Usual Country of Residence.

If you are working outside Australia, you should list the country where you are currently living.

No. The date you submitted, or most recently updated, your EOI does not impact your selection for Queensland nomination, as long as your EOI was submitted after the Queensland program opened (13 September 2024).
It is important that you do not submit your EOI until you meet all Queensland requirements. Queensland will not nominate any EOIs that meet requirements after being submitted.
EOIs must be submitted after the Queensland program opens. While the program is open, Migration Queensland will consider all valid ROIs and corresponding EOIs for selection.

You must submit a new EOI for Queensland when the current Queensland program is open and after you meet all Queensland requirements. EOIs submitted before 13 September 2024 will not be considered for invitation.  

Candidates must also complete the Registration of Interest (ROI) form on the Migration Queensland website to be considered for invitation.

Regional Queensland is defined according to the Department of Home Affairs' list of designated regional area postcodes. Further information on these postcodes is provided below.  

Note: 491 visa holders, and their dependents, must live, work and study in an eligible postcode for at least three years to qualify for permanent residency.

You must live and work in a designated regional area to be eligible for Queensland nomination for the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491). Eligible regional postcodes are listed below: 

4019–4022, 4025, 4037, 4074, 4076–4078, 4124–4125, 4133, 4183–4184, 4207–4275, 4280–4287, 4300–4301, 4303–4498, 4500–4512, 4514–4519, 4521, 4550–4575, 4580–4895.

For the eligible postcodes, see the Frequently Asked Questions about the 491 visa Small Business Owners pathway.

If you were granted a subclass 489 or 491 visa after to 5 March 2022, the applicable Queensland regional postcodes can be found in LIN 22/022.

If you were granted a subclass 489 or 491 visa prior to 5 March 2022, the applicable Queensland regional postcodes can be found in LIN 20/292.

If you were granted a 489 or 491 visa prior to 19 November 2019, the Gold Coast is not an eligible region.

To find other visa options that suit your circumstances, use the Department of Home Affairs Visa Finder.

If a change in your situation changes an answer you have provided in your ROI you can submit a new ROI form. For example, if you have started a new job and your salary has changed, or if you have changed residential postcode you can submit a new ROI.

Only the most recent ROI will be used for selection. Candidates do not need to inform Migration Queensland of a new ROI submission.

When doing selection rounds Queensland will use the latest EOI information from SkillSelect, so please ensure your EOI is always up to date.

If you have been nominated, applied for, or hold a Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491), Migration Queensland will not nominate you for the Skilled Nominated (Permanent) visa (subclass 190). 

This restriction also applies to the Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489).  

On your ROI form, you can only choose one visa subclass, which must match the visa subclass chosen on your EOI. It is acceptable to include multiple visa subclasses on your EOI.

No. You must have completed 100 per cent of your studies and meet the work experience requirements before submitting an EOI. 

If you have completed your course of study but have not formally graduated yet, you may be eligible to apply by obtaining a letter of completion from your university.

No, your skilled occupation must be on the Queensland Skilled Occupation List to apply for the Skilled Worker Outside Australia pathway.
Similarly, only candidates with occupations listed on the Queensland Energy Skilled Occupation List are eligible for the Energy Workers priority processing.
 

Yes. Once you submit your ROI there is an option to save your responses for your own record. Please click on the “Save my response” button and log into your Microsoft account.  A copy of your ROI response will be saved in your “Filled forms” section.
You are not able to update your ROI answers from this form. If you need to change your answers you will have to submit a new ROI.

No, Queensland updates the nomination criteria each year and the 2024-25 selection criteria has changed from previous program years. To be eligible for Queensland nomination in 2024-25 program, candidates must meet the new program criteria.
PhD graduates are eligible for the Queensland Graduate pathway if they are employed and meet the other pathway criteria.

Broad field	Narrow field
Agriculture and   Environment	Agriculture
	Horticulture and Viticulture
	Forestry Studies
	Fisheries
	Environmental Studies
	Other agriculture, environmental and related studies
Engineering and Related Technologies	Aerospace Engineering and Technology
	Civil Engineering
	Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Technology
	Engineering and related technologies
	Geomatics Engineering
	Manufacturing Engineering and Technology
	Maritime Engineering and Technology
	Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and Technology
	Process and Resources Engineering
	Other engineering and related technologies
Education	Education
	Teacher Education
Health	Health
	Medical Studies
	Nursing
	Radiography
Information Technology	Computer Science
	Information Systems
	Information Technology
	Other information Technology
Natural and Physical   Sciences	Biological Sciences
	Chemical Sciences
	Earth Sciences
	Mathematical Sciences
	Natural and Physical Sciences
	Other Natural and Physical Sciences
	Physics and Astronomy

No. You are eligible to apply under this pathway if you meet the minimum work experience requirement and you:

• Have a bachelor's degree or higher qualification from a Queensland university. Note, a Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma do not satisfy the eligibility criteria.  

