Migration Queensland - State Nomination Program

The state nomination program for the the year 2025-2026 has commenced. For the 2025-26 financial year, Queensland received a nomination allocation of 2,600, which consists of:

• 1,850 for Skilled Nominated (Permanent) visa (subclass 190).
• 750 for Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)

As of 1 July 2025 to 28 February 2026 the Queensland government has issued 637 invitations for the SC 190 visa and 459 invitations for the SC 491 visa. 

If you want to migrate to Queensland (QLD) through the state nomination program, you need to be invited by the Queensland government. To get invited to the state, you should have initially made an Expression of Interest (EOI) through the SkillSelect and then you also will have to submit a Registration of Interest (ROI). The EOI and ROI will be assessed by the QLD government and then send invite you to migrate to Queensland.

Queensland (QLD) invites applicants who are eligible on the basis of set standards and criteria apart from the general eligibility criteria set out by the Department of Home Affairs.

The points system is designed to assess the eligibility of the applicants who are applying for the state nomination program. The respective states and territories use this system to ensure that the skilled migrants that they invite would contribute effectively to the particular state’s economy. Among many factors, points generally will be awarded for the applicant’s age, English language proficiency, skilled employment experience, and educational qualifications. The Department of Home Affairs has a table of criteria for which points are awarded. You can access it here.

The minimum points required to be eligible for an Expression of Interest (EOI) is 65. Since the migration program is competitive, it's recommended to upskill and improve your points to increase the chances of receiving an invitation. One of the benefits of applying through the state nomination program rather than the skilled independent visa is that additional points are awarded by the Western Australian state government depending on the visa subclass that you have applied to.

• Skilled Nominated visa (SC 190) will receive an extra 5 points.

• Skilled Work Regional (SC 491) will receive an extra 15 points.

These points can be crucial and can increase the chances of you being invited to migrate.

Brisbane’s Economic Development Agency reports that key areas of excellence for Brisbane are:

• energy and resources
• environmental sustainability
• construction and infrastructure
• advanced manufacturing and logistics
• digital industries and information communication technology
• food and agribusiness
• medical research.

The largest employment sector in Queensland is healthcare and social assistance. Other key employment sectors include:

• retail trade
• education and training
• construction
• accommodation and food services (includes tourism).

To help build the post-COVID-19 economy in Queensland, the priority industries are:

• aerospace
• beef processing
• biofutures
• biomedical
• defence
• hydrogen
• mining technology and services
• resource recovery.

The Queensland migration program has 4 nomination pathways for both visas SC 190 and SC 491. They are the:

1. Skilled Workers living in Queensland:
2. Skilled Workers outside Australia
3. Building and Construction workers
4. Queensland University Graduates
5. 491 Small business owners (SBO)

What is a Skill Level 1 occupation?

These skill levels measure the level or amount of formal education and training, the amount of previous experience in a related occupation and the amount of on-the-job training required to competently perform the set of tasks required for that occupation.

The major groups will also define your skill level. So if you are a manager you skill level will most likely fall under 1 and 2. The below table gives the major groups and their skill level

You can only apply for the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) if you are applying through this visa. This pathway has two sub pathways:

Pathway 1- Business purchase

Pathway 2- Start-up business

Important notes for Small business owner pathway

• No share transfer (must have a contract of business sale)
• No vendor financing
• Cannot purchase business from a family member or relative
• Cannot relocate or sell a business without first receiving approval from Migration Queensland (prior to visa grant).
• Cannot purchase a business previously used as part of a visa application for migration purposes (i.e. 491, 188, 888 or 405 visa application).
• If you are considering purchasing a franchise business, you must have the approval of the Master Franchise (franchisor) prior to purchasing.  
• Applicants must operate their business for at least three years in a regional area (may be subject to monitoring) after the grant of the visa.

Businesses that are not accepted

• Multiple businesses operating under the one ABN with combined financials/BAS.
• Passive investments i.e. Management rights
• Home-based businesses (including those with virtual offices)
• Commission agents or leasing agents of franchises (such as petrol stations)
• Diagou businesses.

The Queensland state recommends all the applicants who apply under Building and Construction pathway to apply for the 190 visa. However, if you do not meet the Department of Home Affairs requirements, then you will be conisdered for the 491 visa. 

1. Check for both the eligibility of Department of Home Affairs and Queensland specifc requirements

2. Submit an EOI with 'Queensland' as the only state of interest

3. Submit a Registration of Interest (ROI)

4. Invitation: if invited you will have 14 days to upload the required documents and application form pay the non-refundable application fee