Western Australia · Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional · 2026-27
Western Australia 491 state nomination guide
WA 491 nomination separates the General stream's Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 from the Graduate stream. Published 2025–26 requirements are useful context, but cannot establish the new program's opening or unchanged criteria.
The reviewed WA program page still labels its detailed eligibility, occupation lists and invitation section 2025–26. A current 2026–27 opening and full replacement rules were not verified; confirm these before acting.
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
General — WASMOL Schedule 1 (published 2025–26)
The reviewed rules require one year of Australian OR one year of overseas relevant post-qualification employment in the last ten years. Australian and overseas periods cannot be combined to meet that one-year requirement.
General — WASMOL Schedule 2 (published 2025–26)
A separate occupation list and requirement set. The Schedule 1 experience rule must not be assumed to apply to Schedule 2.
Graduate stream (published 2025–26)
A relevant occupation on the Graduate Occupation List plus eligible WA qualifications and study conditions. A WA qualification alone does not establish stream eligibility.
491 contract distinction
The reviewed overview does not impose the General-stream 190 six-month employment-contract requirement on 491. Other stream requirements still apply.
Key requirements
- Confirm the 2026–27 opening, eligible occupation list and applicable visa before relying on older rules.
- Match the skills assessment, EOI occupation and invited occupation; a provisional 485 skills assessment is not accepted under the reviewed rules.
- Check the correct stream rather than applying Schedule 1 criteria to every applicant.
- Check English requirements against the test type and test date; federal test settings changed on 7 August 2025.
- If relying on experience under the published Schedule 1 rules, it must be paid, post-qualification work of at least 20 hours weekly, supported by evidence.
How the process runs
Confirm current-year opening and stream-specific rules.
Check WASMOL or the Graduate Occupation List for the chosen visa.
Maintain an accurate SkillSelect EOI and supporting assessments.
If invited by WA, submit the nomination application within the stated invitation window.
After nomination, complete the separate Home Affairs visa application process.
Before you rely on this
- The latest table seen here was for a different program year; it must not be relabelled 2026–27.
- An occupation list is neither a job offer nor an invitation guarantee.
- Historical invitation results vary by residency, stream and occupation and are not a universal minimum.
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
The reviewed invitation tables are labelled 2025–26, with results including 20 May 2026. They are deliberately not displayed as 2026–27 round data.
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.
- WA — program year, stream criteria, occupation lists and round tables (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.