Are you one of the thousands of skilled professionals eyeing the 5,000 available places in Victoria’s 2024-25 visa nomination programme? ROI Victoria offers your pathway to secure either a Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) or Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491).
The Victoria Skilled Migration Programme sets strict eligibility requirements. You must be under 45 years old and meet specific English language proficiency standards. Competition runs high with 3,000 places for subclass 190 and 2,000 for subclass 491 visas.
This detailed piece guides you through the Victorian nomination process. You’ll learn programme requirements and discover how to submit a compelling Registration of Interest that makes you stand out in this competitive digital world.
Understanding Victoria’s Skilled Migration Programme
Victoria welcomes skilled professionals through two distinct pathways in its migration programme. The Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) lets you live and work anywhere in Victoria with permanent residency status. The Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491) gives you a five-year provisional stay and a clear path to permanent residency after three years of living and working in regional Victoria.
Current visa nomination options
The subclass 190 visa serves as a permanent residence option that suits professionals who want to put down roots in Victoria’s metropolitan areas. The subclass 491 visa helps skilled workers who want to boost regional Victoria’s growth. This visa creates a path to permanent residency through a three-year commitment to regional areas.
Key changes in 2025
The Australian Government has altered the map of migration. The new Skills in Demand (SID) visa now replaces the previous Temporary Skills Shortage visa. This framework has three streams: Core Skills, Specialist Skills, and Labour Agreement.
High-income, high-skill positions fall under the Specialist Skills stream with a minimum income threshold of AUD 206,413.68. The government now indexes income thresholds yearly for SID visas to match economic trends.
Available places and quotas
Victoria received 5,000 skilled visa nomination places from the Australian Government for 2024-25. This allocation has 3,000 places for the subclass 190 visa and 2,000 places for the subclass 491 visa.
The state gives priority to specific industry sectors, especially for subclass 491 visas. These priority sectors cover:
- Health and social services
- Information and Communication Technology
- Education (including early childhood)
- Advanced manufacturing
- Infrastructure and new energy
- Hospitality and tourism
Victoria nomination applications usually take 20 days to process. Meeting eligibility requirements doesn’t guarantee selection because the programme remains competitive. The ROI ranking process looks at multiple factors: age, English language proficiency, work experience, education level, occupation skill level, and salary for onshore candidates.
How to Submit a Strong ROI Victoria
A strong Registration of Interest (ROI) for Victorian visa nomination needs your attention to detail and a step-by-step approach. You’ll need to create your SkillSelect Expression of Interest (EOI) first. After that, submit your ROI through the Live in Melbourne portal.
Creating your SkillSelect EOI
Your ROI Victoria application starts with submitting or updating your Expression of Interest in the Australian Government’s SkillSelect system. The EOI number you receive from SkillSelect helps you create an account on the Live in Melbourne portal. Your EOI must stay accurate and current because this information shapes your ROI assessment.
Essential documents needed
The ROI submission process is straightforward and doesn’t need any documents at first. However, selected nominees must provide:
- Employment documentation (for those claiming earnings):
- Employment contract
- Recent four weeks of payslips
- Superannuation statement
- Position description that shows employment duration and duties
- Proof of Victorian residence:
- Six months of bank statements with salary and transactions
- Rental agreements
- Utility bills
- Driver’s licence or proof of age cards
Common submission mistakes
These mistakes often lead to application refusal:
- Onshore applicants overestimating their earnings
- Claiming unskilled work as skilled employment
- Working for companies not based in Victoria
- Living in another Australian state while claiming Victorian residence
Your ROI stays active in the system until you withdraw it, get selected, or the programme year ends. You’ll need to withdraw your current ROI and submit a new one to update any information. This won’t hurt your ranking position.
The Victorian government looks at several factors to assess ROIs. These include your age, English language skills, work experience, education level, and occupation skill level. Your salary plays a big role in the assessment process if you’re an onshore candidate.
Ranking Factors That Matter Most
Getting a skilled visa nomination in Victoria depends on understanding what drives ROI rankings. The state uses a complete evaluation system that weighs several elements to pick the most competitive candidates.
