Australia: Queensland opens skilled visa registrations on 6 November

Registration opens on 6 November for the new programme

Migration Queensland says registrations of interest for its 2026–27 State Nominated Migration Program will open on 6 November 2026. The opening concerns consideration for Queensland nomination, not a grant of an Australian visa. Candidates should use the days before opening to check the current pathway rules, occupation list and evidence instead of reusing an earlier year’s eligibility assumptions.

The agency’s dedicated registration page says everyone must submit a new registration for 2026–27, including candidates who registered in a previous year but were not nominated. Only one visa subclass can be selected and only one registration remains valid at a time. A submitted registration cannot be edited; changed circumstances require a new one, with the most recent considered. Update the separate SkillSelect expression of interest before registering. Neither a registration nor the opening date guarantees an invitation, and the material reviewed does not announce a universal closing date.

Queensland-based workers need the right employment history

The onshore worker page covers candidates living and working in Queensland for a Queensland-based employer. It requires a valid assessment for an occupation on the onshore list, at least 65 points and competent English, alongside federal visa requirements. The listed experience period is six of the preceding nine months living and working in regional Queensland for subclass 491, or nine of the preceding 12 months in Queensland for subclass 190.

Qualifying work must follow completion of the relevant qualification, involve at least 20 paid hours weekly and fall within the nominated or specified closely related occupation. The agency also requires Queensland-based applicants to have lodged their 2025–26 tax return and received the Australian Taxation Office’s Notice of Assessment before registering. Obtain the assessment itself rather than assume a tax-return submission receipt is sufficient. Use the onshore page to check the continuing conditions at registration, invitation and nomination, including any occupation-specific exclusion.

Overseas candidates have a separate pathway

The offshore page requires an occupation on Queensland’s offshore list, a valid skills assessment, at least 65 points and competent English. Its experience requirement is at least one year of qualifying skilled employment during the preceding three years. The page says candidates need not be currently employed in the nominated occupation at registration, invitation or nomination, but only relevant experience declared in the SkillSelect expression of interest is considered.

The offshore occupation list determines which visa subclass is available; some occupations can only be considered for subclass 491. Check that specific row rather than assume every listed occupation permits subclass 190. The pathway also sets commitments to live and work in Queensland or regional Queensland after arrival, according to the subclass. These conditions describe candidates outside Australia. An applicant living elsewhere in Australia should not simply choose the offshore form because the onshore Queensland experience requirement is unmet.

Prepare evidence before registering and watch the invitation deadline

The official skilled-worker checklist says invited applicants must provide evidence supporting their claims within 14 calendar days of invitation. It advises against registering without the relevant passport, skills assessment, work-history evidence and pathway-specific documents. Onshore applicants also have visa-status and residence evidence requirements. The checklist separates employees from self-employed applicants and onshore from offshore cases.

Use the column matching the actual situation. Employment contracts, service statements, payslips, employer letters, business records and tax evidence serve different purposes; one generic reference is not a substitute for every required item. Check names, passport numbers, occupation claims and employment dates against the registration before submission. The short invitation window makes advance preparation important, particularly where a former employer must issue a letter or documents require certified English translation.

Nomination charges are separate from federal visa costs

Queensland’s fee page lists A$573 for offshore subclass 190 or 491 nomination applications and A$630.30 for onshore applications, including GST. It says assessment begins after documents are uploaded and payment is made, and fees are non-refundable, including where circumstances change or the Australian visa is refused. These are state nomination charges, not the total federal visa cost. Use the official fee page when instructed to apply; paying an adviser or a fee does not secure selection, nomination or a visa decision.