Australia PR Subclass 190 — State-Nominated Visa Guide for Nepali Applicants (2026)

There is no single "easiest" state — it depends on your occupation, English level, and existing ties. As a rough guide for Nepali applicants without state ties: South Australia and Tasmania historically nominate the widest occupation range and accept Proficient English; Northern Territory has the fastest decisions but the smallest market; NSW and VIC have the most opportunities but the highest competition (often demanding Superior English plus state-specific work or study). The honest answer is to choose the state where you genuinely want to live for 2+ years and where your ANZSCO code is on the current list.

Yes. Every Australian state and territory accepts PTE Academic alongside IELTS, TOEFL iBT, OET, and Cambridge C1/C2 Advanced for Subclass 190 nomination — because DHA accepts these tests at the federal level. The score thresholds you need to hit, however, are set state-by-state in addition to the DHA floor (Competent: L47/R48/W51/S54). Always check both the DHA visa requirement and your nominating state's own English requirement before booking a test attempt.

Subclass 190 is permanent residence on grant, requires state or territory nomination, gives +5 PR points, and carries a moral 2-year living commitment in the nominating state. Subclass 491 is a temporary 5-year regional skilled visa, requires nomination by a state or by an eligible family member living in regional Australia, gives +15 PR points (more than 190), and requires you to live and work in a designated regional area for at least 3 years before you can apply for permanent residence via Subclass 191. 190 is faster to PR but ties you to a state; 491 takes longer to PR but pays out more PR points and unlocks regional-only occupation lists.

Legally, your Subclass 190 visa lets you live and work anywhere in Australia from grant — there is no visa condition that confines you to the nominating state. However, you sign a moral commitment in your nomination application to live in that state for at least 2 years (some states ask 3 or 5). Breaking this commitment is not a visa cancellation event by itself, but it can: damage the state's view of future Nepali applicants from your community, surface negatively in citizenship character assessment, and complicate later partner or family-sponsored visa applications. Choose the state you actually want to live in.

DHA's federal minimum to lodge a Subclass 190 visa application is Competent English: PTE Academic L47/R48/W51/S54 (or equivalent IELTS/TOEFL/OET/Cambridge). However, the nominating state usually sets a higher bar in its own nomination criteria — most commonly Proficient (PTE L58/R59/W69/S76), and sometimes Superior (L69/R70/W85/S88) for competitive occupations or priority lanes. So the practical answer for most Nepali applicants: aim for Proficient at minimum, Superior if you want maximum points (+20) and to clear every state's bar without restriction.

It varies by state, occupation, and time of fiscal year. As broad ranges based on recent cycles: Northern Territory and Tasmania often decide within 3–8 weeks; South Australia and Western Australia typically 6–12 weeks; Queensland and ACT 8–16 weeks; Victoria 3–6 months; NSW 4–9 months for popular occupations. The fiscal year resets on 1 July — fresh quotas and updated occupation lists are published then, and decisions slow in May/June as quotas exhaust. Always check the official state portal for current processing times before lodging.

You have several options. First, check the federal MLTSSL — if your occupation is on it, you can target Subclass 189 (independent skilled) instead, which does not need state nomination. Second, check the regional Subclass 491 lists — these are wider than 190 lists and unlock if you are willing to live in regional Australia. Third, check whether a closely related ANZSCO code (alternative title or related occupation) is on a state list. Fourth, consider whether an additional qualification or work experience would shift you into a listed occupation. If none of these work, the realistic answer is to wait for the next list update on 1 July or pursue a study-then-graduate visa pathway.

Yes. Subclass 190 is permanent residence on grant. You can apply for Australian citizenship by conferral after meeting the residence requirement: 4 years of lawful residence in Australia immediately before the application, including at least 12 months as a permanent resident, with no more than 12 months in total spent outside Australia during the 4 years and no more than 90 days outside Australia in the 12 months immediately before application. You will also need to pass the citizenship test, meet character requirements, and be ordinarily resident in Australia. The 190 pathway to citizenship is the same as 189 — only the path to PR differs.

Yes. You can lodge an EOI, submit ROIs, receive nomination, accept the ITA, and lodge the visa application entirely from Nepal. Many Nepali Subclass 190 applicants are first-time travellers to Australia. What you must demonstrate, however, is genuine intent to live in the nominating state — supporting evidence includes job search records targeted at that state, family or community ties, savings to support relocation, and a coherent story about why you chose that state over others. States read these applications closely.

Yes. PTE Nepal's Rs. 15,000 1-on-1 mentorship builds the plan around your visa pathway. For Subclass 190, the first session diagnoses your nominating state's English requirement (Competent / Proficient / Superior), maps your last PTE score report to the binding skill, and structures 4–8 weeks of targeted practice on that specific bar — not a generic "score 79" plan. Sessions run across NPT, AEDT/AEST, GMT, and Gulf hours so applicants already in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, or Toronto can attend at sensible local times.