Program Overview

Total Migration Program

262.5K

Total 2025–26 planning places

Skilled Stream Places

190K

Reserved for skilled migration

SC 189 Allocation

16,900

~16,887 invitations issued (exhausted)

SC 190 Allocation

12,850

State Nominated — skilled nominated

SC 491 Allocation

7,500

Skilled Work Regional (Provisional)

Total State Nom. Issued

~7,200

190+491 combined as at March 2026

Subclass 189 — Skilled Independent

Subclass 189

Skilled Independent Visa — Points Tested, No Nomination Required

Invitations Issued

16,887 / 16,900 allocation

Rounds Held (FY 2025–26)

2 rounds (Aug 2025 & Nov 2025)

Round 2 — Nov 13, 2025

10,000 invitations issued

Status

QUOTA EXHAUSTED

Next round expected Q2 2026 (Apr–Jun window). Future 189 rounds will use leftover quota after state + employer allocations are filled, under new structural reform rules.

NEW 4-TIER INVITATION PRIORITY SYSTEM (2025–26)

Tier 1 — Critical Shortage

Registered Nurses, Early Childhood Teachers, Psychologists, Social Workers

Points cut-off: 65–75 pts (highest priority, lowest threshold)

Tier 2 — Essential Services

Civil & Mechanical Engineers, Electricians, Carpenters, Plumbers, Project Managers

Points cut-off: 80–85 pts (steady high-volume invitations)

Tier 3 — General Skilled

Most healthcare professionals, teachers, finance roles

Points cut-off: 85–90 pts (competitive field)

Tier 4 — Oversupplied

ICT (general), Accounting, Software Engineers (some roles)

Points cut-off: 95–100+ pts (extremely competitive)

State & Territory Allocations 2025–26

190 & 491 Visa Places by State

Subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated)

Subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional)

VIC

190

2,700

491

700

Total: 3,400

NSW

190

2,100

491

1,500

Total: 3,600

190

2,000

491

1,400

Total: 3,400

QLD

190

1,850

491

750

Total: 2,600

190

1,350

491

900

Total: 2,250

TAS

190

1,200

491

650

Total: 1,850

190

850

491

800

Total: 1,650

ACT

190

800

491

800

Total: 1,600

State-by-State Deep Dive

Invitation Activity & Occupation Priorities

New South Wales

Sydney metro & regional

Active

NSW

190 · 2,100 places

491 · 1,500 places

190 — utilisation~700 issued

491 — utilisation~330 issued · P1 & P3 CLOSED

6 Nov 2025 — Initial round 65–85 pts

4 Mar 2026 — Construction & digital round 70–110 pts

Monthly thereafter

Priority Occupations Invited

Architect Civil Engineer Carpenter Developer Programmer Community Worker Architectural Draftsperson Renewable Energy Health Professionals

Victoria

Melbourne & regional Victoria

Active — Rolling Assessment

VIC

190 · 2,700 places

491 · 700 places

190 — utilisation~839 issued

491 — utilisation~312 issued

18 Nov 2025 — Round 1 ROI-based

3 Dec 2025 — Round 2

15 Jan + 13 Mar 2026 — Rounds 3 & 4

⚠️ Victoria uses its own ROI ranking — points alone don't drive the outcome. Age, English level, income and local ties all factor in.

Priority Sectors

Health & Social Services Construction Education New Energy Advanced Manufacturing Hospitality (regional only) Management Accountant

Western Australia

Perth & regional WA

⚡ Filling Fast — 53% Used

190 · 2,000 places

491 · 1,400 places

190 — utilisation~1,152 issued

491 — utilisation~814 issued

Oct–Dec 2025 — Interim rounds

3 Mar 2026 — Priority trade occupations Trade

5 Mar 2026 — Priority non-trade occupations

Key Occupation Clusters

Construction Trades Healthcare & Nursing Engineering (Built Env.) Hospitality & Tourism Education & Training Skilled Trades (general)

Queensland

Brisbane & regional QLD

Active — Olympics Pipeline

QLD

190 · 1,850 places

491 · 750 places

12 Mar 2026 — Onshore construction round 65–95+5

Casual & self-employed work NOW counts

🏗️ Big Build + 2032 Brisbane Olympics creating sustained demand. 190 requires 9 months QLD residence; 491 requires 6 months in regional QLD.

