Australia PR Points Calculator
Estimate your skilled migration score for visa 189, 190, and 491. Reflects August 2025 English updates and current age/work thresholds.
Age is assessed at the time you receive an invitation to apply, not when you submit your EOI.
IELTS scores unchanged post-Aug 2025. PTE has new component-specific scores from 7 Aug 2025. All bands must individually meet the minimum.
You can only claim one qualification band. Choose the option that matches your single highest qualification.
This is in addition to your base qualification points above.
Must be at least 20 hours per week, paid, in your nominated skilled occupation or a closely related one. Must be post-qualification work.
Australian and overseas work experience points are capped at 20 combined. You still enter both; the calculator applies the cap automatically.
Select all that apply to your situation
Do not tick both 190 and 491 nomination at the same time. They are separate visas with separate nomination processes.
Your score will appear here
Fill in the fields on the left. Your total updates instantly with each selection.
Common Mistakes Nigerians Make With This Calculator
How the Australia PR Points Calculator Works
Australia’s General Skilled Migration (GSM) program uses a points-based system to rank skilled workers for visa subclasses 189, 190, and 491. You must score at least 65 points to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) via SkillSelect. But 65 is just the entry floor: most invitation rounds in 2025-26 require 80 to 95 points depending on the occupation and visa subclass.
This calculator adds up all relevant factors: age, English, qualifications, work experience (Australian and overseas, combined cap of 20), partner situation, and any applicable bonus points. The formula is:
+ min(OverseasWork + AustWork, 20)
+ Partner + ProfYear + NAATI + RegionalStudy + Nomination
The work experience cap formula: combined overseas and Australian work points cannot exceed 20, regardless of how many years you have in each. This is a hard ceiling set by the Department of Home Affairs.
What Changed in the August 2025 English Update
From 7 August 2025, the Department of Home Affairs updated English test score thresholds for the GSM points test. The core change is that PTE Academic now has component-specific score requirements instead of a single uniform band. IELTS scores remain unchanged.
Competent: 6.0 in each of the 4 bands. No points.
Proficient: 7.0 in each of the 4 bands. 10 points.
Superior: 8.0 in each of the 4 bands. 20 points.
Competent: Listening 47, Reading 48, Writing 51, Speaking 54.
Proficient: Listening 58, Reading 59, Writing 69, Speaking 76.
Superior: Listening 69, Reading 70, Writing 85, Speaking 88.
The most important thing to understand is that each component must meet the minimum individually. An average that looks like Proficient does not count if Writing or Speaking falls short. Many Nigerian applicants who prepared under the old uniform PTE targets have been caught out by this, particularly on Writing and Speaking, which now have significantly higher thresholds at the Proficient and Superior levels.
Points Table: Full Breakdown
| Factor | Criteria | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 18 to 24 years | 25 |
| 25 to 32 years | 30 | |
| 33 to 39 years | 25 | |
| 40 to 44 years | 15 | |
| English | Proficient (IELTS 7 each band) | 10 |
| Superior (IELTS 8 each band) | 20 | |
| Qualifications | Doctorate (any recognised institution) | 20 |
| Bachelor or higher (any recognised institution) | 15 | |
| Australian diploma or trade (completed in AU) | 10 | |
| STEM research bonus | Masters by research or PhD (AU institution, STEM field, 2+ yrs) | 10 |
| Overseas Work Exp. | 8+ years | 15 |
| 5 to 7 years | 10 | |
| 3 to 4 years | 5 | |
| Under 3 years | 0 | |
| Australian Work Exp. | 8+ years | 20 |
| 5 to 7 years | 15 | |
| 3 to 4 years | 10 | |
| 1 to 2 years | 5 | |
| Combined Work Cap | Max combined overseas + Australian | 20 max |
| Partner | Partner with skills assessment + age + English | 10 |
| Applicant is single (no partner included) | 5 | |
| Professional Year | Approved PY in nominated occupation (last 48 months) | 5 |
| NAATI credential | Accredited community language credential | 5 |
| Regional study | Studied and lived in regional AU for 2+ years | 5 |
| 190 nomination | State/territory government nomination | 5 |
| 491 nomination | State/territory or family sponsorship (regional) | 15 |
Table of Truth: Sample Scores at a Glance
| Profile | Age | English | Qual | Work | Partner | Bonus | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse, 29, IELTS 7, BSc, 4 yrs overseas, single | 30 | 10 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 65 |
| Software Eng., 27, IELTS 8, BSc, 5 yrs overseas, single | 30 | 20 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 80 |
| Accountant, 32, IELTS 7, BSc, 6 yrs overseas, partner with assessment | 30 | 10 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 75 |
| Civil Eng., 35, IELTS 8, PhD (STEM AU), 8+ yrs overseas, single, Prof Year | 25 | 20 | 20 | 15 (capped at 20 combined) | 5 | 15 | 90+ |
| Teacher, 40, IELTS 7, BSc, 3 yrs overseas, 190 nominated | 15 | 10 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 55 (need state nom) |
Estimates only. State nomination adds 5 points (190) or 15 points (491) on top of individual score.
