I Have a Trade Qualification Instead of a Degree, Do the New Points Rules Give Me a PR Pathway?
The headline version of this change is that trade qualifications will be worth the same points as a university degree. That is broadly accurate and it is genuinely good news for some people.
Housing and Construction Trades, Probably About Five Points, and for a Large Share of Applicants It May Not Change the Outcome at All.
It appears to cover housing and construction trades, not every trade.
It is probably worth around five points, because that is the size of the gap being closed.
For a large share of trade applicants it may not change the outcome at all, because trade occupations are already being invited at the minimum score.
The Short Version
The points test sits in Schedule 6D of the Migration Regulations and applies to subclasses 189, 190 and 491. The minimum is 65 points. The announcement of 17 September 2026 said housing and construction trade qualifications would receive the same points as a university qualification. The address did not specify which university level they will be matched to, which matters because the gap is different at bachelor, masters and doctorate level. Nothing has commenced and no date has been announced. Separately, the skills assessment queue has not changed, and for most people that remains the real bottleneck.
Trade Qualification and Thinking About PR? Get a Straight Read on Whether This Change Actually Helps You.
Whether the announced uplift moves your outcome depends on your current score, the occupation you would nominate against, and how it has been clearing in recent invitation rounds. A migration professional can look at your specifics rather than the media summary.
How the Points Currently Work for a Trade
The points test scores eleven factors and the same table applies to all three visas. What differs is what gets added on top: nothing for the 189, five points for state nomination on the 190, and fifteen points for state nomination or eligible family sponsorship on the 491.
Qualifications are one of those eleven factors, and a trade qualification currently scores below a bachelor degree. If the uplift is set at bachelor level, the change closes a gap of around five points.
If it is set higher than bachelor level, the gain is larger. The address did not say, and until the amending regulation is published nobody can tell you precisely what your score becomes. Working out where you actually stand today is the useful step, and our Australian PR points calculator works against the current table rather than an assumed future one.
The Part the Headlines Are Missing
This is the section worth reading twice, because it determines whether the change is useful to you or not.
If Your Trade Occupation Is Already Being Invited at 65, You Were Not Being Held Back by Your Qualification Points.
Sixty five points is the legislative minimum to be eligible for an invitation. It is not the score you need to actually get one. Invitations are issued in rounds and ranked within each occupation, so the real cut-off depends on how competitive your occupation is.
Trade occupations have consistently been among the lowest cut-offs. Construction and infrastructure shortages have meant trades are frequently invited at or near the minimum, while engineering, science and specialist medical occupations often need scores in the nineties.
So if your trade occupation is already clearing at 65, you were already getting invited. Adding five points improves your ranking within your occupation but may not change whether you get invited, because you were getting invited anyway. The people this change genuinely helps are those sitting just below the threshold, typically at 55 or 60, for whom the uplift is the difference between not being eligible and being eligible.
Work out your current score before you get excited about the change. If you are already at 65 or above and your occupation clears at 65, the honest answer is that this announcement is not the thing standing between you and permanent residence. Our guide to recent 189 invitation round scores by occupation is the evidence base for this.
Which Trades, and Which Not
The announcement referred to housing and construction trade qualifications. That is narrower than trade qualifications generally.
| Group | Position |
|---|---|
| Housing and construction trades | The category named in the announcement. Carpenters, plumbers, electricians, bricklayers and similar occupations connected to residential construction would be the natural reading. |
| Other trades | Chefs, diesel mechanics, hairdressers, automotive and other trades were not named. Whether they are included depends on how the amending regulation defines the category. |
| The definition itself | Not published. There is no list yet, and the boundary between a housing trade and an adjacent trade is exactly the kind of thing the instrument will need to settle. |
The policy rationale was explicitly tied to the housing shortage, which supports the narrower reading. If you hold a trade qualification outside construction, do not assume you are covered until the instrument says so.
The Bottleneck That Has Not Moved
Points are the second obstacle for most people in this position. The first is the skills assessment.
More Points on a Score You Cannot Yet Submit Does Not Help.
Before you can lodge an expression of interest you generally need a positive skills assessment, and for most trades that runs through Trades Recognition Australia. Nothing announced on 17 September changes that process, its requirements or its timeframes.
So a trade applicant with no skills assessment is in the same position they were in before the announcement. If you are starting from scratch, the assessment is where your effort and money should go first, and the points change is something that may be waiting for you when you get there. Our overview of how skills assessments work for skilled visas covers the process and timelines.
One Risk Worth Knowing About
The trade uplift was announced as part of a broader points test redesign, described as having been worked through in consultation with Treasury.
That means other rows in the points table may also change. A redesigned test could adjust the weighting for age, English, work experience or partner skills, and those adjustments could offset the trade gain for some applicants and amplify it for others.
| Change | Status |
|---|---|
| Current Package Trade qualification uplift |
Announced 17 September 2026 as part of the current package. Made by regulation. No commencement date published. |
| Pre-Legislation Broader points test rewrite |
Still in consultation. Commencement not expected before mid 2027. |
The wider redesign is at a different stage from the trade change. They are separate, and conflating them is the most common error in this week coverage.
What This Does Not Change
- Occupation lists. Your occupation still has to be on the relevant list for the visa you want.
- Skills assessment requirements. Unchanged.
- English requirements. Unchanged by this measure.
- State nomination criteria. The 190 and 491 still depend on individual state programs with their own lists and conditions.
- Employer sponsored visas. The points test does not apply to the 482 or 186, so if your route is sponsorship this change does not affect you.
- Invitation timing. Rounds happen periodically with no fixed schedule, and a higher score does not guarantee an invitation.
What to Do Now
- Calculate your current points honestly, using the existing table rather than an assumed future one. Our points calculator works against the current rules.
- Find out what your occupation has actually been clearing at in recent invitation rounds. That tells you whether five extra points would change anything for you.
- Check whether your occupation is on the relevant list for the visa you are targeting.
- If you do not have a skills assessment, start it. That is the bottleneck and it has not moved.
- If you are close to the threshold, look at the other levers available now: English score, state nomination, partner skills, and regional options through the 491. Our guide to practical ways to improve your points score covers the levers in detail.
- Do not delay a plan that works today in order to wait for a change with no commencement date.
- If you hold a trade outside construction, wait for the instrument before assuming you are covered.
Frequently Asked Questions
Trade Qualified and Wondering If the Change Actually Helps You? Find Out Against Your Real Numbers.
Whether the announced uplift moves your outcome depends on your current score, your specific occupation, and whether that occupation has been clearing at the minimum in recent rounds. A confidential review can settle it before you build a plan around a change with no commencement date.
Written by
Founder and Editor, Aussie Migration Guide
Karan Rawat is the Founder and Editor of Aussie Migration Guide. With nearly 4 years of experience in SEO and digital content, including work with Australian migration law clients, he specialises in turning complex Australian visa rules, fees and eligibility criteria into clear, practical guides. Every article is checked against current official sources such as the Department of Home Affairs before it goes live. Karan is not a registered migration agent, and the content on this site is general information, not migration advice.