Skills assessment validity for 491, 494 and 489 in 2026: the 3-year rule and 485 assessments

A skills assessment used for a regional skilled visa is treated as current for three years, but the three subclasses do not read the calendar on the same day: subclasses 491 and 489 test the assessment as at the date of invitation, while subclass 494 tests it as at the date of application. Where the assessment letter carries no expiry date, policy reads a three-year limit from the date of the assessment. And an assessment obtained for a Subclass 485 (Temporary Graduate) purpose cannot be carried across to 491, 494 or 489 at all. These rules come from Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994 — criteria 491.214, 494.224 and 489.222 — read with the Department of Home Affairs’ Procedures Advice Manual (PAM3) guidance for the regional skilled visas. The regulations are amended from time to time and internal guidance is revised, so the wording currently published on the official pages is the version that governs any individual case.

Which date decides whether the assessment is still valid?

The single most common mistake is counting three years from the wrong date. Subclasses 491 and 489 are invitation-driven: you lodge an expression of interest in SkillSelect, a state or territory government agency or an eligible relative supports you, and an invitation issues. The criterion is written by reference to that invitation. Subclass 494 runs on a different track — an approved employer nomination comes first, and the criterion is written by reference to the visa application itself.

Visa	When validity is tested	Legal hook
Subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional (Provisional))	At the time of invitation	491.214
Subclass 494 (Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional))	At the time of application	494.224
Subclass 489 (Skilled — Regional (Provisional))	At the time of invitation	489.222

For 494, PAM3 guidance adds two further conditions: the assessment must be for the nominated occupation at the six-digit ANZSCO level, and the assessment date cannot be later than the application date. A letter dated the day after you lodge does not satisfy a criterion that had to be met on the day you lodged.

One caveat about 489: the subclass was closed to new applications on 16 November 2019 and replaced by 491. The rules below matter only for applications that were already in the system, which continue to be assessed against the old criteria.

What does the three-year rule actually measure?

It measures the gap between the assessment date and the reference date — not the gap between your application and the visa decision.

• If the assessing authority states a validity period on the letter, that period controls. For 489, the invitation date has to fall inside it.
• If the letter states no period, the three-year default applies. For 494, guidance is explicit: an assessment with a validity of more than three years, or none stated at all, fails once more than three years have passed between the date of issue and the date of application.
• For 491 and 489, the same three-year outer limit applies, but it is measured back from the invitation date.

Assume an applicant whose assessment is dated 1 February 2023 with no expiry printed on it. Under the three-year reading, the assessment remains usable up to and including 1 February 2026, and stops being usable only once more than three years have passed since the date of the assessment. An invitation for 491 issued on 20 January 2026 falls inside the window; one issued on 20 February 2026 does not, and a fresh assessment obtained in March cannot rewrite what was true on the day of invitation.

Why is a 485-purpose assessment not accepted?

Because the criterion excludes it in terms. Regulation 489.222(1)(b) requires that the assessment “was not for a Subclass 485 — Temporary Graduate visa”, and the PAM3 guidance for 491 and 494 states the same point in operational language: 485 assessments are not accepted.

The practical trap is easy to fall into. Many applicants complete a skills assessment while holding or applying for a 485, then later move to a regional nomination and assume the same letter carries over. It does not. The assessment has to have been issued by the relevant assessing authority as suitable for the nominated skilled occupation, for a purpose other than the 485.

What counts as a valid assessment, and what does not?

Beyond the date and the purpose, three points decide most disputes.

The authority has to be the relevant assessing authority for your nominated occupation. An assessment from a body that does not assess that occupation does not meet the criterion, however impressive the letter looks.

Occupation matching is strict on 494. The assessment must be for the nominated occupation at the six-digit ANZSCO code. Where the assessment names a different occupation within the same four-digit unit group and comes from the same assessing authority, guidance allows the decision-maker to accept a confirmation letter from that authority — a discretion, not an entitlement.

Some documents are not assessments at all. For 489, guidance states that membership of a professional association is not a skills assessment, although general registration as a medical practitioner may be treated as one. Separately, regulation 494.224(4) preserves a pathway for certain holders of Subclass 457 or 482 visas who have already been assessed.

One clarification worth making here: the three-year full-time work experience requirement in 494.225 is a different criterion from assessment validity in 494.224. Expiry of one says nothing about the other.

What if the assessment expires after the key date?

The answer depends on which side of the reference date the expiry falls. For 491 and 489, the criterion is fixed at the invitation date, so the question is answered on that day; obtaining a new assessment afterwards does not change what was true then, and for 489 officers are directed to ask for the documents as they stood at the invitation date. For 494, an assessment obtained after the application date cannot satisfy the criterion, though guidance directs the officer to tell you and to give you a chance to provide one you held before you applied. More generally, the 491 and 494 guidance both describe natural justice steps — a request for further information or a written invitation to comment — before a refusal is finalised on a fixable point.

How to check your own assessment before relying on it

Find the date of assessment printed on the letter. Check whether the letter states a validity period. If it does, confirm the reference date falls inside that period. If it does not, count three years forward from the assessment date. Use the invitation date for 491 and 489, and the application date for 494. Read the purpose line and confirm it is not expressed as being for a 485 visa. Confirm the occupation code matches your nominated occupation. Re-run the calculation on the day you lodge, because the reference date keeps moving.

Because the whole question turns on one printed date and on the day a decision-maker reads it, the above is general information about how these criteria are written and not advice on your own circumstances. Confirm the current official wording, or get professional advice on your situation, before you act on any single date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a skills assessment valid for three years on every Australian skilled visa?

Three years is the general outer limit applied in the regional skilled visa criteria and guidance, not a universal rule. The letter’s own stated period controls where it gives one, and the reference date differs by subclass — invitation for 491 and 489, application for 494.

My assessment letter has no expiry date on it. How long does it last?

Policy applies a three-year limit measured from the date of the assessment. For 494 the guidance is explicit that an assessment with no stated validity fails once more than three years separate the date of issue and the date of application.

Can I reuse the skills assessment I obtained for my 485 visa?

No. Regulation 489.222(1)(b) excludes assessments made for a Subclass 485 purpose, and the PAM3 guidance for 491 and 494 states that 485 assessments are not accepted. You need an assessment issued for the nominated occupation for a different purpose.

Does my assessment have to be valid when I lodge my 491 application or when I am invited?

When you are invited. Criterion 491.214 tests the assessment at the time of invitation, which is why an assessment that expires between invitation and lodgement is analysed on the invitation date.

Is subclass 489 still relevant in 2026?

Only for cases already in the system. Subclass 489 was closed to new applications on 16 November 2019 and replaced by subclass 491, and pending applications continue to be decided under the old criteria, including 489.222.

My assessment names a slightly different occupation code. Is that fatal?

Not automatically. For 494 the assessment must be for the nominated occupation at the six-digit ANZSCO code, but where the occupation sits in the same four-digit unit group and the same assessing authority issued it, a confirmation letter from that authority may be accepted.

Is the three-year work experience rule for 494 the same as the three-year assessment rule?

No. They are separate criteria: 494.224 governs whether the assessment is valid at the time of application, while 494.225 requires at least three years of full-time work in the nominated occupation.

References

• Department of Home Affairs — Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)
• Department of Home Affairs — Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494)
• Migration Regulations 1994 — Schedule 2 visa criteria (subclasses 491, 494 and 489)
• Department of Home Affairs — official visa information