How Competitive Is Each Score Band?
Scoring 65 qualifies you to submit an EOI but does not mean you will get an invitation. For subclass 189 (independent), the invitation cutoffs for competitive occupations in 2025-26 typically sit between 85 and 95 points. For the 190 state nominated visa, most states have been inviting at 70 to 80 points including the 5-point nomination bonus. For 491 regional, the threshold is often 60 to 70 points after the 15-point nomination bonus is added.
This is why two people with the same job can have very different timelines. An IT professional at 85 points may get a 189 invitation in one round, while another at 70 points waits years and eventually pursues the 190 or 491 route instead.
(1) English: going from Proficient to Superior is 10 extra points. Often the single highest-return action.
(2) Partner skills assessment: if your spouse qualifies, that is 5 extra points (10 vs 5 for single).
(3) Professional Year: 5 points and Australian work experience simultaneously.
(4) Regional nomination (491): adds 15 points but requires living and working regionally for 3 years before PR.
Why Australia Attracts Nigerians
Australia has persistent shortages in healthcare, engineering, and IT, and the points system is specifically designed to attract skilled workers in those fields. For Nigerians, these are often areas of existing qualification and experience.
English is the working language, which removes one barrier. The Nigerian diaspora in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane is well-established, meaning there is social and community infrastructure already in place. Salaries in Australia are significantly higher than Nigerian equivalents in the same fields, and the path to permanent residency is structured and transparent compared to many other destinations.
Realistic Scenarios for Nigerian Applicants
Scenario 1: Single applicant (Registered Nurse, 28)
Adaeze holds a BSc in Nursing and has worked 4 years post-qualification in Lagos. She scores IELTS 7 in all bands. Her estimated score: Age (30) + English (10) + Qual (15) + Overseas Work 3-4 years (5) + Single (5) = 65 points. This is the entry floor. She needs state nomination (190) or to aim for superior English (20 pts instead of 10) to be competitive. Her priority action is an IELTS resit targeting 8 in each band.
Scenario 2: Applicant with spouse (Software Engineer, 31)
Emeka holds a BSc in Computer Science with 6 years of overseas work experience. He scores IELTS 8 in all bands. His spouse is a qualified accountant with a positive skills assessment. Score: Age (30) + English (20) + Qual (15) + Overseas Work 5-7 yrs (10) + Partner with assessment (10) = 85 points. This is competitive for a 189 invitation in most IT occupations, though cutoffs vary. No regional nomination needed at this score.
Scenario 3: Applicant with spouse and child (Civil Engineer, 36)
Chuka is a civil engineer with a PhD from a Nigerian university and 9 years of work experience overseas. His IELTS score is 7 in all bands. His wife has no skills assessment. Score: Age (25) + English (10) + Qual (20, PhD) + Overseas Work capped at 15 (combined cap is 20 but no Australian experience) + Partner without assessment (0) + Single would give 5 but he is not single so 0 = 70 points. His most actionable lever is getting Superior English (add 10 points) and getting his wife a skills assessment (add 10 points). Target: 90.