Priority Sectors

Construction Trades Infrastructure Registered Nurse Mechanical Engineer Electronics Engineer Social Worker Analyst Programmer Urban Planner

South Australia

Adelaide & regional SA

Active — Monthly Rounds

190 · 1,350 places

491 · 900 places

190 — utilisation~837 issued

491 — utilisation~458 issued

Nov 2025 — Monthly rounds began

3 Mar 2026 — 406 invitations (largest round) 242×190, 164×491

Next round: early April 2026

March Round Occupation Breakdown

Health Professionals (97 invites) Design/Engineering/Science (53) ICT Professionals (42) Other sectors (214)

Tasmania

Hobart, Launceston & regional

Active — Weekly ROI Cycle

TAS

190 · 1,200 places

491 · 650 places

🌟 491 invited at just 40 base points (11 March 2026) — most accessible state for lower-scoring applicants this cycle.

Weekly rounds since 24 Nov 2025

11 Mar 2026 — 33 invitations 14×190 · 19×491

Profile System

Gold Pass — 190 eligible Orange Pass — 491 eligible (from 40 pts) Must have long-term TAS residence Chef (confirmed grants)

ACT / Canberra

Australian Capital Territory

Scheduled Rounds

ACT

190 · 800 places

491 · 800 places

190 — utilisation~521 issued

491 — utilisation~481 issued

Sep 2025, Dec 2025, Jan 2026

~23 Feb 2026 — Round 4 (Matrix)

~23 Mar 2026 — Round 5 | ~27 Apr 2026 — Final

Canberra Matrix scoring (not pure points). Income thresholds increased from 1 Feb 2026. Prioritises 491 over 190. Construction, health & education sectors prioritised.

Northern Territory

Darwin & regional NT

Portal Closed — Quota Reached

190 · 850 places

491 · 800 places

190 — utilisation~243 issued at closure

NT nomination portal is closed for 2025–26. Portal received sufficient applications. Requires 2 years NT residence. Check again from July 2026 for new FY allocations.

Points Strategy Guide

Minimum Points Cut-offs by Occupation Type

Occupation Category	189 Cut-off	190 (State Nom.)	491 (Regional)	Key States
Construction Trades Bricklayer, Carpenter, Plumber, Electrician	65–75 pts	65–70 pts	40–65 pts	WA, QLD, NSW, SA
Healthcare — Critical Registered Nurse, Psychologist, Social Worker	65–75 pts	65–80 pts	55–70 pts	VIC, WA, SA, QLD, NSW
Engineering Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical	80–85 pts	75–85 pts	70–80 pts	WA, NSW, VIC, SA
Education Secondary Teachers, Early Childhood Educators	75–80 pts	70–80 pts	60–70 pts	VIC, SA, TAS, QLD
Architecture & Design Architect, Architectural Draftsperson	80–90 pts	70–85 pts	70–80 pts	NSW, VIC
ICT / Software Developer Programmer, Systems Analyst	90–100+ pts	80–90 pts	75–85 pts	NSW, VIC, SA (491)
Accounting / Finance Accountant, Management Accountant, Auditor	95–100+ pts	85–95 pts	80–90 pts	VIC (90 pts confirmed Mar 2026), ACT
Chef / Hospitality Chef, Cook	65 pts	65 pts	40–55 pts	TAS (confirmed grants), VIC regional, WA

Chronological Activity

Key Invitation Events — Oct 2025 to Apr 2026

Aug 2025

189 Round 1 — FY 2025–26

First Subclass 189 round of the new program year. Initial invitations issued under the new 4-tier priority framework introduced by Home Affairs.

