Migration news
The Department of Home Affairs has published the results of the first subclass 189 round of the 2026–27 program year. This summary sets out the figures, the occupation groups invited at low scores, how to read the tie-break dates and what each group of applicants may want to consider.
Huy NguyenAbout the source. This summary is based on the Department of Home Affairs Invitation rounds page, updated on 2 November 2026, and its Permanent Migration Program planning levels page. Figures for the 4 June 2026 round come from the data this website recorded when that round was published. The article explains published results and does not assess any individual case.
On 15 October 2026 the Department of Home Affairs held the first SkillSelect invitation round of the 2026–27 program year, issuing 20,000 invitations for the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189). The occupation-by-occupation results appear on the Department’s page, last updated on 2 November 2026.
The round was twice the size of the one held on 4 June 2026, when 10,000 EOIs were invited. The number of occupations invited rose from 140 to 159, and the lowest invited score fell for many of them. Forty-four occupations were invited from 65 points, the pass mark on the points test.
The same page shows that no invitations had been issued for the Family Sponsored stream of subclass 491 by the end of October.
| Measure | 15 October 2026 | 4 June 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Subclass 189 invitations | 20,000 | 10,000 |
| Occupations invited | 159 | 140 |
| Occupations invited from 65 points | 44 | 15 |
| Occupations invited from 70 points | 36 | 1 |
| Occupations invited from 80 points | 36 | 71 |
| Occupations needing 90 points or more | 15 | 13 |
Compared with June, the lowest invited score fell for 78 occupations, rose for 9 and stayed the same for 50. Twenty-two occupations were invited that had not been invited in June. Three occupations invited in June are absent this time: Fitter and Turner, Organisational Psychologist and Thoracic Medicine Specialist.
At program level, the 2026–27 planning level for the Skilled Independent category is 21,090 places, up from 16,900 in 2025–26. The Department says the increase recognises the visa’s strong record of highly skilled employment and positive fiscal outcomes. Planning places and invitations are different measures. Not everyone invited applies, and not every application is granted.
The Department’s table gives two figures for each occupation: the minimum points score invited and the tie-break date.
The Department explains that higher-scoring EOIs are invited before lower-scoring ones. Where EOIs have the same score, the one with the earlier date of effect, the time the EOI reached that score, is invited first. The tie-break date therefore shows how far the round reached among EOIs at the lowest invited score.
Two entries show how the same score can mean very different things:
Hypothetical example: a nurse who reached 70 points in March 2026 was not invited in this round, even though the occupation was invited from 70. With 75 points, the same EOI would sit above the lowest score invited for the occupation. That describes the 15 October round only and says nothing certain about the next one.
The Department also notes that a result can mean no EOIs were available to invite, or that EOIs were available but did not meet the parameters for an invitation. Occupation ceilings may also limit how many EOIs are invited in an occupation. The table is not a fixed threshold for future rounds.
Check an occupation. Each occupation page in the occupation search now shows the 15 October 2026 lowest score and tie-break date, with the June score beside it. The points calculator compares your score with the new round.
The lists below group the occupations invited from 65 or 70 points by field. Each line gives the lowest invited score, the tie-break date and the occupation’s score in the 4 June round.
The core building trades were already at 65 points in June and stayed there. What changed is that Cabinetmaker fell from 80 to 65, and Painting Trades Worker was invited for the first time, from 70. Most tie-break dates fall between August and October 2026.
This group shows one of the largest falls. Several occupations dropped from 80 points in June to 65, most with tie-break dates in October 2026. Electrician (Special Class) is the exception, with a tie-break date of 19/02/2026.
These occupations kept their June scores. Plumber (General) and Drainer have mid-2026 tie-break dates, which suggests some 65-point EOIs in those occupations may not have been reached.
Panelbeater, Sheetmetal Trades Worker, Boat Builder and Repairer and Shipwright all fell from 80 to 65 points. Other metal trades, including Metal Fabricator, Welder (First Class), Fitter (General) and Fitter-Welder, still needed 80.
All four environmental occupations fell from 80 to 65 points, with tie-break dates in October 2026. The Department’s table prints the Environmental Manager date as 13/10/206; it is read here as 13/10/2026.
Solicitor and Economist have a tie-break date of 15/10/2026. In June, all five occupations in this group needed 80 points.
