If you are choosing a study pathway in Australia with permanent residency (PR) as the end goal, the occupation you train for matters just as much as the qualification itself. Registered Nursing (Aged Care), Social Work and Community Services all sit on Australia’s skilled occupation lists, but they behave very differently once you look at how many Expressions of Interest (EOIs) are actually being invited each round. This blog breaks down a recent SkillSelect across the 189 Points-Tested, 190 Skilled Nominated, 491 Family Sponsored and 491 State/Territory Nominated streams for three occupations: 254412 Registered Nurse (Aged Care), 272511 Social Worker and 411711 Community Worker.
A quick note on the data: the figures below are drawn from a single monthly SkillSelect extract (as at June 2026), not a multi-month trend line. They are still useful because they show the size of the EOI pool sitting behind each occupation and how many invitations are clearing that pool in a given month — which is the clearest real-time signal of how competitive an occupation currently is. For a full multi-month trend, it’s worth cross-checking against the Department of Home Affairs’ published SkillSelect reports and occupation ceiling data.
EOI Pool vs Invitations: What the Numbers Show
| Visa Stream | Occupation | Submitted | Invited | Closed | Invite Rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 189 Points-Tested | Registered Nurse (Aged Care) | 1,474 | 231 | 1,454 | ~15.7% |
| 189 Points-Tested | Social Worker | 1,107 | 260 | 1,173 | ~23.5% |
| 190 Skilled Nominated | Registered Nurse (Aged Care) | 2,825 | 115 | 2,123 | ~4.1% |
| 190 Skilled Nominated | Social Worker | 1,611 | 120 | 1,297 | ~7.4% |
| 190 Skilled Nominated | Community Worker | 3,149 | <20 | 1,518 | <0.6% |
| 491 State/Territory Nominated | Registered Nurse (Aged Care) | 1,301 | 29 | 692 | ~2.2% |
| 491 State/Territory Nominated | Social Worker | 1,143 | 54 | 476 | ~4.7% |
| 491 State/Territory Nominated | Community Worker | 3,273 | <20 | 1,189 | <0.6% |
*Invite rate is calculated as Invited ÷ Submitted for that month, and is only a rough indicator of relative competitiveness — not a guaranteed probability.
Registered Nurse (Aged Care) – 254412
Nursing shows a healthy number of invitations in the 189 stream (231) and a genuinely large EOI pool across every stream, which reflects how in-demand aged care nurses are. However, the 190 and 491 invite rates are thin relative to the pool size — over 2,800 EOIs submitted in 190 but only 115 invited that month. This tells you nursing is a strong long-term bet (it is one of the most consistently in-demand occupations in Australia and unlikely to be capped), but state nomination and regional pathways are currently slow-moving, so applicants should expect to wait longer at those stages even though the occupation itself is secure.
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Social Worker – 272511
Social Worker posts the strongest invite rates of the three occupations in every stream shown: roughly 23.5% in 189, 7.4% in 190 and 4.7% in 491 State/Territory Nominated. The EOI pool is also considerably smaller than nursing or community work, meaning less competition for each invitation round. This combination — smaller pool, comparatively higher invite rate — is the clearest signal in this data set that Social Work currently has the most favourable invitation dynamics of the three occupations.
Community Worker – 411711
Community Worker is the clearest warning sign in this data. The EOI pool is the largest of the three (over 3,100 in both 190 and 491), yet invitations issued are under 20 in both streams — an invite rate below 0.6%. This occupation is heavily oversubscribed relative to the invitations being released, which usually means either the occupation ceiling has been reached for the program year or state/territory nomination criteria have tightened significantly. Anyone currently pursuing a Diploma of Community Services purely for PR purposes should treat this as a caution flag rather than a green light.
So Which Should You Pursue: Nursing, Social Work or Community Services?
Here is how the three stack up for someone choosing a study pathway primarily for PR outcomes:
- Best invite ratio right now: Social Worker — smaller pool, highest invite rate across 189, 190 and 491.
- Most secure long-term demand: Registered Nurse (Aged Care) — invitations are healthy in 189 and the occupation is unlikely to be capped given Australia’s aged care workforce shortage, but 190/491 processing is currently slower.
- Least favourable right now: Community Worker — very large pool with almost no invitations clearing, suggesting the occupation is currently saturated at state and territory level.
