Our Queensland 491 Nomination: From EOI to Approval in 25 Days
For a 491 visa, an EOI on its own does not get you a visa. A state or territory has to nominate you first. For us, that nomination came from Queensland, and the whole path, from submitting our EOI to the approval, took 25 days.
I want to be careful about how I describe that. A fast result depends on your occupation, your points, and how many people the state can nominate in any given year. What I can give you is what actually happened to us, with real dates, and the reasons behind the choices we made along the way.
I am not a migration agent or a lawyer, and state rules and fees change. Treat this as one family’s experience and check the state’s own website before you act. If you are earlier in the process, the Start Here guide shows where this step fits.
How the Steps Fit Together
I was confused about the order at first, so here is the sequence in plain words. It is not “nomination first, then EOI”. It works the other way around:
- You submit an EOI (expression of interest) in SkillSelect and choose which states you are interested in.
- A state may then contact you and invite you to apply for its nomination.
- You apply to that state for the nomination.
- If the state approves it, you can be invited to apply for the visa.
The rest of this post is that sequence with our dates.
Our Timeline
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 16 March | We submitted the EOI, choosing Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria |
| 20 March | Queensland emailed us a pre-approval, an invitation to apply for nomination |
| 30 March | We submitted our nomination application to Queensland through its online portal |
| Around 10 April | The nomination was approved, and I believe the visa invitation came the same day |
| 11 May | We lodged the visa application |
| 12 May and 21 May | Health examinations |
I am not certain whether the nomination approval and the visa invitation arrived on exactly the same day. I think they did, but please treat that detail as uncertain.
What the EOI Step Looked Like for Us
In SkillSelect, an EOI is the step you must complete before you can be invited to apply for a 189, 190 or 491, according to the Home Affairs Expression of interest page (last updated 7 October 2026). You add your details, including your English test and skills assessment results, and you can update the EOI at any time before you are invited if your circumstances change.
We submitted ours on 16 March, three days after a personal deadline I had set for the heaviest preparation. Queensland’s pre-approval email arrived on 20 March, four days later. On 25 March, I sat my Canadian citizenship test.
Why We Chose Three States
Our migration agent suggested choosing three states instead of one. My husband works in construction, and the idea was that at least one of the three might want him quickly. If one state was slow, another could still come through.
But my first choice was always Queensland, and I told our agent that from the start. There were three reasons:
- I had heard construction is in the highest demand there. As I understood it, construction is wanted in several states, but Queensland was the one I kept hearing about as the most welcoming to construction workers.
- I know it and love it. I went to Queensland on a working holiday, and it left me with wonderful memories. I had wanted to go back for years.
- The weather. Queensland has good weather all year. Canada has long, cold winters, and I will admit that the weather was part of why we decided to move at all.
The Pre-Approval Email (20 March)
Only four days after we submitted the EOI, an email arrived from Queensland saying we could go ahead and apply for the nomination. In our case, that was a pre-approval, an invitation to submit the full application.
I do not know how quickly this happens for others, and I cannot say it was faster than usual. What I can tell you is what I thought: it made me believe that Queensland really needs construction workers. That is my own reading, not something the state told us.
At some point along the way, I also remember a reminder email from Queensland about submitting the nomination application. Once again, it made us feel the state was in a hurry for people in construction.
The Nomination Application (30 March)
We applied through Queensland’s online portal on 30 March. Here is what it involved:
- Our documents. We submitted all the supporting documents that were asked for.
- A plan to live regionally. Because the 491 is a regional visa, we had to state where we planned to live in regional Queensland and describe our plan. This is a real part of the application, and it is worth thinking about before you start.
- No job-related questions. In our case, the application did not ask us questions about a job.
How Our Agent Helped
Our agent did not write anything for us. Instead, the agent told us which forms and documents were needed, we filled everything in, and we handed it back. The agent checked it and then submitted it.
The Cost
I paid 341.22 Australian dollars for the nomination application, on 22 March. Queensland has changed its fees more than once, and when I looked on 26 October 2026 the Migration Queensland application fees page said “to be advised” for the 491, so please check the current figure there. I list every payment in what our 491 has cost. That page also says that fees are not refunded under any circumstances, so it is worth being sure before you apply.
The Approval (Around 10 April)
We received the result by email around 10 April, eleven days after we applied. We were able to go straight to the next step, and we moved quickly: we lodged our visa application on 11 May and had our health examinations the next day and on 21 May. You can read how that went in our medical exam post, and see all of it in order in our month-by-month timeline.
Something I Compared Between States: Schooling and Healthcare
One thing I looked at when choosing was what a 491 would mean for our son in different states, in particular school fees and healthcare. At the time, I understood that Queensland was better than Victoria for a family on a 491, and that was part of why it was my first choice.
I can now confirm this with an actual government source. Queensland’s Department of Education publishes a schedule of visa subclasses and enrolment conditions, linked from its current fee exemptions policy as the document to refer to. Its table lists the 491 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa as fee exempt, with no fees payable, for dependants. So a child who is a dependant on a 491 visa can attend a Queensland state school without tuition fees. Medicare checks out too: Services Australia’s own page lists 491 as a visa covered by a Ministerial Order, meaning Medicare access is available. I have written more on both, including a mistake I nearly made while double-checking this, in what we researched about life in Queensland. Please still confirm current rules yourself with the relevant department before you build a plan on them, since policies can change.
What Was Hardest
Honestly, I do not remember any one hard part. What made me nervous was wanting Queensland to be our first choice and hoping it would work out. I talked about it with our agent, and we chose the strategy together.
What I Would Do Differently
Nothing that I can think of.
Before You Apply for State Nomination
- Understand the order: EOI first, then a state invitation, then the nomination application, then the visa invitation.
- Ask your agent whether to list more than one state.
- Read the state’s own website for your occupation and its rules.
- Prepare a regional living plan before you apply.
- Check the current nomination fee, and remember that it is not refundable.
- Keep your documents ready so you can apply quickly after a pre-approval.
- Do not rely on anyone else’s claims about schools or healthcare. Check them yourself.
My Advice for Construction Workers
From what I heard, and from our own experience, Queensland is short of construction workers. If you or your partner work in construction, I think choosing Queensland as one of your states is worth serious thought. I cannot promise it will be quick for you, but for us it was.
Curved framing on a commercial building, from my husband’s job-site photos (May 2025).
Where to Go Next
If you are earlier in the process, start with the Start Here guide. If you are further along, read how we lodged our application.
I am a Japanese-born applicant living in Canada, applying with my husband for the Australian subclass 491 visa. I am not a registered migration agent, and this is my own experience, not legal advice.