• This qualification must be in a priority field. 

• Have completed 100 per cent of this qualification in Queensland.  

• Have graduated after 1 July 2022.

Queensland Graduates pathway:

No. You are eligible under this pathway if you have the minimum work experience required in any Skill Level 1 occupation. To check if your employment or experience is in a Skill Level 1 occupation, you should refer to the Australian Bureau of Statistics ANZSCO website. 

Please note this only relates to your ROI to Migration Queensland. Your EOI in SkillSelect should only include skilled employment related to your nominated occupation. 

Skilled workers in Queensland pathway:

Yes. Your employment must be closely related to your nominated occupation. This is defined as being within the same ANZSCO Unit Group as your nominated occupation. 

Skilled workers outside Australia pathway:

Yes. Your employment must be closely related to your nominated occupation. This is defined as being within the same ANZSCO Unit Group as your nominated occupation. 

Small business owners pathway:
See the Frequently Asked Questions about the 491 visa Small Business Owners pathway.

Yes. The business you work for must have an office in Queensland. A virtual office will not be accepted.

This applies to candidates under the Queensland Graduates and Skilled workers in Queensland pathways.

To be eligible for Queensland nomination for the 491 visa, your usual place of work must be in a regional area. This generally will not include remote work for a Brisbane-based company, unless there is a strong case from your employer.

If you hold a subclass 491 visa, you should verify that you are complying with the visa conditions determined by the Department of Home Affairs.

No, skilled partners are required to have both a positive skills assessment on LIN 19/051 and have at least competent English to answer “yes”.
If your partner does not have a positive skills assessment, you must answer “no”.
 

Yes, so long as:

• In your EOI, you answer “yes” to your partner having a passport from UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand or Republic of Ireland.
• Your partner has a valid English test result or proficient or superior.
• Your partner has a positive skills assessment on LIN 19/051.

Migration Queensland will ask you to provide evidence of the English test result in your application.

No, working from home full-time is not allowed. You must be working at your employer’s business location. If you are applying for subclass 491 your employer must have an established office location in a designated regional area. Occasional work from home days are allowed.

If you are applying for the subclass 491 visa, most of your work will need to be undertaken in a designated regional area. If most of your work takes you into metropolitan Brisbane, you will need to consider selecting the subclass 190 visa.

If you are holding a subclass 491 visa, where you undertake most of your work may have implications for your eligibility for permanent residency.

No. Each candidate can only have one ROI at any point in time. You must choose which EOI and which visa subclass you wish to be considered for. The lodgement of multiple ROIs with different passport numbers, or passport numbers written incorrectly, may result in all ROIs being closed.

If you submit multiple ROI’s only your most recent ROI will be considered. Adding false or misleading information to your ROI will result in your ROI or application being rejected. This includes if the information was added in error.

If you are using an agent for your application, confirm with your agent which one of you will submit the ROI form.

If you are applying under the Queensland Graduate or Skilled worker in Queensland pathway, your annual salary is one of several factors used to determine whether you will be selected and invited to apply for Queensland nomination.  

To ensure that you do not over-estimate your annual salary, it is important that you read the below information: 

What is included when determining my annual salary? 

• Wages, excluding superannuation and before income tax deductions

• Leave entitlements (e.g. recreation leave and sick leave) 

• Penalties for weekends, public holidays, or work outside regular hours  

What is excluded when determining my annual salary? 

• Mandatory employer superannuation contributions 

• Earnings from employment not used to meet Queensland’s minimum work experience requirements (i.e. If you also have casual work as a delivery driver). 

• Allowances (e.g., meals, travel, uniform or car)

• Bonuses (e.g., sign-on bonuses and performance bonuses)

Your situation	Calculation for ROI
My last two pay slips were for the last two weeks (weekly pay slips)	Multiply the total earnings by 26 to calculate your annual salary for your ROI
My last two pay slips were for the last four weeks (fortnightly pay slips)	Multiply the total earnings by 13 to calculate your annual salary for your ROI
My last two pay slips were for the last two months (monthly pay slips)	Multiply the total earnings by 6 to calculate your annual salary for your ROI

If you are invited to apply for Queensland nomination you will need to provide the two payslips used to calculate your annual salary. These payslips will need to be the most recent payslips at the time you submitted your ROI.

No. Casual employment is not considered to meet Queensland's minimum work experience requirements.