SC 189Federal

Oct–Nov 2025

WA Interim Rounds + NSW Initial Round

WA issued invites under interim allocation. NSW ran its first round (6 Nov 2025). States received confirmed 2025–26 allocations on 20 Nov 2025.

SC 190SC 491WA · NSW

13 Nov 2025

189 Round 2 — 10,000 Invitations

Largest single 189 round this year. Home Affairs publicly pre-announced the date (an unprecedented step). Focus on Skills in Demand sectors: healthcare, education, construction. 189 quota now effectively exhausted for 2025–26.

SC 189Federal10,000 invites

20 Nov 2025

Final 2025–26 State Allocations Confirmed

Home Affairs confirmed total 20,350 state nomination places: 12,850 for 190 and 7,500 for 491. VIC, QLD, SA, WA, TAS, NT, NSW and ACT allocations all finalised.

All StatesSC 190 · SC 491

Nov–Dec 2025

VIC, SA, TAS, NT, ACT Launch Rounds

Victoria (18 Nov), SA (monthly from Nov), Tasmania (weekly from 24 Nov), NT (24 Nov), ACT (Sep + Dec rounds) all issued invitations. SA issued 406 invitations in single Dec round.

VIC · SA · TAS · NT · ACT

Jan–Feb 2026

Multiple State Rounds — NSW 491 Pathways 1 & 3 Close

NSW 491 Pathway 1 and Pathway 3 closed on 19 January after reaching allocation. SA continued monthly rounds. VIC ran 3rd round (15 Jan). ACT 4th round (week of 23 Feb). ACT income thresholds increased from 1 Feb 2026.

NSW · SA · VIC · ACT

3–12 Mar 2026

Busiest State Nomination Week of the Year

SA (3 Mar, 406 invites), NSW (4 Mar, construction & digital 190), WA (3 & 5 Mar, trade + non-trade rounds), TAS (11 Mar, 491 at 40 pts), QLD (12 Mar, construction pathway), VIC (rolling, 13 Mar unconfirmed). NT portal remained closed.

SA · NSW · WA · TAS · QLD · VIC406 SA invites40pt TAS

Apr–Jun 2026

Upcoming — Final Rounds Before FY End

SA next round (early Apr). NSW 491 Pathway 2 may reopen in April. ACT 5th round (~23 Mar) and final round (~27 Apr). Next 189 round expected Q2 2026 (Apr–Jun window). New FY allocations begin 1 July 2026.

UPCOMINGSA · NSW · ACT · 189

Strategic Insights

What This Data Means for Applicants

🎯

189 Quota is Exhausted

With 16,887 of 16,900 places filled, the 189 is effectively done for 2025–26. Pivot to 190 or 491 state nomination immediately. Next 189 round expected Apr–Jun 2026.

⚡

WA is Filling Rapidly

53% of WA's allocation used as of March 2026. With ~1,600 places remaining, WA could close before 30 June. If WA is your target state, submit your EOI now.

🌟

Tasmania — Best for Low Points

491 invited at just 40 base points in March 2026 — the lowest threshold nationwide. Combined with the +15 nomination bonus, you may only need 40 base points to get an invite.

🏗️

Construction Dominates

Construction trades are being prioritised across NSW, WA, QLD and SA. QLD expanded eligibility to casual and self-employed work. Points cut-offs as low as 65 for trades nationally.

📊

Points Alone ≠ Invitation

Victoria, ACT and increasingly others assess beyond points — age, English, income, local ties and occupation alignment all factor in. Optimise your full profile, not just your points tally.

📅

New Quarterly Schedule for 189

Home Affairs has moved to quarterly 189 rounds with pre-announced dates — a historic first. State nominations run monthly or rolling. Keep your EOI current before each window opens.