Victoria opens 2026–27 subclass 190 ROIs: 900 places, fees and VPT preparation

Victoria opened Registrations of Interest (ROIs) for its 2026–27 subclass 190 nomination program on 26 October 2026, announcing 900 nomination places. Applicants who have prepared their assessment, English and SkillSelect EOI can now consider entering the new Victorian 190 selection pool, subject to the applicable requirements.

The practical change from the 13 October fees and VPT announcement is that 190 ROIs can now be lodged. The subclass 491 intake has not opened alongside it: the allocation is not finalised, and neither onshore nor offshore 491 ROIs are currently accepted.

1. What is open, and what the 900 places represent

An ROI is not a first-come, first-served queue ticket. Victoria selects competitively using ranking and program priorities. This announcement does not confirm that a round has already been issued or provide a guaranteed score or personal waiting time.

2. Victorian residents and offshore applicants are considered differently

These are state nomination settings, not a complete personal visa assessment. Age, English, a valid skills assessment, the eligible occupation and federal points still require checking. Claimed earnings must meet Victoria's skilled employment and employer rules; overseas pay, another state's pay or a virtual Victorian office cannot simply be treated as qualifying Victorian earnings.

3. EOI, ROI, nomination and visa application are separate steps

1. Check federal and Victorian requirements and collect evidence supporting English, assessment, qualifications, experience and partner claims.
2. Submit or update the SkillSelect EOI. It does not replace a Victorian ROI.
3. Submit a 2026–27 Victorian ROI and pay its fee. Only one active ROI is allowed; documents are not uploaded at this stage.
4. If invited, lodge the nomination application and evidence and pay the nomination fee before the invitation expires. An invitation is not nomination approval.
5. After nomination approval, proceed to the Home Affairs visa application under the applicable rules. Nomination and visa grant remain separate decisions.

An earlier-year ROI does not roll into 2026–27. It is valid only within its program year, and the program may close early. Updating an old EOI alone does not establish entry to the new Victorian pool.

An ROI cannot be edited after submission. Changes to information in the ROI form generally require withdrawal and a new ROI. An EOI change that leaves the ROI-form information unchanged does not automatically require withdrawal; a new EOI number does require a new linked ROI. Once invited, follow Victoria's instructions before changing the EOI.

4. Two state fees, paid at different stages

GST depends on whether the applicant is in Australia at the time of each payment, not the agent's location or citizenship. If location changes between stages, assess the payments separately. Federal visa charges, assessment, English and professional services are additional costs. The fees were published earlier; this is not a new 26 October fee increase.

Not receiving an invitation, withdrawing or being refused nomination generally does not create a refund entitlement. Administrative or technical exceptions depend on the official refund policy. The opening announcement also flags some declined payments and work to resolve the issue, as checked on 26 October. A declined payment is not a nomination refusal or evidence that the whole program is closed. Check bank charges and portal submission status and retain error details before attempting repeated payments.

5. VPT ranks ROIs; it is not the federal EOI points test

VPT considers seven factors: age, English, nominated-occupation experience, education, occupation skill level, partner skills and eligible current Victorian skilled earnings. It uses separate weights. The federal 65-point minimum is not a VPT pass mark, and a high EOI score cannot be converted into an invitation probability.

Victoria considers competitiveness across eligible occupations and within designated priority industries or subgroups. Healthcare, social assistance, education and construction priorities apply to specified occupations, not automatically to every related job. VPT has no fixed pass mark, and priority status does not guarantee selection.

The published earnings bands start at AUD 80,000, but that is not a universal 190 salary requirement. Exactly eight years of experience and eligible earnings below AUD 80,000 remain unlisted boundaries in the current tables. XIVisa's VPT calculator keeps these cases pending rather than inventing points.

6. Evidence to check before lodging

• Validity: the current Victorian 190 page requires both English results and the skills assessment to have at least 12 weeks remaining when the nomination application is lodged, not merely to be valid today.
• Consistency: occupation, experience, education, partner, residence and earnings claims must be supportable across the EOI and ROI.
• Earnings: check the employer's actual Victorian location, skilled work and calculation method where a claim is made. Not claiming earnings is not itself a visa eligibility finding.
• Timing: consider your current visa expiry, assessment and test dates, costs and living arrangements together. An ROI is not a visa and does not extend your stay.

Frequently asked questions

Do the first 900 ROIs receive the places?

No. Selection is competitive, not based on being among the first 900 submissions. The allocation is not a count of invitations issued in this announcement. Accurate claims matter more than rushing a payment.

Can I lodge a 491 ROI now and wait for it to open?

No current 491 intake is open. Neither the published 491 fee nor the 190 announcement establishes access. The allocation and further arrangements await confirmation.

Does no Victorian job or no priority occupation rule me out of 190?

Not on those facts alone. There is no general Victorian employment requirement for 190, and selection is not restricted to priority occupations. All other conditions and competitive selection still apply; access to an ROI is not an invitation guarantee.

Is another AUD 60 payable if I withdraw and resubmit this year?

The ROI fee is charged once per program year, so same-year resubmission does not attract it again. New nomination application fees are separate. Do not assume a payment or portal error requires paying again.

Should I lodge now or improve English and evidence first?

That depends on evidence, validity, visa timing and genuinely supportable claims. Add XIVisa on WeChat xivisa1 with your location, current visa and expiry, occupation, assessment, English, EOI points, work and partner background to discuss preparation. Please do not send passports or sensitive documents in your first message. This is general information, not a personal eligibility conclusion or an invitation or visa guarantee.