Queensland Opens 2026-27 Nominations for Subclass 190 and 491

Queensland has opened its 2026-27 state nomination program. Migration Queensland published the program on 30 October 2026, and Registrations of Interest (ROIs) opened on 6 November 2026 for the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) and the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491). The 2025-26 ROIs are closed — all of last year's places were filled.

How Queensland nomination works

Queensland nominates; the Department of Home Affairs decides the visa. The process has two registrations: first a federal Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect, then a state Registration of Interest (ROI) on the Migration Queensland website. Queensland uses the ROI, together with your EOI, to decide who to invite to apply for nomination. State nomination adds 5 points to a 190 application and 15 points to a 491 application.

An ROI is the first step, not a nomination. Migration Queensland says the program is highly competitive and submitting an ROI does not guarantee an invitation to apply. If you are invited, you have 14 calendar days to lodge the nomination application with supporting documents and the fee — if payment is not received in time, the application is closed and not considered again in that program year.

Migration Queensland does not select candidates solely on their EOI points score. Invitations go to the candidates best placed to contribute to Queensland's economic and workforce priorities at the time of selection, and it may consider skills and qualifications, work experience, salary and ability to secure and maintain employment, location of employment within Queensland, age, English proficiency, and a partner's skills and English proficiency — along with current workforce demand, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas.

What happens after nomination

If Queensland nominates you, Home Affairs sends a visa invitation, and you have 60 days to lodge the visa application. One limit to know before you choose: Queensland will not nominate you for the 190 if you have been nominated for, have applied for, or hold a 491 or 489 visa.

Everyone needs a new ROI

Every applicant must lodge a new ROI for 2026-27 — including anyone who registered in an earlier program year and was not nominated. Three rules catch people out each year: you choose one visa subclass per ROI, you can only have one valid ROI at a time, and an ROI cannot be updated once submitted (if more than one is lodged, only the most recent counts). Onshore applicants must have lodged their 2025-26 tax return and received their ATO Notice of Assessment before submitting an ROI. Queensland considers EOIs up to 715 days old, and does not consider EOIs due to expire within 14 days.

The five pathways

Offshore occupation list: the 97 occupations

If your nominated occupation is not on this list, you are not eligible for Queensland nomination in 2026-27 — do not submit an ROI. The offshore list has 97 occupations, and 90 of them are eligible for the 190; the other 7 are 491-only. Compared with last year, 19 occupations were removed — including early childhood, primary, middle and secondary school teachers and several engineering roles — and 3 were added: Nurse Practitioner, Registered Nurses (not elsewhere classified) and Psychotherapist.

Being on the list is only the first test. Offshore applicants also need at least 65 points, Competent English, a positive skills assessment, and at least 1 year of skilled employment in the last 3 years in the nominated or closely related occupation (20 or more hours a week, declared in the EOI). Current employment in the occupation is not required. A few occupations carry extra conditions: Special Needs Teachers need registration to work in Queensland schools (and, unless the qualification was completed in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, USA, Canada or Ireland, academic IELTS 7 for reading and writing, 8 for speaking and listening, 7.5 overall); plumbers and electricians need a Queensland licence; and an ISO9606 welding qualification is preferred for Metal Fabricators.

One code warning: Queensland's list uses the older ANZSCO 2013 codes and names. Plumber (General), for example, is 334111 on this list, while the Core Skills Occupation List shows the same occupation as 334116 under ANZSCO 2022. Match the code and name exactly as they appear on Migration Queensland's list when you lodge your ROI and EOI.

What it costs, and how many places

The nomination application fee is A$573 for offshore applicants and A$630.30 for onshore applicants, and it is non-refundable. The onshore figure includes 10% GST; the offshore figure does not attract GST. The fee has almost doubled since earlier this year — it was A$310.20 offshore and A$341.22 onshore before the increase from 1 July 2026. Queensland has not yet published its 2026-27 allocation. For comparison, 2025-26 was 2,600 places (1,850 for the 190 and 750 for the 491).

What it means for applicants in India

The offshore pathway is open, so applicants in India can lodge an ROI without living or working in Queensland first. Queensland has historically been strong for trades, health occupations and applicants with Queensland work history. But the program is competitive and an ROI is no guarantee of an invitation — meeting the minimum 65 points does not guarantee one either, since Queensland does not select on points alone. Lodge as soon as your EOI, skills assessment and employment evidence are ready, and check every field first, because an ROI can't be amended. The program can pause without notice once allocations fill, so there is no advantage in waiting once you are ready — but a rushed ROI with an unready EOI can't be corrected.

Get your free Australia eligibility check — call or WhatsApp +91 98961 96762, or write to info@provinceimmigration.com.

Sources

Migration Queensland — 2026-27 State Nominated Migration Program

Migration Queensland — Registering your interest in Queensland's migration program