Skilled visas
Articles in this topic, newest first.
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Victoria Now Charges $66 to Rank You. Here Is What Your Score Buys in 2026-27
Victoria's 190 and 491 program has fees for the first time, a published points test, and three industries dropped. The $66 ROI, the $198 nomination fee, and where NSW, SA and the…
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Your Student Visa Plan Died on 2 October. Here Is What Replaces It
Since 2 October 2026 a 482, 485, 417 or visitor holder cannot lodge a student visa in Australia. The decision tree for each visa, and the $2,500 charge at stake.
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Finished Your 88 Days? The Second Year Visa Is Now a Ballot, and Here Are the Odds
Second year working holiday visas go to a 45,000 place ballot, third years to 5,000. The odds on last year's numbers, what still applies today, what to do.
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A Carpenter on 70 Points: What the Trade Uplift Adds and What It Does Not
Housing trades are set to score like a degree. On the 2026 points table that means 15 points, not 10. What is confirmed, what is not, and what to do now.
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Check the Code, Then the Family Rule: How Directions 121 and 122 Order Your Application
Directions 121 and 122 reordered skilled visa processing on 19 September 2026. Check your ANZSCO code, then the offshore family rule, before you lodge.
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Decision-Ready or Invisible: How Victoria’s Registration of Interest System Selects Nominees
How Victoria's skilled nomination works in 2026: SkillSelect EOI and Live in Melbourne ROI, decision-ready evidence and the $6,140 visa charge.
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There Is No Easiest State: How Nomination Programs Actually Rank Your Occupation
How state nomination for the 190 and 491 works in 2026: what states weigh, why lists change each July, 5 and 15 nomination points and the $6,140 charge.
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Occupation, Points, Flexibility: The Three Questions That Pick Your Skilled Visa
How to choose between the 189, 190, 491 and sponsorship in 2026: occupation, points and flexibility, charges from $6,135, and a points self-check.
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From the NHS, the Site or the Office: Matching British Careers to the 189, 190 and 491
Which Australian skilled visa fits UK applicants in 2026: 189 at $6,135, 190 and 491 at $6,140, plus job title, English points and trade traps.
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Permanent Now or Regional First? The 190 and 491 Decision in Plain Terms
190 vs 491 in 2026: permanent on grant or five years regional then the 191. Both charge $6,140, the 191 costs $630, and the 191 has no age limit.
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Sixty Days From Invitation: Getting a 189 Expression of Interest Ready Before the Round
How 189 invitation rounds rank expressions of interest in 2026, the 60-day lodgement window, the $6,135 charge, and the date-of-effect trap to avoid.
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Same Points Test, Three Different Deals: 189, 190 and 491 Compared Line by Line
189 vs 190 vs 491 in 2026: same 65-point test, different selectors, 5 or 15 nomination points, and charges of $6,135 and $6,140, line by line.
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