In short: The points test ranks applicants for the subclass 189, 190 and 491 visas on age, English ability, skilled work experience, qualifications, Australian study, partner skills and nomination. At the time of writing you need a minimum score to be eligible, but invitations go to the highest scorers in each occupation, so the practical target is well above the minimum. Every extra point brings PR, and home ownership, closer.
Key takeaways
- Age, English and Australian work experience are the three biggest movable levers for most Nepali applicants.
- Superior English is worth double proficient English; a single test result can be the difference between an invitation and another year of waiting.
- State nomination (190) adds 5 points; regional nomination (491) adds more, which is why regional pathways suit applicants with mid-range scores.
- Partner factors can add points or cost them, so couples should plan both careers together.
- Every year of delay is a year of rent, and in Melbourne's north that is often $25,000 or more.
Nepali applicants often know their score to the point but have never seen the full picture of what each element is worth and which ones they can still change. This post lays that out, with illustrative totals for common Nepali profiles, and then does something a migration website will not: it puts a dollar figure on what a year's delay costs you as a future home buyer. The points values below reflect the test at the time of writing. The government has flagged changes to the test, so confirm every number on Home Affairs and with a MARA-registered agent before you act.
What each factor is worth
The table is illustrative and simplified. Check the current scoring on Home Affairs.
| Factor | Illustrative points at the time of writing |
|---|---|
| Age 25 to 32 | Highest age band; lower bands for 18 to 24 and 33 to 39, dropping again from 40 |
| English: competent / proficient / superior | 0 / 10 / 20 |
| Australian skilled work experience | Rises in steps from one year up to eight years |
| Overseas skilled work experience | Rises in steps from three years; worth less than Australian experience |
| Qualification: doctorate / bachelor or masters / diploma or trade | Descending scale, doctorate highest |
| Australian study requirement | 5 |
| Study in regional Australia | 5 |
| Professional year (accounting, ICT, engineering) | 5 |
| NAATI credentialed community language (Nepali counts) | 5 |
| Partner: skilled with assessment and competent English / competent English only / single or partner is citizen or PR | Descending scale |
| State nomination (190) / regional nomination (491) | 5 / higher |
Two things stand out for Nepali applicants. First, a NAATI credential in Nepali is a real option for native speakers and adds points few other applicants can access. Second, the professional year programs for accounting and ICT graduates add points and Australian networks at the same time.
Illustrative totals for typical Nepali profiles
These are made-up but realistic. Your agent will score you properly.
A registered nurse, aged 28, in Melbourne
Age (top band) plus a bachelor's degree, proficient English, the Australian study requirement, one year of Australian work and single status, then 190 nomination from Victoria. On the current settings this profile lands comfortably above the minimum and is typical of the nurses we help buy in Epping and Craigieburn within a year of grant.
An accountant, aged 31, with a partner
Age, a bachelor's degree, the Australian study requirement, a professional year, three years of Australian experience, and a partner with competent English. With only competent English of their own, this applicant sits mid-range and struggles for a 189 invitation. Two changes transform it: a superior English result (plus 20) or a 491 nomination for a regional role. Many accountants in this position choose regional Victoria or NSW and reach PR through the 191 three years later.
A chef, aged 35, in Sydney
A trade qualification, overseas experience from Kathmandu, two years of Australian experience and competent English. The score is modest for a 189, but the profile is exactly what regional employers sponsor on the 482 or nominate on the 491, so points matter less than finding the right employer. Chefs in Sydney's south around Rockdale often go this way.
What a year of delay costs a future home buyer
Migration advice is about points; our job is the money. A delayed invitation pushes back the grant, and the grant is what unlocks the First Home Guarantee, first-home-buyer duty concessions and mainstream lending.
Worked example: rent versus ownership in Craigieburn
A couple rents a three-bedroom house in Craigieburn for $520 a week while they wait, which is $27,040 a year. After PR they buy a $650,000 house with a 5% deposit under the First Home Guarantee.
| Renting for one more year | Owning from this year | |
|---|---|---|
| Housing cost for the year | $27,040 rent | About $44,400 in repayments (loan $617,500, for illustration at 6.00% p.a. over 30 years, about $3,702 a month) |
| Of which builds equity | $0 | Roughly $7,500 of principal in year one |
| Victorian duty | n/a | $11,357 as first home buyers at $650,000 |
| Deposit needed | n/a | $32,500 plus costs |
Owning costs more in cash each month, which is why the deposit savings and serviceability need to be ready first. But the year of renting produces nothing you keep, and if prices move during that year, the deposit target moves with them. The rent vs buy calculator lets you test your own figures, and the deposit savings calculator shows how long your target will take.
Cheap points versus expensive years
An English retake costs a few hundred dollars. A NAATI test costs more but is a one-off. A professional year costs several thousand dollars over a year. Compared with a year of rent and a moving deposit target, most of these are inexpensive, provided a MARA-registered agent confirms they will actually lift your position in your occupation. See our post on English tests for PR for the score bands.
Keep the loan file ready while you chase points
Points and lending both reward stability. While you improve your score:
- Keep working full-time in one job where possible; lenders and states both like continuity.
- Save automatically so you have three months of clean genuine savings at any moment.
- Do not open credit products to fund test fees; pay them from savings.
- Keep every visa grant letter, skills assessment and English result; lenders that accept temporary residents ask for them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum points score for Australian PR?
At the time of writing a minimum score applies to the 189, 190 and 491, but invitations are issued to the highest-ranked applicants in each occupation, so the score actually needed varies by round and occupation. Check Home Affairs for the current minimum and ask a MARA-registered agent what recent invitations in your occupation looked like.
Can my partner's skills add points?
Yes. A partner with a positive skills assessment in an eligible occupation and competent English adds the most; a partner with competent English alone adds a smaller amount; and being single, or having a partner who is an Australian citizen or permanent resident, also scores. Plan English tests for both of you.
Do points affect my home loan?
Not directly. Lenders assess income, deposit, debts and visa status, not points. Indirectly, points decide how quickly you reach PR, and PR decides whether you can use the First Home Guarantee, avoid FIRB approval and skip the 8% Victorian foreign purchaser duty. Our first home buyer loans page explains what opens up after grant.
Should I study in regional Australia for the extra points?
The 5 points for regional study are real, and regional graduates also gain access to regional nomination and a longer post-study visa in some cases. Weigh it against course cost, job prospects in your field and where your community is. A MARA-registered agent can tell you whether the points would change your outcome.
Talk to GNT Finance
While your agent works on the points, we can work on the money so that the loan is ready the week your visa is. Gorakh Timilsina speaks Nepali and knows the lenders that suit new permanent residents, and there is no cost to you for our home-loan service in most cases. Book a free consultation or call 0426 403 703, or read about our Nepali mortgage broker service.
This is general information, not migration, legal, tax or credit advice. Migration rules change often — confirm with a registered migration agent (MARA) or the Department of Home Affairs.
Written by Gorakh Timilsina
Founder, CEO & Senior Mortgage Consultant at GNT Finance. Gorakh started as a broker assistant, spent years as a senior credit officer assessing loan applications, and now helps Melbourne families get the right loan approved. English, Nepali and Hindi spoken.