All 13 Registered Nurse occupations were invited from 70 points, down from 75 or 80 in June. Their tie-break dates, however, run from 10/04/2025 to 20/11/2025. That suggests many EOIs on 70 points are likely still waiting, so the lowest score alone does not show how competitive these occupations are.
Many other health occupations were also invited from 70 points, mostly with tie-break dates in 2025:
The Department’s table gives Pathologist a tie-break date of 18/10/2026, which falls after the round date. Check the official page before relying on it.
Several occupations that many international graduates study and work in do not appear in either the June or the October table:
Absence from the table does not mean an occupation has been removed from the skilled lists. According to the occupation list data on this website, these occupations remain on the MLTSSL. The table shows only that the Department did not issue subclass 189 invitations for them in the last two rounds.
In the other direction, the lowest invited score rose for nine occupations. Psychology, teaching and social work make up most of them:
Some occupations invited for the first time also sit high: Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher and University Lecturer from 90 points, and the newly invited telecommunications occupations from 85.
This section sets out points to consider in light of the published results. Every case has its own circumstances, so it is not advice for any particular person.
For these occupations, in the October round, what decided the outcome was whether the EOI was eligible when the invitation was issued, rather than a few extra points. Points are assessed at the time of invitation, so it is worth checking that:
A low cut-off can encourage haste. Points that cannot be substantiated may lead to refusal after an invitation has been received.
For nursing and many health occupations, tie-break dates in 2025 suggest that 70 points was not enough for an early invitation where the EOI reached 70 recently. More points is the most direct way to move above the queue. Under the current points test, items commonly considered include:
On the information available, the points test reform has been announced but has no commencement date. The article on points test reform summarises what is known. Remember too that when points change, the date of effect may change with them. Birthdays that reduce age points, and English results or skills assessments close to expiry, are worth planning around.
After two rounds without subclass 189 invitations, relying on 189 alone carries real timing risk, particularly for people on temporary visas with fixed end dates. Options commonly considered alongside it include:
Planning levels have also shifted between categories for 2026–27. The Regional category, which covers subclass 491, falls from 33,000 to 14,110 places. State/Territory Nominated (subclass 190) rises from 33,000 to 35,500, and Employer Sponsored rises from 44,000 to 58,040.
In psychology, teaching and social work, the lowest invited score rose by 5 to 15 points in a single round. An EOI sitting just at the October cut-off may need a plan for extra points rather than relying on this round’s result.
The Department’s page also reports the number of EOIs nominated by states and territories between 1 July and 30 September 2026. Victoria shows no nominations for the period; its 2026–27 program was announced in late October.
| Visa | ACT | NSW | NT | Qld | SA | Tas | Vic | WA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 190 | <5 | 11 | 188 | 7 | 0 | 271 | 0 | 17 |
| 491 (state nominated) | <5 | 0 | 208 | <5 | 0 | 96 | 0 | 120 |
In the two weeks between the round and the Department’s publication, several sites published estimated cut-offs based on reports from people who had been invited. Some differ from the official table. A 21 October summary by IDP, for example, reported Solicitor at between 65 and 80 points, mostly 75 to 80, and most nursing occupations at around 75. The official table gives Solicitor 65 and the Registered Nurse occupations 70. That article itself noted that its figures were unofficial.
A few entries in the Department’s table need care: Medical Diagnostic Radiographer and Medical Laboratory Scientist are each listed twice with identical figures, two tie-break dates carry the year “206” (Environmental Manager and Forester), and the Pathologist tie-break date falls after the round date.
For building, electrical, plumbing and many technical trades, this round widened the opportunity considerably compared with June. For accountants, ICT professionals and civil and mechanical engineers, it was the second round in a row without subclass 189 invitations. The Department’s planning page names health, ICT, engineering and science, construction and education as priority sectors for skilled migration. Even so, ICT is almost absent from the 189 table, and nurses who reached 70 points during 2026 are still waiting.
The Department has not published dates for further rounds in 2026–27. Whether the 65-point cut-offs in the trades hold in the next round, now that much of the queue has been cleared, or rise again as new EOIs arrive, is a question no one can yet answer.
Sorted by lowest invited score, then by occupation. The last column is the occupation’s lowest invited score on 4 June 2026; a dash means it was not invited in that round.
Sources: Department of Home Affairs, “SkillSelect Invitation rounds”, updated 2 November 2026; “Permanent Migration Program planning levels”, updated 21 September 2026. Figures for 4 June 2026 as recorded on this website. Read on 4 November 2026.
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