Skilled visa application charge calculator.

What the visa application charge is made of

The Department of Home Affairs prices most visas as a visa application charge (VAC) that is built from components. Its own guidance says every visa application has a base application charge, although for some visas this is nil, and that in a combined application, where more than one person applies together, the base charge is paid only by the main applicant. Additional applicants add their own charges, and some visas add a second instalment later. This calculator adds those components for the three most common general skilled migration visas: the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189), the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) and the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491).

The components, variable by variable

• Base application charge paid once by the main applicant: A$6,135 for the 189 points-tested stream and A$6,140 for the 190 and 491.
• Additional applicant aged 18 or over: A$3,070 for each, on all three visas.
• Additional applicant under 18: A$1,540 each on the 189 and A$1,535 each on the 190 and 491.
• Second instalment: charged for each applicant aged 18 or over who is assessed as not having functional English, A$4,885 on the 189 and 190 and A$4,890 on the 491. It is nil for everyone else.

The first instalment is the base charge plus the additional applicant charges. The second instalment is separate and depends on the English assessment, which Home Affairs makes at the application. The figures above are the ones in the Home Affairs price table when this page was last checked, 16 October 2026; the department’s own table loads dynamically, so confirm the current amount in the Visa Pricing Estimator before you budget.

Worked examples

Couple and one child, 189, functional English for both adults. 6,135 + 3,070 + 1,540 = A$10,745.

Couple, 189, partner assessed as not having functional English. 6,135 + 3,070 = 9,205 first instalment, plus A$4,885 second instalment = A$14,090.

Family of four (two adults, two children), 190. 6,140 + 3,070 + 2 × 1,535 = A$12,280. The child rate on the 190 is A$5 lower than on the 189.

Single applicant, 491, not assessed as having functional English. 6,140 + 4,890 = A$11,030.

Notice how the second instalment can matter as much as a family member. Home Affairs decides what counts as functional English, so check its definition before you lodge. The English test to points converter maps test results to the Competent, Proficient and Superior levels used by the points test.

Where the charge sits in the process

You cannot lodge these visas directly. You first submit an expression of interest (EOI) in SkillSelect. Home Affairs says all three visas are points-based and you need to meet or exceed the 65-point threshold to be invited to apply, though meeting the threshold does not guarantee an invitation. Points are awarded for factors including age, work experience, educational qualifications and English language proficiency. If you are invited, you have 60 days from the date of the invitation to complete and submit the visa application online, and the visa application charge is paid with that application. Use the skilled migration points calculator to estimate your score and the SkillSelect invitation rounds tracker to see recent minimum scores by occupation.

What is not included in this total

• Skills assessment fees from the relevant assessing authority.
• English test fees and any retest costs.
• State or territory nomination fees for the 190 and the state-nominated 491.
• Health examinations and police certificates.
• Migration agent or lawyer fees, if you use one.
• Any change in the visa application charge between the time you plan and the time Home Affairs receives your application.

Home Affairs notes that a lower visa cost can apply for some visas to eligible citizens of certain Pacific Island countries, Timor-Leste and ASEAN member countries. This calculator does not apply those concessions.

Common mistakes

• Charging the base amount for every family member. The base is paid once, by the main applicant.
• Using one visa’s rates for another. The 189 base and child charges differ by A$5 from the 190 and 491, and the second instalment differs by A$5 too.
• Forgetting the second instalment for an adult dependant with limited English.
• Treating this as a quote. The charge you pay is the one in force when Home Affairs receives the application.

This page is information, not migration advice. TNAADO is not a registered migration agent.