One critical distinction that gets missed often: to be skills-assessed as a Social Worker (272511) for migration purposes, you must complete a Bachelor or Master of Social Work accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). AASW-accredited social work degrees are offered almost exclusively by public universities — not private colleges. What private colleges do offer is Community Services diplomas and degrees (accredited instead by the Australian Community Workers Association, ACWA), which lead to the Community Worker (411711) occupation, not Social Worker. If your goal is specifically the stronger Social Worker invitation numbers shown above, you need an AASW-accredited university social work degree, not a private-college community services qualification.
Private Colleges Offering These Courses (VIC, NSW, WA, SA, QLD)
Nursing (Bachelor of Nursing and Diploma of Nursing pathways) and Community Services diplomas are both widely available through private, non-university colleges. Fees below are indicative for 2026 and should always be confirmed directly with the college, since they change with intake and change without notice.
| College | Course | Location | Indicative Fee (Total/Annual) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Torrens University (Bachelor of Nursing) | 3-yr Bachelor of Nursing (ANMAC-accredited) | Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide | ~AUD 32,000/year |
| IHNA (Institute of Health & Nursing Australia) | HLT54121 Diploma of Nursing (Enrolled Nurse) | Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane | ~AUD 24,000 total |
| IHNA | CHC52025 Diploma of Community Services | Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane | ~AUD 15,000–21,000 total |
| Stanley College | Bachelor of Community Services / CHC52025 Diploma | Perth | ~AUD 17,800/year (degree) |
| Central Australian College (CAC) | CHC52021/52025 Diploma of Community Services (Case Mgmt.) | Melbourne, Brisbane, Hobart | ~AUD 15,000 total |
| Australian Institute of Business & Technology (AIBT) | CHC52015/52021 Diploma of Community Services | Sydney (NSW), Brisbane (QLD) | ~AUD 11,000–13,000 total |
| Queensland Academy of Technology (QAT) | CHC52021 Diploma of Community Services | Brisbane | Contact college (quote-based) |
| Torrens University / Jansen Newman Institute | Bachelor of Applied Social Science (Community Services) – ACWA-accredited | Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide | ~AUD 28,000–32,000/year |
A few notes on the table above:
- Torrens University is a private university (not a public one), which is why it appears for both Bachelor of Nursing and the ACWA-accredited Bachelor of Applied Social Science (Community Services), delivered in partnership with the Jansen Newman Institute (JNI).
- IHNA (Institute of Health & Nursing Australia) is one of the most established private VET providers for nursing and community services diplomas, with campuses across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
- For Perth specifically, Stanley College is the most established private option offering both the Bachelor of Community Services and the CHC52025 Diploma of Community Services.
- Community Services diplomas (CHC52015/CHC52021/CHC52025) are shorter and cheaper than nursing degrees, but they lead to Community Worker or related occupations — currently the weakest of the three for invitations, per the data above.
- A genuine AASW-accredited Bachelor/Master of Social Work is not offered by these private colleges; it requires enrolment at a public university with AASW accreditation.
How Edvise Hub Can Help
Choosing between nursing, social work and community services isn’t just a study decision — it’s a migration strategy decision. Edvise Hub (MARN 2619225) works with prospective students and skilled migrants to map course selection, skills assessment pathways and visa stream strategy against current SkillSelect trends, so you’re not investing years and tens of thousands of dollars into a qualification with a shrinking invitation pool. If you’re weighing up nursing, social work or community services as your pathway to Australian PR, it’s worth getting a personalised assessment before enrolling anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Registered Nurse (Aged Care) still a good occupation for PR in Australia?
Yes — invitation numbers in the 189 stream remain solid and demand for aged care nurses is structurally high, though 190 and 491 processing is currently slower.
Does Social Worker have better invitation chances than nursing right now?
Yes — Social Worker shows a higher invite rate in every stream, largely due to a smaller EOI pool.
Why are Community Worker invitations so low despite a huge EOI pool?
The occupation appears heavily oversubscribed, with invitations under 20 against pools of over 3,000 — a sign the occupation ceiling or nomination criteria has tightened.
Can a private college qualification make me eligible as a Social Worker for migration?
No — Social Worker skills assessment requires an AASW-accredited Bachelor or Master of Social Work, which is offered by public universities, not private colleges.
What do private colleges actually offer if not AASW-accredited social work?
They offer ACWA-accredited Community Services diplomas and degrees, which align to the Community Worker occupation rather than Social Worker.
Which private college offers nursing across the most states?
Torrens University offers its Bachelor of Nursing in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide.
Where can I study Community Services in Perth?
Stanley College is the most established private provider in Perth for both the Bachelor of Community Services and the Diploma of Community Services.
