Victorian Points Test 2026 to 2027: Scoring Factors, Points and State Nomination

The Victorian Points Test (VPT) is how Victoria ranks every Registration of Interest (ROI) from skilled migrants hoping to be nominated for the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) or the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491). There is no fixed pass mark, so invitations go to the highest-ranked applicants in each round.

As of 14 October 2026, Victoria has published the Victorian Points Test weightings and its 2026 to 2027 fees, but the program has not yet opened. This guide walks you through the scoring factors, points tables, priority occupations and application process, so you know what to prepare.

What Is the Victorian Points Test?

The Victorian Points Test is a ranking tool. The Victorian Government uses it to place all Registrations of Interest in order from highest to lowest total, then invites applicants from the top of that order. Each ROI receives a Victorian Points Test total based on seven weighted factors, calculated from information in your SkillSelect Expression of Interest (EOI) and your Victorian ROI.

For applicants, the Victorian Points Test matters because Victorian skilled visa nomination is limited by the number of places the Australian Government allocates each year. Where more people register than there are places, ranking decides who is invited.

Purpose of the Victorian Points Test

The Victorian Points Test gives Victoria a consistent way to choose among eligible applicants. According to the official page, it favours younger, highly qualified applicants with higher levels of English language ability. It also supports priority industry selection, where certain occupations are ranked separately to address critical skills needs.

Who Needs to Be Assessed Under the Victorian Points Test?

Applicants in all eligible occupations can submit an ROI, and all ROIs are ranked using the Victorian Points Test. You must first have a SkillSelect EOI, because Victoria uses that information in your ranking. To be considered, you must also meet the Australian Government’s visa requirements and Victoria’s nomination requirements for your chosen visa.

How the Victorian Points Test Differs from the Australian Government Points Test

The two tests do different jobs. The Australian Government points test decides whether you are eligible for the visa. The Victorian Points Test decides where you sit in Victoria’s queue for nomination.

Meeting 65 points does not by itself earn an invitation from Victoria. The official source states that the Victorian Points Test is used only to assess ROIs for Victorian nomination.

Which Visas Use the Victorian Points Test?

The Victorian Points Test ranks ROIs for two visas: the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) and the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491). Both need nomination from a state or territory before you can apply. Victoria’s pages are the authority for the Victorian rules, and the federal rules sit with the Department of Home Affairs.

How Is the Victorian Points Test Calculated?

Each ROI receives a Victorian Points Test total built from seven factors. The factors are age, English language, years of experience in the nominated occupation, educational qualification, occupation skill level, partner’s skill and annual earnings from skilled employment in Victoria. Victoria calculates the total from your SkillSelect EOI and your Victorian ROI, so the two must be accurate and consistent.

Age Points Under the Victorian Points Test

Age carries the largest single range of points. Applicants aged 20 to 29 receive the maximum. Points then fall each year from age 30, and the decline becomes much steeper from age 41. You must also be under 45 at the time of nomination, which is a Department of Home Affairs requirement.

English Language Proficiency Points

English language proficiency is scored in three levels: Competent, Proficient and Superior. The gap between levels is significant, so a higher English result is one of the most direct ways to change a Victorian Points Test total. You need at least Competent English to be nominated, and your test must have at least 12 weeks of validity remaining when you lodge the nomination application.

Skilled Work Experience in the Nominated Occupation

This factor counts years of experience in your nominated occupation, scored in bands that reward longer experience. Keep your SkillSelect EOI current, because Victoria uses that information. An incorrect experience claim is a recognised reason for refusal at the nomination stage.

Educational Qualification Points

Educational qualifications are scored from the lowest category, labelled “Other”, up to a PhD. The official page does not define what falls within “Other”, so applicants should confirm how their qualification is classified.

ANZSCO Occupation Skill Level

The ANZSCO occupation skill level reflects the skill level of your nominated occupation. Only a skill level 1 occupation earns points under the Victorian Points Test. You can check an occupation’s skill level on the Department of Home Affairs skilled occupation list.

Partner Skills and Eligibility Requirements

Partner points apply only in a narrow set of circumstances. You must have claimed 10 points for partner skills in your SkillSelect EOI. Your partner must be included in your state nominated visa application, and your partner’s occupation must be a current priority industry occupation. Single applicants and those with an Australian partner receive no partner points under the Victorian Points Test.

