Pass mark: 65 points required (subclass 189; the same pass mark also applies to 190/491 as the base test).
How the real points structure breaks down
Age: up to 30 points
English (Competent/Proficient/Superior): up to 20 points
Skilled employment (overseas band used — conservative): up to 15 points
Educational qualification: up to 20 points
Australian skilled employment (onshore, up to 8+ yrs): up to 20 points — not scored by VIO (VIO doesn't ask whether your experience was onshore vs. overseas — onshore experience can score higher than the overseas band used above.)
Specialist education qualification (STEM master's-by-research/PhD, 2+ yrs at an Australian institution): up to 10 points — not scored by VIO (Not asked in your profile.)
Australian study requirement: up to 5 points — not scored by VIO (Not asked in your profile.)
Professional Year in Australia (Accounting/ICT/Engineering): up to 5 points — not scored by VIO (Not asked in your profile.)
Credentialled community language (NAATI): up to 5 points — not scored by VIO (Not asked in your profile.)
Study in regional Australia: up to 5 points — not scored by VIO (Not asked in your profile.)
Partner skill qualifications (or single/citizen partner): up to 10 points — not scored by VIO (Not asked in your profile.)
State/territory nomination (subclass 190) or regional sponsorship (subclass 491): up to 15 points — not scored by VIO (Visa-specific, not a base points-table category — adds 5 pts (190) or 15 pts (491) if you secure a nomination/sponsorship.)
What VIO cannot assess from your profile alone: VIO's calculator scores age, English, overseas skilled employment, and education from your profile. It does not score onshore Australian experience, a specialist STEM qualification, the Australian study requirement, Professional Year, NAATI community language credit, regional study, partner skill, or state/territory nomination — see the uncounted categories above.
Pending / confirmed reform: The 65-point pass mark and this points table are current and in effect today, but Home Affairs is running a ground-up review of the points test. The headline proposal would raise the minimum to 70 points and add a salary-based bonus. Nothing is legislated yet — timeline: consultation paper June 2026, draft legislation by December 2026, new test scheduled to start 1 July 2027. Re-verify before relying on 65 as a long-term figure.
Only where VIO can honestly compute one from what it asks you — Australia has a real calculator in the app. For the other corridors, key inputs (a job offer, an employer's workforce data, provincial nomination status) aren't things VIO collects, so it shows you the real structure and the official calculator link instead of guessing.
Is this page AI-generated?
No. Every category, point value, and pass mark above is individually sourced against an official government page, with a verification date.
Does VIO guarantee my visa or PR will be approved?
No. VIO is not a law firm or migration agency and no outcome is ever guaranteed.