How Long Do I Have to Apply for 190 Visa After Invitation in 2026?
You have 60 calendar days from the date of your invitation to lodge your Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) application, and that period cannot be extended. This is set out on the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Skilled Nominated visa (Subclass 190) page (eligibility and step-by-step sections), which states: "Once invited, you have 60 calendar days to apply for the visa. We cannot extend this time." The details below reflect that page as at July 2026. It is general information about how the published rules work, not advice on an individual case — an invitation letter, a nomination from a state or territory agency, and your own evidence can all shift what you need to do, so check the official page and any qualified professional before relying on it for a decision.
Does the 60 days start from the invitation or the nomination?
The clock runs from the date of the invitation, not from the date a state or territory agency decided to nominate you, and not from the date you first noticed the email. The Department sends the invitation by email from SkillSelect, and the lodgement step repeats the same rule: "You have 60 days from the date of your invitation to apply for the visa."
Calendar days means exactly that — weekends and public holidays count.
Can the 60 days be extended for any reason?
No. The official page is unusually direct: "We cannot extend this time." There is no published mechanism for asking for more time because documents are delayed, a skills assessment is still in progress, a police certificate has not arrived, or the visa application charge is not ready.
What the rules do accommodate is the skills assessment. The Department now accepts a suitable skills assessment for your nominated occupation that was obtained within the 60-day invitation period, following the decision in Thapa v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs [2021] FCCA 686. Separately, the assessment must have been obtained in the 3 years before your invitation date (unless it was issued for a shorter period that has not passed).
What happens if you miss the deadline?
Missing the deadline carries no published extension or second chance, and the consequences build up:
- Two invitations with no application — your EOI will be removed from SkillSelect. If you do not apply after two invitations, the expression of interest disappears.
- A withdrawn nomination (unrelated to the deadline) — if the state or territory agency that nominated you withdraws its nomination after you have applied, your application becomes invalid.
- Age — the Department will not process your application if you are 45 at the time of your invitation. You can still apply if you turn 45 after the invitation, but if you turn 45 after submitting the EOI and before the invitation, you will not be invited.
Invitations can arrive up to 2 years after you submit an EOI, and receiving one does not mean the visa will be granted.
How do you actually lodge within the 60 days?
Applications are made online, and you can be in or outside Australia when you lodge.
- Log in to your SkillSelect account and select the "Apply for visa" button — this transfers you to ImmiAccount.
- Log in or create an ImmiAccount. Your ImmiAccount login and password are not the same as your SkillSelect login and password.
- Attach your documents.
- Pay the application charge. The Department will not process your application until the first instalment is paid.
- Note your transaction reference number (TRN).
Submitting the EOI itself is free — it is not a visa application.
What must be ready before day 60?
The invitation states the number of points you must score, based on your EOI claims. That figure may be higher than 65, so the job inside the 60 days is not just pressing submit — it is proving every claim behind that number. When you lodge, you must provide evidence supporting your claims and show you meet all other eligibility criteria.
Commonly required evidence from the official document list includes:
| Claim or requirement | What the official page asks for |
|---|---|
| Points claims | Documents proving every EOI claim, checked against the points table (skilled employment, qualifications, Australian study, partner skills, Professional Year, and so on) |
| Skills assessment | A suitable assessment for your nominated occupation; accepted if obtained within the 60-day invitation period |
| English | Proof of at least competent English at the time of invitation |
| Identity | Passport pages showing photo, personal details, issue and expiry dates; national identity card if you have one; proof of any change of name |
| Character | AFP National Police Certificate (complete disclosure only) if you spent 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since turning 16; overseas police certificates on the same test; Forms 80 and 1221 |
| Partner and dependants | Identity, relationship and dependency evidence; Form 47a for dependants over 18; Form 1229 consent for children under 18 |
Australian police certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of issue for immigration purposes.
Does anything have to be true at the moment of invitation rather than at lodgement?
Yes, and this is where the 60-day window is tightest. Several requirements are fixed at the time of invitation, which means the 60 days cannot be used to fix them:
- Age — you must be under 45 when invited.
- English — you must have at least competent English at the time of invitation.
- Skills assessment — you must declare that you have a suitable skills assessment at the time of invitation, and the assessment must have been obtained in the 3 years before the invitation date.
- Occupation — your occupation must be on the relevant skilled occupation list for the 190 visa.
Other requirements — health, character, and repaying any debt to the Australian Government — apply to you and, depending on the requirement, to family members whether or not they apply with you.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get an extension on the 60 days if my documents are not ready?
No. The Department of Home Affairs states plainly on the subclass 190 page that the 60 calendar days "cannot" be extended. The lodgement itself, however, only needs the first instalment of the visa application charge and attached documents, and further information can be added in ImmiAccount afterwards.
What happens to my EOI if I ignore one invitation?
Nothing immediately — the published consequence is tied to two. If you do not apply for the visa after two invitations, your EOI will be removed from SkillSelect, and you would need to start again with a new EOI and a fresh nomination.
Are the 60 days working days or calendar days?
Calendar days. The official wording is "60 calendar days," so weekends and public holidays count toward the deadline.
Is a skills assessment obtained after the invitation accepted?
Yes, within limits. Delegates will now accept a suitable skills assessment for your nominated occupation obtained within the 60-day invitation period, following Thapa [2021] FCCA 686 — provided it relates to the occupation you nominated and you declared a suitable assessment at the time of invitation.
Does the 60-day deadline guarantee my visa will be granted?
No. An invitation only means you may apply. After you lodge, you must still show you can meet the points score on your invitation and all other eligibility criteria, and an invitation is explicitly not a grant.
Can I be outside Australia when I lodge?
Yes. The Department's apply step says you can be in or outside Australia when you apply for this visa online through ImmiAccount.
Do I have to pay when I submit the application?
The Department will not process your application until you pay the first instalment of the visa application charge. There is no fee for submitting an EOI, and the application charge is not refunded if the application is refused.