Annual Earnings from Skilled Employment in Victoria

This factor rewards higher annual earnings from current skilled employment in Victoria, and it applies only where relevant to you. Victoria’s subclass 190 says an onshore applicant can claim earnings if working in skilled employment for an employer physically located in Victoria. Overseas applicants do not claim earnings. Victoria publishes an Annual earnings estimation guide explaining what can and cannot be claimed.

Victorian Points Test Scoring Table

The tables below reproduce the Victorian Points Test points table published by the Victorian Government. Victoria has not published a maximum total, so none is stated here. Where the official wording is unclear, a note follows the table.

Victorian Points Test Points by Age

Points for English, Qualifications and Work Experience

English language level

Years of experience in the nominated occupation

The published experience bands overlap at 1 year, 3 years and possibly 5 years, and there is no stated band between 5 and 6 years. The page does not explain how boundary cases are scored, so do not assume where a borderline experience claim will fall.

Education level

Occupation skill level

Points for Partner Skills and Victorian Earnings

Partner’s skill

Annual earnings from current skilled employment in Victoria

The published table starts at $80,000. It does not state any points for earnings below that level.

How Does the Victorian Points Test Invitation Process Work?

Victoria issues invitations through regular invitation rounds, and invitation outcomes depend on how competitive the ROI pool is at the time of each round. There are two ways to be invited, and you are considered under both when you submit an ROI.

Most Competitive Registration of Interest

In each round, the ROIs with the highest Victorian Points Test totals across all eligible occupations in the pool at that time are invited. Applicants in all eligible occupations can enter this pool.

Priority Industry Invitation Pathway

Certain occupations in Victorian industries are prioritised to address critical skills needs. In each round, the ROIs with the highest Victorian Points Test totals within each priority industry in the pool are also invited. This means a priority occupation competes against others in the same industry, not only against the whole pool.

How Victoria Ranks Applicants in Invitation Rounds

Victoria ranks every ROI from highest to lowest Victorian Points Test total. It cannot tell applicants how their points compare with other applicants or how likely they are to be invited. It also states that it cannot prioritise invitations for personal circumstances, such as age or an expiring visa or supporting document.

Is There a Minimum Victorian Points Test Score?

No. According to the official page, the Victorian Points Test has no fixed pass mark, unlike the Australian Government’s SkillSelect points test, which requires at least 65 points. A higher Victorian Points Test total improves your position, but an invitation or a successful nomination is never guaranteed.

Victorian Priority Industries and Occupations for 2026 to 2027

Priority industries and occupations are the occupations Victoria has chosen to prioritise in the 2026 to 2027 program. ROIs in each priority industry or industry subgroup are ranked by Victorian Points Test total, and the highest ranked in each are invited. The lists below match the official page as at 14 October 2026.

Healthcare Occupations

Social Assistance Occupations

Education and Early Childhood Teaching Occupations

Education has two subgroups. The teachers subgroup is listed first.

The early childhood education subgroup lists one occupation.

For this subgroup, Victoria says ROIs with one or more years of relevant work experience and Proficient or Superior English will be prioritised for invitation.

Construction Occupations

Construction also has two subgroups. The professionals subgroup is listed first.

How Priority Occupations Affect ROI Selection

Priority treatment applies only to the specific occupations listed, not to every job in a priority industry. A listed occupation is ranked by Victorian Points Test total against others in its industry or subgroup, so strong scores still matter. These occupations also matter for partner points, because a partner’s occupation must be a current priority industry occupation to earn the 50 points.

How to Apply for Victorian State Nomination

Victorian state nomination is a multi-stage process, and each stage is a separate step with a separate decision maker. The steps below follow the Victorian Government’s subclass 190 page, and a program year runs from 1 July to 30 June. The 2026 to 2027 program has not opened yet, so check the Live in Melbourne website for any changes.

Step 1: Check Skilled Visa Eligibility

Check that you meet the requirements for the visa you want, whether subclass 190 or subclass 491. These include at least 65 points on the Australian Government’s points test, a valid skills assessment in an eligible occupation, and at least Competent English. 

Step 2: Submit or Update Your SkillSelect EOI

Submit or update your EOI with the Department of Home Affairs through SkillSelect. Victoria uses the information in your EOI when it assesses your ROI. Keep it current, including your years of experience in your nominated occupation and where you live.

