Western Australia State Nomination 2025 – 2026: Subclass 190 & 491

WA Nomination Allocations 

For the financial year 2025-2026, WA is allocated a total of 3,400 places, which is 1,600 less than the previous year.  

• Skilled Nominated (subclass 190): 2,000 places 

• Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491): 1,400 places 

Program timing this year 

WA confirmed that invitation rounds for the 2025–26 program year will begin in December 2025. Applicants who want to be competitive should ensure their SkillSelect EOI is accurate and ready before that time.  

What this means for you now: 

• EOIs lodged now sit in the pool for future rounds. 

• Only EOIs that are eligible at invitation time can be selected. 

• If you update your points, English, work experience, or residency after lodgement, keep your EOI current because WA explicitly checks EOI truthfulness against evidence.  

WA nomination eligibility begins with which list your occupation appears on. You cannot choose a stream freely but the occupation list decides it.  

General Stream 

For skilled workers whose occupation is on the WA Skilled Migration Occupation List (WASMOL): 

• Schedule 1 (health & medical in 2025 – 2026) 

• Schedule 2 (all other eligible occupations)  

General Stream candidates can be nominated for subclass 190 or 491, depending on their EOI selection and invitation. 

Graduate Stream 

This is a retention pathway designed for international students who studied in WA. Occupations must be on the Graduate Occupation List (GOL).  

Graduate Stream also allows nomination for 190 or 491. 

Practical tip:
Before doing anything else, you should check: 

• Is your occupation on WASMOL Schedule 1 / 2 or GOL? 

• Is it marked “available” and “eligible” for your visa subclass? (WASMOL/GOL sometimes allow 491 but not 190).  

WA does not treat all occupations equally. EOIs are tiered by sector priority because WA uses nomination to solve the labour shortages.  

Priority sectors for 2025–26 

• Building & Construction – trades 

• Building & Construction – other occupations 

• Healthcare & Social Assistance 

• Hospitality & Tourism 

• Education & Training  

EOIs in these areas are invited before others even if point scores are the same. 

What this means: 

• A construction trade at 75–80 points might be invited earlier than a non-priority occupation at 90 points. 

• WA also keeps occupation ceilings (caps by occupation). So, a low-demand occupation may stagnate even at high points 

General Stream requirements differ by schedule. 

WASMOL Schedule 1 (Health & Medical occupations) 

To enter the invitation pool, you must show: 

• Relevant work experience 

You need at least 1 year of work experience: 

• in the nominated occupation, or 

• in a closely related occupation (same first 4 digits of ANZSCO), 

• gained within the last 10 years, 

• in Australia or overseas.  

WA defines full-time work as 35+ hours per week, but part-time can count proportionally if evidence supports skilled consistency.  

• WA employment contract (Subclass 190 only) 

If you want 190 nomination under Schedule 1, you must have: 

• a full-time WA job contract (35+ hrs/week), 

• in your nominated or closely related occupation, 

• with at least 6 months remaining from the time you lodge the nomination application.  

Please note that: 

• two part-time contracts can be combined to meet 35 hours/week if both are relevant, and 

• if your contract starts after application, the start date must still be within a short period (WA uses this to prevent “paper offers”). 

• Subclass 491 does not require a contract if you’d like to apply for the General Stream.  

WASMOL Schedule 2 (All other occupations) 

Schedule 2 works differently. It does not require experience, but it is contract-heavy. 

• Employment contract (Subclass 190 only) 

You must have: 

• full-time employment in WA, 

• 35+ hrs/week, 

• at least 6 months remaining at nomination application date, 

• in nominated or closely related occupation.  

Casual contracts are not accepted. 

• Building & construction exemption 

If your occupation is in the building and construction sector, the 190 contract requirement is waived, meaning you may still be invited without a 6-month offer.  

This is WA’s strongest shortage concession and is why construction trades dominate invitation rounds. 

Graduate Stream is designed to keep WA-trained students in the workforce. 

• Occupation must be on GOL 

This is non-negotiable. Even if you studied in WA, you can’t use Graduate Stream unless your occupation is GOL-listed for your subclass.  

