Start Your Expression of Interest (EOI) for Skilled Migration

What is an Expression of Interest (EOI)?

An EOI is an online form that tells the Australian Government you want to be considered for a skilled visa. There is no paper EOI format; you complete it online in SkillSelect. It lists your nominated occupation, your skills assessment, your English result, your work and study history, and your partner details. SkillSelect uses those answers to work out your points.

One EOI can serve the 189 EOI, 190 EOI and 491 EOI routes. For the 189 you compete on points alone. For the subclass 190 and subclass 491, a state, territory or eligible relative must also nominate or sponsor you. The subclass 189 has no nomination step. The EOI 190 route adds the state step. A NSW EOI is still a SkillSelect EOI, and NSW then runs its own nomination process.

How to Submit Your EOI

• Check your occupation. Confirm it is on the list that applies to your visa. The 189 uses a narrower list than the 190 and 491.
• Get a skills assessment. Apply to the assessing authority for your occupation. You need a suitable assessment by the time you are invited.
• Sit an English test. Competent English is the minimum. Proficient earns 10 points and Superior earns 20.
• Work out your EOI points. Use our EOI points calculator and read how the points test works. You need at least 65 points.
• Create your EOI in SkillSelect. Register, complete every section and submit. Home Affairs emails your EOI ID and login details, and your EOI login uses them.
• Apply for nomination if you need it. For a 190 or 491, follow the state or territory nomination process as well.
• Wait for an invitation to apply. Keep your EOI up to date. If invited, you have 60 days from the invitation date to apply online.

How are EOIs ranked and invited?

Under Home Affairs policy, EOIs are ranked by points and the highest scores are invited first. Each invitation round has its own results, and scores differ by occupation. Our guide to invitation rounds explains how to read them. The SkillSelect EOI data report shows how many EOIs are waiting.

For a 190 or 491, the state or territory chooses whom to nominate, using its own criteria. The nomination then leads to the invitation. So a higher score helps, but it is not the only thing that counts.

Common Mistakes & Risks

An EOI itself is not refused. The risk comes later, when the visa application must prove every claim. Watch out for these:

• Claiming points you cannot prove. If the application cannot prove the score you were invited on, it is refused. False or misleading information can also lead to a bar on future visas.
• Letting a birthday cut your score. Age is scored on the day you are invited. Turning 33 removes 5 points, and turning 40 removes 10.
• An English result that no longer counts. The result must still be valid on the day you are invited.
• An expired EOI. An EOI lasts up to two years under policy. After that, you must lodge a new one.
• The wrong occupation. Your EOI, skills assessment and nomination must all name the same occupation.

Key Terms You Should Know

• EOI ID. The identifier SkillSelect gives you. You use it for the SkillSelect login and in any invitation.
• SkillSelect. The Australian Government's online system for EOIs. An EOI SkillSelect profile is the only way to be invited for these visas.
• ANZSCO Code. The occupation code in your EOI. It must match your skills assessment.
• Points Test. The scoring system in the Migration Regulations for age, English, work, study and more.
• Invitation to apply. The notice that lets you lodge a visa application within 60 days of its date.

EOI Document Requirements

Have these ready before you lodge. Your EOI claims must match them, and the visa application will need them.

• Skills assessment letter for your nominated occupation.
• Valid passport.
• English test results that will still be valid when you are invited.
• Work evidence such as payslips, contracts and reference letters.
• Qualification transcripts and awards.
• Partner documents if you claim partner points.

Need a second opinion before you lodge? Talk to a registered migration agent in Sydney, or start with the free eligibility check. All skilled pathways are on our skilled migration visas hub, and more guides are in the migration resources hub.

EOI Frequently Asked Questions