Priority occupation sectors
Victoria’s government puts substantial weight on specific industry sectors during ROI evaluations. The 2024-25 programme year’s priority sectors cover health, social services, education (including early childhood), construction, and new energy. The subclass 491 visa has many more priority sectors – digital economy, advanced manufacturing, and hospitality and tourism.
Overseas applicants seeking the subclass 491 visa should focus on three main sectors:
- Health
- Social services
- Education (including early childhood)
Work experience requirements
Your professional background plays a major role in ROI rankings. The evaluation gets into:
- Years of experience in your nominated occupation
- Education level attained
- Occupation skill level
- Partner’s skills (where applicable)
Your work must qualify as skilled employment that matches skill levels 1, 2, or 3 in the relevant ANZSCO classification. Onshore candidates need employers with physical offices in Victoria. Virtual or proxy office setups won’t work.
Salary considerations
Current earnings in Victoria are a vital ranking factor for candidates. Your annual earnings calculation should include:
- Base salary
- Leave payments
- Penalty rates for non-standard hours
- Commissions (applicable only for sales roles)
- Salary sacrifice arrangements
Victorian visa nominations don’t have minimum earnings requirements. Notwithstanding that, you must be accurate with salary estimates. Wrong estimates could lead to application rejection.
These components don’t count toward annual earnings:
- Mandatory employer superannuation
- Earnings from unskilled employment
- Allowances (meals, car, uniform)
- Performance bonuses
- Overtime payments
- Government benefits
Steps After ROI Submission
Understanding the next steps becomes significant for a successful outcome once your ROI enters Victoria’s skilled migration system. The state’s nomination process follows a well-laid-out timeline with specific requirements at each stage.
Tracking your application
Your ROI stays active in the system and gets reviewed for future selection rounds after submission. The Live in Melbourne portal lets you monitor your ROI status when you log into your account and check the ‘Applications’ section. An active ROI shows the status ‘Received’ along with your NFR number.
Your ROI cannot be changed during this period. You must withdraw the existing ROI and submit a fresh one if any information becomes outdated or incorrect. The withdrawal and resubmission process won’t affect your ranking position or assessment chances.
Invitation timeframes
Victorian government runs invitation rounds throughout the financial year without fixed dates. Your ROI might be reviewed for up to two years after submission. You or your registered migration agent will receive an email notification upon selection.
The selection process assesses ROIs against other skilled candidates, making it highly competitive due to limited nomination places. The programme follows strict assessment criteria and looks at factors like:
- Age and English language proficiency
- Years of experience in nominated occupation
- Educational qualifications
- Occupation skill level
- Partner’s skills (where applicable)
- Salary considerations for onshore candidates
Next steps if selected
You must submit your nomination application within the specified timeframe after receiving an invitation. Processing typically takes 20 business days, not counting delays for additional information requests.
The Department of Home Affairs automatically issues a visa invitation if your nomination succeeds. This gives you 60 calendar days to lodge your visa application. You cannot extend this timeframe. Your SkillSelect EOI remains suspended during the invitation period but becomes updatable once the 60-day window expires.
Keep in mind that getting an invitation doesn’t guarantee visa approval. You need to prove you meet both the points score claimed in your EOI and all other eligibility criteria. A new EOI submission becomes necessary for future consideration if you receive a second invitation.
Conclusion
Getting Victorian visa nomination just needs careful preparation and attention to detail. Meeting simple eligibility requirements is the first step. Your success depends on submitting an accurate ROI that shows your qualifications well.
Note that competition stays fierce for the 5,000 available places. Your chances improve by a lot when you arrange your skills with Victoria’s priority sectors. Precise information about your work experience, qualifications, and earnings matters too.
The ROI Victoria process might look complex at first. This detailed understanding of requirements, ranking factors, and post-submission steps will help guide you through the nomination trip. Your documentation should stay ready. Realistic expectations about processing timeframes help since selection depends on many factors beyond minimum criteria.
Accuracy is vital throughout your application process. You should double-check all information before submission. Stay alert to programme updates and keep your SkillSelect EOI current. Your attention to detail now can make the difference between success and disappointment in the interests of Victorian nomination.