Posted on January 29 2020

Australia Points Calculator 2020

By
Anshul Singhal
, Editor

Updated November 08 2024

Announced in April 2019, certain changes have been made in the Australian Skilled Migration visas.

As per the Explanatory Statement issued along with the Migration Amendment (New Skilled Regional Visas) Regulations 2019, the proposed amendments will be revising the points system for subclass 491 visa as well as the existing General Skilled Migration visas [subclasses 189, 190, and 489].

Keeping in view the fact that the key purpose of the skilled migration program is to make immigration economically beneficial to Australia, points awarded are for attributes linked with the applicant’s ability to make the greatest economic contribution to Australia.

Changes with effect from November 16, 2019, include:

More points for applicants nominated by State / Territory or sponsored by a family member living in regional Australia	15
More points for having either a skilled spouse or a de facto partner	10
More points for possessing certain STEM qualifications	10
Points for applicants without a spouse or a de facto partner	10
Points for applicants with a spouse or a de facto partner with English language competency	5

Perhaps the change that will directly affect many of the applicants is the allocation of 10 points to those applicants that do not have a spouse or de facto partner. If you are planning on immigrating to Australia, being single will now fetch you more points.

Let us look at the Australian Points Table for 2020, applicable to the existing subclasses 190, 189, and 489 visas, as well as the new subclass 491 (commenced from November 16, 2019).

As per the Australian government's Department of Home Affairs, the points calculation to determine the eligibility of a candidate for Australia skilled migration will be done as given below:

*Sl. No.*	*Eligibility criteria*	*Maximum Points Awarded*
1	Age	30
2	English Language Skills	20
3	Skilled Employment [outside Australia]	15
4	Skilled Employment [in Australia]	20
5	Education	20
6	Specialist education qualification	10
7	Australian study requirement	5
8.	Professional year in Australia	5
9	Credentialled community language	5
10	Studied in Regional Australia	5
11	Partner skills	10
12	Nomination or Sponsorship	15

[Note. Do keep in mind that points criteria are assessed at the time of invitation.]

The individual breakdown of the points awarded in each of the criteria are:

1. Age:

Age	Points
At least 18 but not more than 25 years	25
At least 25 but not more than 33 years	30
At least 33 but not more than 40 years	25
At least 40 but not more than 45 years	15

2. English Language Skills:

English	Points
Competent English	0
Proficient English	10
Superior English	20

3. Skilled employment [outside Australia]:

Number of years	Points
Less than 3 years	0
At least 3 but less than 5 years	5
At least 5 but less than 8 years	10
At least 8 years	15

4. Skilled employment [in Australia]:

Number of years	Points
Less than 1 year	0
At least 1 but less than 3 years	5
At least 3 but less than 5 years	10
At least 5 but less than 8 years	15
At least 8 years	20

IMPORTANT:

By “employed” is meant being engaged in an occupation for remuneration for a minimum of 20 hours in a week.
To be able to claim points under the employment criteria, the employment must have been in the nominated skilled occupation or a closely related skilled occupation. Moreover, the applicant must have been employed for the relevant period as in the Table above, in the 10 years preceding the date that the applicant was invited to apply.
There is a cap of a maximum of 20 combined points on the total to be awarded for employment. That is, even if an applicant scores more than 20 under the employment criteria, only 20 points will be awarded.
For an occupation to be considered as closely-related, the occupation must be – in the same ANZSCO group; consistent with the applicant’s career advancement pathway; and recognized by an assessing authority that the occupation is indeed closely related to the applicant’s nominated occupation as per the skills assessment.