Step 3: Submit a Victorian Registration of Interest

Using the EOI number from SkillSelect, create an account on the Live in Melbourne portal and submit your ROI. An ROI is not an application for Victorian nomination, and it is not subject to a processing timeframe. If you submitted an ROI in a previous program year, Victoria says you must submit a new one when the 2026 to 2027 program opens.

Step 4: Receive an Invitation and Apply for Nomination

If your ROI is selected, Victoria notifies you or your agent by email, and you can submit a nomination application through the portal. Victoria will not accept applications or documents by email. If Victoria asks for more information, current guidance gives you two weeks to respond.

Step 5: Submit Your Skilled Visa Application

If your nomination application succeeds, you apply for the visa with the Department of Home Affairs. The Victorian pages currently say you should do this within 60 days of nomination. Victoria says it cannot nominate you again in the same program year if you miss that window or if your EOI contained errors when it nominated you.

Victorian Points Test Fees and Program Updates for 2026 to 2027

From the 2026 to 2027 program, Victoria charges fees to submit an ROI and a nomination application. The Victorian Government announced these fees on 13 October 2026, and they appear on its Fees page.

Registration of Interest Fees

The ROI fee is charged once per program year. If you withdraw your ROI and submit a new one in the same program year, you are not charged again. An ROI is valid only for the program year in which it was submitted.

Subclass 190 and 491 Nomination Application Fees

This fee is payable only if you are invited to apply for nomination and submit a nomination application. A new fee applies each time you submit one. GST of 10 per cent applies if you are in Australia when you pay. Only Visa and Mastercard are accepted, and fees may change.

Victoria says fees are generally not refundable. They are not refunded merely because an ROI is not selected or a nomination application is refused. Refunds may be available for administrative or technical errors, or where the service cannot be provided. These fees are separate from the visa application charge paid to the Department of Home Affairs, which is listed on its charges page.

Current Program Status and Important Updates

As of 14 October 2026, the 2026 to 2027 program has not opened for ROIs. The Victorian Points Test page says the program will open soon and that eligibility criteria and further details will be published when it opens. No opening date has been published, so treat any date quoted elsewhere as unverified.

The 2025 to 2026 program is closed and all places have been filled. In that program year, Victoria received an allocation of 3,400 places: 2,700 for subclass 190 and 700 for subclass 491. Some Victorian visa pages still describe 2025 to 2026 requirements, so check the date and program year on any page you rely on.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Applying for Victorian Nomination

Most avoidable problems come from information that does not match, or from assuming that a score or rule means more than it does. Victoria lists several common reasons for refused nomination applications, and the points below draw on them. If an application is refused, the current pages say you cannot submit a new application for six months.

Confusing Victorian Points Test Points with Federal SkillSelect Points

The Victorian Points Test ranks you for Victorian nomination, while the federal test decides visa eligibility. Reaching 65 federal points does not mean a high Victorian Points Test ranking. A strong Victorian Points Test total does not replace the federal minimum.

Providing Incorrect EOI or ROI Information

Victoria uses your EOI and ROI to calculate your ranking and checks the evidence later. Incorrect partner points, overestimated earnings, and changing your EOI after an invitation all appear on its list of common refusal reasons. An expired skills assessment or English test can also lead to refusal.

Assuming a High Score Guarantees an Invitation

There is no fixed pass mark, and invitations depend on the pool at the time of each round. A high Victorian Points Test total improves your position but never guarantees an invitation or nomination.

Failing to Check Current Eligibility Requirements

Victoria states that eligibility requirements and priorities can change throughout the year without notice. Changes take effect immediately, regardless of when your EOI was submitted. Check the Live in Melbourne website before you lodge anything, and note the date of each page you rely on.

Get Professional Guidance on Victorian Skilled Migration

Understanding your Victorian Points Test score, state nomination requirements and eligibility for the Subclass 190 or Subclass 491 visa can help you plan your next steps. As the 2026 to 2027 program requirements may change, it is important to review your circumstances against the latest Victorian Government guidance.

Book Confidential Consultation with Ghothane Lawyers to discuss your skilled migration options, review your eligibility and understand the nomination pathways that may be available to you.