Queensland · Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional · 2026-27
Queensland 491 state nomination guide
Queensland's published 491 pathways include regional onshore workers, eligible Queensland graduates and offshore applicants. Each has separate work and occupation conditions, and the current closure notice takes precedence over general pathway descriptions.
The reviewed official pathway pages say 2025–26 ROIs are closed and future settings and opening date will be published. The requirements below are the latest published baseline, not confirmation that a 2026–27 intake is open or unchanged.
A current 2026–27 allocation was not independently verified from the official sources reviewed. No prior-year number has been carried forward, and an unknown allocation is not zero.
Official pages can change without notice. Confirm before acting.
Streams and pathways
Onshore skilled employment — published baseline
Six months immediately living and working in regional Queensland, after qualification, at least 20 hours weekly in an occupation sharing the first three ANZSCO digits with the nominated occupation.
Queensland university graduates — published baseline
A qualifying bachelor, master's or PhD completed wholly in Queensland after 1 July 2021, meeting the Australian study requirement. The published pathway permits work in the nominated occupation or an ANZSCO Skill Level 1 occupation; work duration and location still apply.
Offshore — published baseline
An occupation on the Queensland Offshore Skills List and at least one year of skilled employment in the nominated or closely related occupation. The applicant must remain in relevant employment at invitation and nomination.
Building and construction
A separate published pathway exists. Do not assume the ordinary onshore work-duration rule or the graduate rule applies; verify its own list and current intake.
Key requirements
- Check the new program's published requirements before relying on this baseline.
- Hold an occupation eligible for the chosen visa on the relevant Queensland onshore or offshore list.
- The published minimum is 65 federal points and competent English; eligibility is not a competitive cutoff.
- Continue in qualifying employment at ROI, invitation and nomination; salary and employability are selection factors.
- The published settlement commitment is to regional Queensland for at least three years after visa grant.
How the process runs
Confirm the next program's opening and the correct worker, graduate, offshore or construction pathway.
Check the occupation list and supporting employment, study and English documents.
Maintain an accurate SkillSelect EOI.
Submit the Queensland ROI only when the correct intake is open.
Respond to any nomination invitation and then the separate Home Affairs invitation.
Before you rely on this
- A Queensland degree does not remove the employment requirements.
- Old pathway pages can contain a welcoming introduction and a closure notice at the bottom; the closure must not be ignored.
- Do not present last year's work durations as guaranteed new-year settings.
Fees
Confirm the nomination application fee, GST treatment and refund conditions on the official application portal before paying. Commonwealth visa charges, assessments and professional fees are separate.
Invitation data
No complete current-year official invitation dataset was verified for this guide. No unofficial score is presented as a government cutoff, and no invitation is promised.
No official invitation figures are recorded in this guide.
Points scores from past rounds are not cut-offs. States select on occupation, ranking factors and capacity, and a score that was invited before may not be invited again.
Official sources
Checked 23 October 2026. Links open in a new tab.
- Queensland — onshore requirements and closure notice (opens in a new tab)
- Queensland — university graduates (opens in a new tab)
- Queensland — offshore applicants (opens in a new tab)
- Home Affairs — state and territory allocations (check the table's program year) (opens in a new tab)
Related reading
General information only, not migration advice or an eligibility assessment. Nomination is at the discretion of each state or territory.