Australia visa points test: what skilled applicants must know

The points test is a central feature of several Australian skilled visa subclasses, but the official official guidance provided does not set out a points table, a pass mark, or a list of points categories. What the official guidance does confirm is that certain skilled visas are subject to processing priorities under Ministerial Direction 119, which came into effect on 25 July 2026, and that skilled visa processing times vary widely. If you are applying for a points-tested visa, you must verify the current points requirements on the Department of Home Affairs website, because the official guidance does not contain the numbers you need.

What the official guidance actually covers

the official guidance you have supplied relates to three distinct areas: the subsequent temporary application charge, English language evidence, and skilled visa processing priorities and times. None of these pages contains a points test table. This is an important limitation: the official guidance does not state how many points are awarded for age, English ability, skilled employment, or any other factor, and it does not state what score is required to be invited to apply.

What the official guidance does establish is that skilled visas are processed according to Government policy priorities, and that those priorities changed on 25 July 2026 when Ministerial Direction 119 replaced Ministerial Direction 105. It also establishes that English language test requirements changed on 7 August 2025, and that the department accepts a defined list of tests.

Skilled visas covered by Ministerial Direction 119

The official guidance lists the visa subclasses that Ministerial Direction 119 covers. If you are applying for any of these, your application will be prioritised according to the Direction, regardless of whether it is points-tested.

Visa subclass	Title
186	Employer Nomination Scheme
187	Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme
189	Skilled Independent
190	Skilled Nominated
191	Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional)
482	Skills in Demand (SID)
482	Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS)
489	Skilled Regional (Provisional)
491	Skilled Work Regional (Provisional)
494	Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional)
887	Skilled Regional
888	Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent)

The Direction also covers the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) program, which, according to the official guidance, was not previously included under Ministerial Direction 105.

How prioritisation works under Ministerial Direction 119

Ministerial Direction 119 sets out five priority levels. The highest priority is given to applications supporting Australia’s law enforcement or defence interests where the applicant is in Australia at the time of application. The second priority is the same occupations where the applicant is outside Australia. The third priority is construction, healthcare, and teaching occupations where the applicant is in Australia. The fourth priority is all other applications where the applicant is in Australia. The fifth and final priority is all other applications where the applicant is outside Australia.

This means that, under the current Direction, an applicant already in Australia is always prioritised ahead of an applicant outside Australia within the same occupation category. It also means that law enforcement and defence occupations outrank construction, healthcare, and teaching, which in turn outrank all other occupations.

English language evidence: what changed in 2025

If your points-tested visa application requires evidence of English proficiency, the official guidance sets out the tests the department accepts. For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, the accepted tests are: Cambridge C1 Advanced, CELPIP General, IELTS Academic (including One Skill Retake), IELTS General Training (including One Skill Retake), LANGUAGECERT Academic, Michigan English Test (including Single Section Retake), Occupational English Test, PTE Academic, and TOEFL iBT. For TOEFL iBT, you must select ‘Taking TOEFL for Australia’ when registering, or the result may not be accepted.

For tests taken on or before 6 August 2025, the department still accepts results from Cambridge English (CAE), IELTS, PTE Academic, OET, and TOEFL iBT, up until certain timeframes. Results from tests taken on or before 6 August 2025 may be used until 6 August 2028 inclusive, depending on the visa.

The department does not accept tests delivered completely online, including CELPIP Online, IELTS Online, LANGUAGECERT Academic Online, MET Digital taken at home, OET@Home, and TOEFL iBT Home Edition. The test must be taken at a secure testing centre.

What the points test itself requires: what you must check

Because the official guidance does not contain a points table, you cannot rely on it to calculate your score. The points test for skilled visas is specified in the Migration Regulations 1994 and in legislative instruments. The official guidance references two instruments relevant to English language: the Migration (Evidence of Functional English Language Proficiency) Instrument 2025 (LIN 25/014) and the Migration (Specification of Language Tests, Test Scores and Passports) Instrument 2025 (LIN 25/016). These are available at the Federal Register of Legislation.

To find the points requirements for your specific visa, you must check the eligibility page for the visa subclass you intend to apply for. The Department of Home Affairs website publishes the points categories, the points awarded for each, and the minimum score required. The official guidance does not state these figures, and you should not rely on any figure that is not published on the official page.

Processing times: what the median figures show

The official guidance gives median processing times for key visa categories as at July 2026. For Skilled (Permanent) visas, the median is 8 months. For Skilled (Temporary) visas, the median is 98 days. For Student visas, the median is 21 days. For Visitor visas, the median is less than 1 day. For Working Holiday Maker visas, the median is 5 days.

These are medians, not guarantees. The official guidance states that processing times vary for many reasons, including whether all necessary supporting documents are provided, whether the application is lodged online, how quickly further information is provided, how long it takes to receive information from external agencies, the number of places available in the migration program for permanent visas, the complexity of the application, the volume of applications, changes to Ministerial Directions, and the effect of older applications on processing times.

For Skilled (Permanent) visas specifically, the official guidance notes that processing times are affected by Permanent Migration Program planning levels, Ministerial Directions related to skilled visa processing priorities, application completeness, and the volume of applications received and on-hand. This means some applications may be decided more quickly than others, and applications are not always processed in the order they are received.

What to do next

If you are preparing a points-tested skilled visa application, the official guidance supports three practical steps. First, check the eligibility page for your specific visa subclass on the Department of Home Affairs website to confirm the current points requirements, including the minimum score and the points awarded for each category. Second, if you need English evidence, confirm which test you will take and ensure it is one of the accepted tests taken at a secure testing centre. Third, lodge a complete application with all supporting documents, because the official guidance states that lodging a complete application helps avoid delays.

You should also be aware that processing priorities can change. Ministerial Direction 119 came into effect on 25 July 2026, and the official guidance notes that Ministerial Direction 114 covers certain business visa applications and Ministerial Direction 120 covers Class BX (subclass 858) visas. Check the current Ministerial Directions before you lodge, because priorities affect how quickly your application is decided, not whether it will be granted.