A registration of interest lodged with Victoria in 2025 sat untouched for a year. The applicant, a software engineer, had since changed jobs, improved his English score and moved suburbs. None of it was in the registration, and his SkillSelect expression of interest told a third, different story. Victoria selects from what it can see. It saw a stale profile with mismatched details and moved on. The program year closed with his places used by people whose files were ready.
Short answer: Victoria selects nominees from registrations of interest on its own portal, and it only progresses candidates whose SkillSelect expression of interest matches. Allocations reset each program year, and the visa charge is $6,140 for the 190 or 491.
This guide explains Victoria’s two-record system, what decision-ready means in practice, how allocations work across a program year, and the steps in order.
Two records, one candidate
Victoria’s program runs on two documents that must agree. The first is your expression of interest in SkillSelect, which is the Commonwealth’s record and the one an invitation is eventually issued against. The second is your registration of interest on the state’s Live in Melbourne portal, which is the record Victoria actually reads when it selects.
Lodged with Home Affairs. It carries your occupation, points claims, English result, employment history and the visas and states you will accept. Victoria checks it against your registration. An inconsistency between the two is the most common reason a promising candidate is passed over. Therefore, update both on the same day whenever anything changes.
Lodged with the Victorian Government. It asks about your occupation, where you live and work, your employer, your English and your commitment to Victoria. Registrations remain current for a period and can be updated. A current registration is generally still considered in a new program year, but only if it still describes you accurately.
What decision-ready means
Victoria uses the phrase deliberately. It selects candidates it can nominate quickly, which means the evidence must already exist when the invitation to apply arrives. Selection is not the moment to book an English test or chase a reference.
How a program year works
The Commonwealth allocates nomination places to each state for the program year beginning 1 July. Victoria often starts on an interim allocation and receives the full figure later. As a result, selection can be cautious early in the year and faster once the full allocation lands. Places are split between the 190 and the 491, and each is spent as the year goes on.
Victoria also publishes priority sectors each year, and the emphasis moves. Health, engineering, ICT, education and trades have featured, but the weighting between them and the sub-occupations within them change. Therefore, read the current year’s guidance on the state’s website rather than last year’s list, and treat any allocation figure you find online as history.
The steps in order
- Step 1Skills assessment and English result completed.
- Step 2SkillSelect expression of interest lodged or updated, naming Victoria.
- Step 3Registration of interest lodged or updated on Live in Melbourne on the same day.
- Step 4Victoria selects and issues an invitation to apply for nomination, with a short deadline.
- Step 5Nomination application lodged with full evidence.
- Step 6Nomination approved, SkillSelect invitation issued, visa lodged within the fixed window.
190 or 491 in Victoria
The 190 places you anywhere in Victoria, including Melbourne, as a permanent resident on grant. The 491 confines you to regional Victoria for five years, with the permanent 191 available after three. Because regional Victoria includes Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and the Latrobe Valley, the 491 is less restrictive than many applicants assume. It also carries 15 nomination points against the 190’s 5, which changes where you rank.
Does an old registration carry over into the new program year?
Generally, yes, if it is still within its validity period. However, a registration that no longer matches your circumstances works against you rather than for you. Update it when your employment, English, qualifications, address or family position change, and update SkillSelect at the same time.
Can offshore applicants register with Victoria?
Yes. Both onshore and offshore candidates can lodge a registration, subject to the current year’s eligibility settings. Offshore selection is more competitive and tends to focus on priority occupations. An offshore candidate with a Victorian job offer sits in a stronger position than one without.
Cost
The visa charge is $6,140 for the main applicant, $3,070 for each adult dependant and $1,535 for each child. The same charges apply whichever of the two visas Victoria nominates you for. Health, police and any English test costs are additional. Our FAQs page answers the questions that usually follow a selection.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly must I respond if Victoria invites me to apply for nomination?
The invitation to apply carries a short fixed deadline set by the state, and it is not extended for missing documents. That is why the evidence must be assembled before registration, not after selection.
Can I register with Victoria and other states at the same time?
Yes. A SkillSelect expression of interest can name several states, and separate registrations can be lodged with each state’s own portal. If more than one state invites you, decide quickly, because each invitation has its own deadline.
Does working in Melbourne help my Victorian registration?
Usually, yes. Victoria gives weight to candidates already living and working in the state in their nominated occupation. The employment must be in the occupation, and the evidence must be current. Working in an unrelated job carries far less weight.
What happens if my SkillSelect points change after I register?
Update both records the same day. A points change alters your date of effect in SkillSelect, and Victoria will compare the new claims against your registration. A mismatch is treated as unreliable information, not as an improvement.
Is there a Victorian nomination fee on top of the visa charge?
Victoria publishes its nomination fee position each program year, and state fees can be introduced or changed at any time. Check the current year’s guidance on the state’s website before budgeting.
Figures verified against Home Affairs visa pricing as at 1 July 2026.
This article is general information about Australian migration law as at 2 September 2026. It is not legal advice. Victoria’s settings and allocations change each program year, so obtain advice on your own profile before acting.