If you are employed through a labour hire provider, the provider must be licensed to operate in Queensland. All labour hire providers operating in Queensland must be licensed under the Labour Hire Licensing Act 2017, including providers that are based interstate or overseas, but supply workers within Queensland. You will be required to provide evidence that your labour hire provider complies with these licensing requirements.

Migration Queensland will select candidates based on factors including the years of related experience entered in their EOI.  

This experience must be post-qualification and in your nominated skilled occupation, or a closely related skilled occupation. 

To substantiate your work experience, we will require evidence such as: 

• Letters of offer for employment 

• Signed employment contracts 

• Pay slips 

• Tax returns 

• Letter from clients to evidence work undertaken 

If you have an eligible occupation for priority processing on the offshore QSOL, you must be able to demonstrate that you have at least three years of relevant skilled employment in the energy sector. This can include working on energy projects.

In particular, experience related to the development, construction or operation and maintenance of projects such as solar farms, wind farms, hydro-electric power plants / pumped hydro projects, high voltage transmission lines, large-scale battery storage, battery manufacturing and hydrogen production plants will be highly valued.

Yes. All candidates are required to have a valid English test result to demonstrate they meet the proficient English requirement. In selection, priority will be given to candidates who have achieved a Superior test result.

Migration Queensland considers a range of factors to select and invite candidates to apply for nomination. These include your nominated occupation and information entered in your EOI and ROI, such as:

• Annual salary
• total skilled employment experience
• English language ability, and
• partner skills.   

Top ranking candidates are selected within their nominated occupation group.

Selection for invitation considers a range of factors. These include your nominated occupation, annual salary, total skilled employment experience,  English language ability and partner skills. Selection is not based on the highest points.

During each invitation round, Migration Queensland considers all candidates who have a valid EOI and ROI. Please ensure you have followed all Migration Queensland requirements when lodging your EOI and ROI to ensure they are valid.

Migration Queensland will not respond to any enquiries asking about an individual’s chance of selection or why they were not selected for invitation.

Being invited to apply for Queensland nomination is a highly competitive process. This is due to the limited number of nomination places available and the high quantity of prospective candidates. As a result, there is no guarantee that Migration Queensland will invite you to apply for Queensland nomination.

Migration Queensland cannot indicate the likelihood of an individual being invited to apply for nomination. This is because the pool of candidates seeking nomination is dynamic and constantly changing.

Migration Queensland will not respond to any enquiries asking about an individual’s chance of selection or why they were not selected for invitation.

No. Migration Queensland will not give priority in selection to candidates whose documents are about to expire. Candidates should ensure their documents remain valid while waiting for invitation and should arrange new documents or extensions before the current document expires.

• You can access the State Nomination Application form in your document portal. A link to your document portal is included in your invitation email. 

• You will have 14 days to submit your application with your supporting documents and pay the application fee. Please note the application fee is non-refundable.  

  Applications that are not submitted in this timeframe will be closed and will not be considered again within the program year. An applicant will have to wait until the following program year before submitting a new EOI. 

• Please ensure that you read the application process, document checklist and Frequently Asked Questions before submitting your application. 

• For your application to be successful, you must have evidence that substantiates the information entered in your EOI and ROI. This includes information on occupation, salary, employment, English language, study and residence. Providing false or inaccurate information in the ROI form will result in your ROI or application being rejected. 

• Migration Queensland will not respond to any enquiries about where your application is in the queue or when you will be invited to apply. 

• If you have been invited to apply and one of your documents (English test, skills assessment, current visa) is about to expire, contact Migration Queensland. Migration Queensland will seek to support you in this situation, when possible. 

• If your completed application is approved, you will receive Queensland nomination and an invitation from the Department of Home Affairs to submit your visa application. You will be given 60 days to submit your visa application with Home Affairs. Applicants who do not lodge their visa application with Home Affairs will not be nominated by Queensland again this program year. 

You have 14 days to submit your application, which includes paying the application fee. If your application fee is not received within 14 days, your application will be closed and you will not be considered again within the program year. If there is an error when you attempt to make a payment, click the Back button at the bottom of your screen and try again to enter your details. If you are still experiencing difficulties with your payment, contact us through the Contact Us form on our website.

Most payment issues are due to: 

• insufficient funds on your card, or 

• your bank stopping payment because it is flagged as a suspicious withdrawal. In this case, you will need to contact your bank.

In most cases, documents do not need to be certified for Migration Queensland. Migration Queensland may request documents to be translated and certified. Case officers may also request further information and documents to evidence claims made in an EOI and ROI.

No. The application fee is non-refundable. This includes if your application is unsuccessful or you decide to withdraw your application.

Migration Queensland’s processing times vary, but application assessments often take approximately four weeks from receipt of a completed application and payment of the application fee.

Migration Queensland does not answer any enquiries regarding an application’s timeline.