5. Educational qualifications:

Requirement	Points
Doctorate from an Australian educational institution or Doctorate from another recognized educational institution.	20
At least a Bachelor’s degree from an Australian educational institution or at least a Bachelor qualification, from another recognized educational institution.	15
Trade qualification or diploma from an educational institution in Australia.	10
Attained an award or qualification recognized by the applicable assessing authority for nominated skilled occupation as being suitable for that occupation	10

IMPORTANT:

Points are awarded for the highest qualification only.
The assessing authority undertaking your skills assessment will decide if your qualification is comparable to the corresponding Australian qualification.
If you hold a bachelor or above and your assessing authority has not commented on the qualification, you can contact Vocational Education Training and Assessment Services (VETASSESS) for advice. The applicant will have to submit the advice given by VETASSESS along with the application as proof.
Points for doctorate degree are only given for Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), and not for any other qualifications – dentist, general practitioner, or vet – that grant an individual the right to use the title of Doctor.

6. Specialist education qualification:

Requirement	Points
A Master’s degree by research or a Doctorate degree from an Australian educational institution that included at least 2 academic years study in a relevant field.	10

By “relevant field” here is implied in any of the fields of:

geomatics engineering
maritime engineering and technology
computer science
aerospace engineering and technology
civil engineering
electrical and electronic engineering and technology
engineering and related technologies
earth sciences
manufacturing engineering and technology
mechanical and industrial engineering and technology
other engineering and related technologies
process and resources engineering.
information systems
information technology
other information technology
biological sciences
chemical sciences
mathematical sciences
natural and physical sciences
other natural and physical sciences
physics and astronomy

7. Australian study requirement:

Requirement	Points
Meeting the Australian study requirement	5

To claim points under this criterion, the applicant must have at least 1 degree/diploma/trade qualification from any of the Australian educational institutions that meet the requirement for Australian study.

IMPORTANT:

To meet the Australian study requirement, there should a minimum of 16 months of study in Australia.

8. Professional Year in Australia:

Requirement	Points
Completion of a Professional Year in Australia	5

The applicant must have completed a professional year in Australia at the time of receiving the invitation to apply.

IMPORTANT:

To claim points, a professional year should be:

In Accounting, ICT / Computing or Engineering
Completed over a minimum 12 months duration
Either in the nominated occupation or a closely related occupation
Provided by any of the organizations – Engineers Australia, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, the Australia Computer Society, CPA Australia, and the Institute of Public Accountants (earlier known as the National Institute of Accountants).

9. Credentialled community language:

Requirement	Points
Hold a recognized qualification in a credentialled community language	5

For this, the applicant must have either:

Certification at the certified provisional level or above,
Accreditation at the paraprofessional level or above, or
Credential in community language for translation or interpretation by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.

10. Studied in Regional Australia:

Requirement	Points
At least 1 diploma/degree/trade qualification from an Australian educational institution satisfying the requirement for Australian study [obtained while the applicant has been living as well as studying in regional Australia]	5

IMPORTANT:

To claim points under this criterion, the applicant’s educational qualification must:

Not be through distance education
Meet the Australian study requirement
Have been obtained while having lived in as well as studied at a campus in a designated regional area in Australia

11. Partner skills

Requirement	Points
The applicant’s de facto partner or spouse must also be an applicant for this visa and be competent in English.	5
The applicant is either single or the applicant’s partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident	10

IMPORTANT:

To claim points under this criterion, the spouse or de facto partner must:

be an applicant for the same visa subclass.
Not be an Australian citizen or permanent resident

12. Nomination or Sponsorship:

Requirement	Points
SUBCLASS 190: Invited to apply for a Subclass 190 (Skilled — Nominated) visa and the State / Territory nominating has not withdrawn the nomination	5
SUBCLASS 489: Invited to apply for a Skilled Regional (Provisional) (subclass 489) through the nomination and the State / Territory nominating has not withdrawn that nomination or Sponsored for a Skilled Regional (Provisional) (subclass 489) visa by a family member and the sponsorship has been accepted by the Minister	15
SUBCLASS 491: Invited to apply for a Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) by being nominated and the State / Territory nominating has not withdrawn that nomination or Sponsored for a Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) by a family member and the sponsorship has been accepted by the Minister	15