• WA study requirements 

You must have: 

• a Certificate III or higher qualification obtained in WA, and 

• completed at least two academic years of full-time study in WA, 

• through face-to-face/on-campus delivery, 

• at an accredited WA institution (CRICOS-registered + campus presence) 

Migration WA defines “two years study” as one or more eligible qualifications adding up to those years.  

• How Graduate EOIs are ranked 

Graduate invitations are ranked first by qualification level, then by points, meaning qualification prestige can outweigh small points differences. 

Higher Education ranking hierarchy: 

• PhD or Masters in WA 

• Honours / Grad Cert / Grad Dip in WA 

• Bachelor degree in WA 

• Highest EOI points 

• Oldest EOI date  

VET ranking hierarchy: 

• Advanced Diploma in WA 

• Diploma in WA 

• Certificate IV in WA 

• Certificate III/IV in WA 

• Highest points 

• Oldest EOI date  

WA follows Home Affairs English rules but sets a minimum “Competent English” threshold for nomination.  

Competent English accepted evidence 

You can prove Competent English by: 

• holding a passport from the UK, USA, Canada, NZ, or Ireland, or 

• providing valid test results within the permitted validity window.  

Updated English test list (post-Aug-2025) 

For tests taken on or after 6 August 2025, Home Affairs/WA accept these secure-centre tests: 

• IELTS Academic / General 

• PTE Academic 

• Cambridge C1 Advanced 

• TOEFL iBT 

• OET 

• Newly added in 2025: CELPIP General, LANGUAGECERT Academic, MET.  

WA also specifies the exact competent bands per test (e.g., IELTS 6 each band, PTE ~47–54 each band depending on skill).  

Meeting eligibility just keeps you in the pool. Invitation depends on ranking layers. 

WA may prioritise EOIs in this order: 

• Location priority 
• Residing in WA first, 

• interstate and offshore second (ranked equally with each other)
• Sector priority 

• priority sectors/occupations listed earlier are taken first. 
• Occupation ceilings 
• each occupation can only receive a set number of invitations per year. 
• Points score 
• Within the same occupation, the higher score you get the higher change you will be invited.  

Please note that: 
If an EOI includes both 190 and 491, WA often invites for 491 first because applicants frequently score higher with regional/state points bundled. 

Step 1: Lodge EOI in SkillSelect 

• select WA (or “any state”), 

• select 190, 491, or both.
  Your EOI must include accurate points claims.  

Step 2: Prepare evidence early 

WA checks everything you claimed. At invitation time you must prove: 

• residency status: To prove your residency status at WA, you may be required to submit: leases, WA bank transactions, driver licence renewals, WA employment payslips etc. 

• occupation, 

• skills assessment, 

• qualification, 

• English, 

• work experience / contract.  

Step 3: Receive WA invitation 

• Invitation rounds begin December 2025.  

Step 4: Apply via Migration WA portal 

You have 28 days to lodge your application after you receive the invitation.  

• Pay $200 non-refundable fee.  

• Upload all evidence. 

Step 5: WA verification + assessment 

WA can contact the following person/organisation to verify your information:  

• Your employers, 

• Your training providers, 

• licensing bodies. 

Step 6: WA nomination in SkillSelect 

Once approved, WA formally nominates you in SkillSelect.  

Step 7: Home Affairs visa invitation 

After nomination, Home Affairs will issue the visa invite. 

Step 8: Lodge your visa within 60 days 

Step 9: Visa decision 

Step 10: Post-visa obligations 

WA expects nominees to: 

• live and work in WA for at least 2 years, 

• register their arrival / visa grant, 

• complete settlement surveys. 

WA states that for state-nominated 491, Perth and surrounding areas are treated as “regional” for WA nomination.  

However: 

• you must still comply with federal 491 conditions (living/working in regional Australia as defined by Home Affairs). 

• Regional postcode boundaries can shift, so applicants should rely on the federal list when making long-term plans. 

WA’s 2025–26 nomination program is highly structured and competitive. Success depends on more than meeting the points test. The strongest applicants are those who: 

• hold an occupation on the correct WA list (WASMOL/GOL), 

• align with priority sectors, 

• can prove eligibility at invitation time, 

• maintain a truthful, up-to-date EOI, 

• and are prepared for WA’s strict document verification.  

Contact SOL Migration today at hello@migration.com or 07 3003 1899 to know the most appropriate strategies to get WA 190 or 491 visa.