Australia Points Test 2026: How to Score 65+ (and What the Redesign Changes)

To pass the Australia points test you need at least 65 points, made up of age, English, skilled work experience, qualifications and a few bonus factors. As of October 2026, the official points table has not changed, but the government has announced a redesign that would give housing trades the same points as a university degree. Scoring 65 makes you eligible to lodge an Expression of Interest; for a 189 invitation you usually need more.

Key points

• The minimum score is 65 for the 189, 190 and 491 visas, and you must be under 45 when invited.
• Age is worth up to 30 points (ages 25 to 32), English up to 20 and qualifications up to 20.
• Work experience points are capped at 20 in total.
• State nomination adds 5 points (190) or 15 points (491).
• The announced redesign is not yet in force. Do not plan around it until Home Affairs publishes the new rules.

The full points table (current as of October 2026)

These figures come from the official 189 points table. The 190 and 491 tables are the same apart from the nomination points.

Factor	Points
Age 18–24 / 25–32 / 33–39 / 40–44	25 / 30 / 25 / 15
English Competent / Proficient / Superior	0 / 10 / 20
Overseas skilled employment (last 10 years) 3–4 / 5–7 / 8+ years	5 / 10 / 15
Australian skilled employment (last 10 years) 1–2 / 3–4 / 5–7 / 8+ years	5 / 10 / 15 / 20
Qualifications Doctorate / Bachelor or higher / Australian diploma or trade / qualification recognised by assessing authority	20 / 15 / 10 / 10
Specialist education (Australian research Masters or PhD in STEM or ICT, 2+ academic years)	10
Australian study requirement	5
Professional Year in Australia (Accounting, ICT or Engineering)	5
Credentialled community language (NAATI)	5
Study in regional Australia	5
Partner skills (partner applying, under 45, Competent English, skills assessment)	10
Partner has Competent English only	5
Single, or partner is an Australian citizen or PR	10
State or territory nomination (190 only)	5
Nomination or family sponsorship (491 only)	15

Rules that catch people out

• Work experience cap. Overseas and Australian employment are added together, but the total is capped at 20 points.
• Employment must be skilled and relevant. It must be in your nominated occupation or a closely related one, for at least 20 hours a week, within the 10 years before invitation. Australian work only counts if you held a substantive visa or a Bridging A or B visa and followed its conditions.
• Only your highest qualification counts. You cannot add a Bachelor and a Masters together.
• Doctorate means a PhD. Titles such as “Doctor” for medical or veterinary degrees do not earn the 20 doctorate points.
• Points are assessed at invitation. Your age, English result and experience on the day you are invited are what count. Turning 33 or 40 before an invitation can cost you 5 or 10 points.

Worked examples

These examples use the current table. They are illustrations, not assessments of any real case.

Example 1: Overseas engineer, 29

Factor	Points
Age 29	30
Proficient English	10
Bachelor degree (recognised)	15
4 years overseas skilled work	5
Partner with Competent English only	5
Total	65

This person meets the 65 minimum and can lodge an EOI. But in the 4 June 2026 round, most engineering occupations that received 189 invitations needed 80 or more. Moving from Proficient to Superior English (+10) and adding the partner’s skills assessment (+5 more) would bring the score to 80.

Example 2: International graduate in Australia, 26

Factor	Points
Age 26	30
Proficient English	10
Australian Masters (Bachelor or higher)	15
Australian study requirement	5
Professional Year (ICT)	5
NAATI credentialled community language	5
Single	10
Total	80

This shows how Australian study, a Professional Year and NAATI credentials add up for graduates. Some occupations still needed more than 80 in the June round, so check the round results for your occupation.

Example 3: Carpenter, 35

Factor	Points
Age 35	25
Competent English	0
Trade qualification recognised by assessing authority	10
8 years overseas skilled work	15
Single	10
Subtotal	60
With 190 nomination	65
With 491 nomination	75

At 60 points this carpenter cannot lodge a 189 EOI that meets the minimum. With a state nomination for a 190 (+5) or a 491 (+15), they reach 65 or 75. In the June 2026 round, Carpenter 189 invitations went to EOIs with 65 points, so improving English to Proficient (+10) would also open the 189.

What score do you actually need?

The 65 minimum only makes you eligible. Home Affairs invites the highest-ranked EOIs first and uses the date you reached your score to break ties. In the 4 June 2026 round, 10,000 subclass 189 invitations were issued:

• 65 points for several construction trades, including Carpenter, Bricklayer, Electrician (General) and Plumber (General).
• 75 points for many health and teaching occupations, such as General Practitioner, Physiotherapist, several Registered Nurse specialties and Secondary School Teacher.
• 80 to 95 points for most engineering, science and other professional occupations.
• 100 points for Urologist.

As of 11 October 2026, Home Affairs had not issued any 189 invitations in the 2026–27 program year, and its SkillSelect page says the next 189 round will be held on 15 October 2026. Our SkillSelect invitation rounds guide explains how rounds work.

The announced points test redesign

On 17 September 2026, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told the National Press Club that the government had “redone the points test in consultation with Treasury”. He said the new test would allow selected skills to receive an uplift so they are treated like a higher qualification, and that “anyone who is skilled in the housing trades will get the same number of points as though it were a university qualification” (speech transcript).

Under today’s table, a trade qualification earns 10 points and a Bachelor degree earns 15. If the redesign works as described, a housing tradesperson could gain about 5 points. That is our reading of the speech, not an official calculation. The full new table, the list of housing trades and the start date have not been published.

What this means for you right now:

• The current table still applies to every EOI and invitation.
• Don’t delay an EOI in the hope of future points. Your date of effect matters for tie-breaks.
• Watch for a legislative instrument on the Federal Register of Legislation and an update on the Home Affairs points table pages. We will cover it on our updates page.

How to raise your score

1. Improve your English result. Moving from Competent to Proficient is worth 10 points, and Proficient to Superior another 10. For many people this is the fastest gain.
2. Get your partner assessed. If your partner is under 45, has Competent English and a positive skills assessment in an occupation on the same list, you gain 10 points instead of 0 or 5.
3. Consider a Professional Year or NAATI credential if you are eligible.
4. Apply for state nomination. A 190 adds 5 points and a 491 adds 15. See 189 vs 190 vs 491 for the trade-offs.
5. Update your EOI whenever your points change, such as when you gain another year of experience.

What to do next

1. Get a skills assessment from the authority for your occupation.
2. Calculate your points with the official table and keep evidence for every claim. Claiming points you cannot prove can lead to refusal.
3. Lodge your EOI in SkillSelect and select every visa you are eligible for.
4. Check the latest round results for your occupation.
5. Talk to a registered migration agent if you are close to an age threshold or unsure whether your experience counts.

For the bigger picture on all routes to PR, read our Australia PR pathways guide or visit the Australia hub.