The 190 visa lets you work and live in Australia as a permanent resident if your occupation is on the skills list and you are nominated. Costs begin at $4,045 and you can also sponsor your partner or relative for permanent residence. If your visa is accepted, you can apply for your citizenship. As part of the visa criteria, you'll need to meet certain requirements, including having proper health cover.
None of the brands in our panel offer cover for the 190 Skilled Nominated Visa. Please compare alternative overseas cover options below.
Is my job on the list?
There are currently 427 skilled occupations eligible for the 190 visa program. You can find out if your occupation is on the skills list and eligible for the 190 skilled nominated visa on the Department of Home Affairs website.
The Department of Jobs and Small Business reviews the list regularly and makes changes accordingly, depending on which occupations are needed in Australia. The most recent update came on 11 March 2019, so if you do qualify, it's worth getting your application in sooner rather than later.
190 visa application process
The application process for the 190 visa can be broken down into these steps:
Check your job is on the skills list for the 190 visa. You will need to make sure you have at least 65 points to be eligible for the visa. Points criteria take into account factors such as your age, experience and English language skills.
Submit an expression of interest (EOI). You will need to create a SkillSelect account, log in and submit your EOI online. Applicants will need to provide evidence of their employment, the number of hours worked each week and what duties they performed. This is usually backed up with payslips, contracts and bank statements.
Receive an invitation and apply. Waiting times for an invitation can vary from 1 to 12 months. If you are invited to apply, you will have 60 days from the invitation date to submit your application. It's usually best to use a lawyer when you do this to make sure everything you need is properly submitted.
Finder survey: How many claims have people in different states made on their Overseas Visitor Health Cover?
Response
WA
VIC
QLD
NSW
0
1.89%
0.64%
Between 5 and 10
0.74%
0.51%
2
0.51%
1
0.64%
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1006 Australians, December 2023 Data for ACT, NT, TAS not shown due to insufficient sample size. Some other states may also be excluded for this reason.
190 visa eligibility
In order to successfully apply for this visa, you must meet the following criteria:
Be invited to apply or nominated. Once you submit an EOI, the relevant state must nominate you for the visa, inviting you to apply.
Complete a skills assessment. This is so that you meet the standards set by the government to work in the relevant occupation.
Meet health requirements. This includes any family you intend to bring with you and could also include family members not accompanying you to Australia.
Meet English language requirements. Native English speakers still have to sit an English language test.
Be under the age of 45. You must be aged under 45 when you are invited to apply for the visa.
Score 65 points or more. The 190 visa is a points-tested visa which means you won't be invited to apply if you don't score 65 points or more.
Restrictions to keep in mind
If you are married or in a de facto relationship, you need to let the Department of Home Affairs know. Add any family member or partner you plan to live with in Australia to your application as your visa might be cancelled if you don't tell them.
How to meet the health requirements
Because the 190 visa gives you permanent residency, you will likely have to undergo a medical examination. You might be asked to do further tests if you have a pre-existing health condition or something comes up in your initial test. Generally, no diseases or health conditions automatically result in a failure to meet the health requirement, though it might be rejected if the specific community services for that condition are in short supply.
You will need to make sure you have adequate health cover in place or you risk having your visa cancelled. Because the 190 visa gives you permanent residency, you are entitled to receive Medicare benefits and are eligible for private health insurance.
Healthcare for permanent residents
If your visa is accepted, your permanent residency will give you access to more healthcare entitlements, including Medicare and private health insurance. Private health insurance is generally more affordable than overseas visitors health cover (OVHC), which you may have previously held.
Permanent residents are generally eligible for benefits under the public healthcare system including the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Medicare. Keep in mind though that Medicare doesn't cover everything and you may need more comprehensive protection to meet your needs.
Youth discount. If you're aged between 18 and 29, you might be eligible for a discount of up to 10% on your hospital cover.
Waiting periods. You usually won't have to wait anywhere near as long for treatment with private health insurance compared to the public health care system.
Private health insurance rebate. Discount on your premiums based on your salary (assuming you earn less than $144,001 for the FY23/24) and can be taken as a discount on your premiums or used as a refundable tax offset.
Extras cover. You'll be able to access out of hospital services that Medicare doesn't cover, including dental, optical and physiotherapy.
Depending on your age, you may be eligible for an
aged-based discount. This is used to estimate your
rebate.
Under 65
65 - 69
70 or older
What's your household's taxable income?
This is the combined income you and your spouse earn before tax. It's needed to calculate the correct Australian government rebate.
$93,000 and under
$93,001 to $108,000
$108,001 to $144,000
$144,001 and over
What kind of health insurance do you need?
Combined (Extras + Hospitals)
Extras
Hospital
What level of hospital coverage would you like?
You can change this at any time later.
Legend
Covered
Restricted cover, You may be partially covered for
this category.
Not covered. Optional for insurer to include.
*Prices updated March 2024, in line with Finder's
database of health insurance policies. Prices are based
on a single individual with less than $93,000 income and
living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
What extras cover do you need? (Optional)
Select as many as you want or move to the next step
Preventative & general dental
Major dental & implants
Optical
Physiotherapy
Podiatry
Non-PBS pharmaceuticals
Chiropractic
Emergency ambulance
Remedial massage
Email me my results (optional)
To get a copy of your results for later, add your email below
Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio
Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 725 Finder guides across topics including:
Insurance can be confusing when you first arrive in Australia but only health insurance is compulsory – others can be good to have depending on your situation.
Find an adequate level of private health insurance to cover any medical costs incurred during your trip to Australia on a subclass 600 visa.
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