So you want to move to Australia, but you are faced with a maze of numbers: 189, 190, 491. Choosing the right subclass can drastically alter your chances of success, and for South African professionals weighing their options, this decision often gets rushed simply because the terminology feels overwhelming. Let’s settle the biggest debate for skilled migrants: Subclass 189 vs 190.
1. Define the Core Difference
What is the main difference between 189 and 190?
Both the Subclass 189 and Subclass 190 sit under Australia’s General Skilled Migration program, and both grant permanent residency from the moment your visa is approved. The core difference between 189 and 190 comes down to one thing: sponsorship. The Subclass 189, known as the Skilled Independent visa, requires no nomination from anyone. Once granted, you can live and work anywhere in Australia with complete geographic freedom, and there’s no ongoing obligation tied to a specific state or territory.
The Subclass 190, the Skilled Nominated visa, requires formal nomination by an Australian state or territory government before you can even be invited. In exchange for that nomination, you receive a valuable five-point bonus added directly to your points test score. The trade-off is that state nomination typically comes with a commitment, generally understood to be around two years, to live and work in the nominating state after your visa is granted. It’s not simply a formality either. Each state and territory runs its own occupation list, its own specific nomination criteria, and its own separate application process that sits alongside your federal Expression of Interest, which is precisely where a lot of DIY applicants get confused. Meeting the Department of Home Affairs’ general requirements doesn’t automatically mean a state will actually nominate you. States are looking for evidence that you genuinely intend to live and contribute to their specific labour market, not just pass through on your way to permanent residency elsewhere.
2. Evaluate the Difficulty
Is the 190 visa easier to get than the 189?
In practical terms, yes, for most applicants the 190 is meaningfully more accessible than the 189, though “easier” isn’t quite the same as “no effort required.” The 189 draws exclusively from a federal pool of applicants competing purely on their independent score, with no bonus points available to boost your position. Because there’s no sponsorship pathway to lean on, competitive invitation scores for the 189 have climbed considerably, with many non-priority occupations seeing cutoffs sit at 90 points or higher in recent invitation rounds.
The 190, by contrast, benefits from that automatic five-point nomination bonus, which can be the difference between a score that never gets invited and one that clears the bar comfortably. Invitation scores for the state sponsored visa Australia pathway have generally been landing somewhere in the 75 to 85 point range once that bonus is factored in, a noticeably lower bar than the independent stream. The 190 also typically draws from a broader occupation list than the 189, since state nomination programs often accept occupations from both the primary strategic skills list and a secondary shorter-term list, whereas the 189 is generally restricted to the primary list alone. For applicants whose occupation isn’t eligible for the 189 at all, the 190 may be the only points-tested pathway realistically available to them.
3. Prepare for the Costs and State Commitments
Choosing the 190 isn’t just a points decision, it’s a genuine lifestyle commitment, and this is worth thinking through carefully before you lodge anything. Beyond the standard visa application charge that applies to both subclasses, the 190 pathway typically involves a separate state nomination fee and its own document requirements, which vary depending on which state or territory you’re applying to. Processing this nomination sits alongside, not instead of, your federal visa application, so budgeting and timeline expectations should account for both processes running in sequence.
The residency commitment is the part that catches some applicants off guard. While the exact enforcement mechanisms vary and states don’t always audit this rigorously, nominating states generally expect you to genuinely settle, work, and contribute in their region for a meaningful period after arrival, commonly understood to be around two years. If your long-term plans involve a different state entirely, or you value the flexibility to relocate freely within Australia early on, this is a real trade-off worth weighing against the points advantage, not just a box to tick on an application form.
Processing timelines are also worth factoring into your decision, not just your final choice of state. Because 190 invitations depend on a state or territory’s own nomination cycle running alongside the federal EOI process, the combined timeline can sometimes move faster than waiting in the general 189 pool, particularly for applicants whose occupation and score make them an attractive candidate for a specific state’s workforce needs. That said, timelines shift constantly as occupation lists and nomination quotas open and close throughout the year, so treating any published processing estimate as a guide rather than a guarantee will save you unnecessary frustration.
4. Compare the Benefits
Which is better: 189 or 190 visa?
There genuinely isn’t a universally “better” option here, it depends entirely on your personal score, your occupation, and your priorities. If your points sit comfortably above the current competitive threshold for the 189, generally somewhere north of 85 to 90 points depending on your occupation, the 189 gives you complete freedom to settle wherever suits you and your family best, without any ongoing obligation to a specific state. This makes it the stronger choice for applicants who value flexibility above all else and who don’t have a strong regional preference.
If your score sits below that competitive range, or your occupation simply doesn’t qualify for the 189 at all, the 190 is very often the more realistic and genuinely faster path to permanent residency. Rather than treating state nomination as a consolation prize, it’s worth seeing it for what it actually is: a legitimate, well-established pathway that many successful applicants use deliberately, particularly when their occupation is in high demand within a specific state’s labour market. For some professions, especially in construction, healthcare, and education, a state nomination can realistically deliver permanent residency years faster than waiting indefinitely for an independent invitation that may never come.
5. Strategize Your EOI
Can I apply for both 189 and 190 visas at the same time?
Yes, and for most applicants whose occupation qualifies for both, this is actually the smarter strategic approach rather than picking one exclusively. Within SkillSelect, your single Expression of Interest can indicate interest in multiple visa options simultaneously, meaning you can be considered for the 189 while also actively pursuing nomination from one or more states for the 190. You can even target multiple states at once, submitting separate nomination applications to different jurisdictions that are currently nominating your occupation, which meaningfully increases your overall chances of receiving an invitation from somewhere.
The strategic logic here is straightforward: if a strong 189 invitation comes through first, you can take it and enjoy full geographic freedom. If it doesn’t, having active state nominations in motion means you’re not starting from scratch and losing months of momentum. The one thing to watch is that accepting a state nomination generally means committing to that state, so it’s worth thinking through your preferences before nominations come through, rather than treating every state as interchangeable simply because it’s the fastest route to an invitation.
6. Make Your Decision Based on Your Occupation List
Ultimately, your occupation is often the factor that narrows this decision down before points or personal preference even come into play. If your occupation only appears on the shorter, broader occupation lists that some states use for nomination but doesn’t qualify for the primary strategic skills list, the 190, or even the regional 491, may be your only realistic points-tested route into Australia, regardless of how strong your points score is otherwise. Conversely, if your occupation sits comfortably on the primary list and your score is genuinely competitive, the 189 remains available to you as a real option worth pursuing seriously.
This is exactly the kind of nuance that’s easy to get wrong without expert guidance, since occupation lists, state priorities, and invitation trends shift throughout the year, and a strategy that made sense six months ago may no longer reflect the current landscape. Before finalising your points strategy, it’s also worth reviewing our guide on how many points you need to emigrate to Australia and, once your occupation and pathway are clear, our breakdown of what an ANZSCO skills assessment actually involves, since both feed directly into whichever subclass you ultimately pursue.
Conclusion: Get a Tailored Strategy, Not a Guess
As you can see, the process is detailed, and choosing the wrong subclass can waste your points, your time, and in some cases your realistic chance at an invitation altogether. The 189 and 190 aren’t simply interchangeable numbers, they represent genuinely different trade-offs between flexibility and accessibility, and the right choice depends entirely on your specific profile.
Get a tailored strategy. Book an Australian visa strategy session with Abroadscope today, or let our team assess your 189 vs 190 eligibility before you invest time in the wrong pathway.