Part 1: Three states confirm full quotas — all reduced to varying degrees
Part 2: Subclass 189 invitations next Thursday; EOI backlog updated through October
Part 3: QLD and WA to issue invitations; SA opening soon
Part 4: September skilled visa grant figures; state nominations processing on “three parallel tracks”
Part 5: This week’s visa grants, invitations, and skills-assessment success stories
Part 1: Three states confirm full quotas — all reduced to varying degrees
Announced before this article went out:
ACT (Canberra) — overall down 11%
See the chart below for a detailed comparison
All states received their full allocations at the same time — official announcements just come through at different speeds. By this time next week we should have the complete picture across every state. States that previously held larger allocations may see steeper cuts; we’re hoping at a minimum for a hold steady, or something in the Canberra range of around a 10% reduction.
Part 2: Subclass 189 invitations next Thursday; EOI backlog updated through October
The Department of Home Affairs joined in on Friday, announcing via Facebook that a new round of invitations will be issued on 13 November — next Thursday. This confirms the one-round-per-quarter pattern; the previous round was on 21 August.
The Subclass 189 EOI backlog figures through end-October were also released this week. Key data and occupations:
–Early Childhood Teacher760 at 85 points or above; every lower band has 1,000+
–Secondary School Teacher516 at 80 points or above; fewer than 100 at 85 points
–Social WorkerFewer than 40 at each of the 80 and 85 point bands
–Registered NurseFewer than 400 at 85 points or above; 1,000+ at 80 points; 3,000+ in every lower band
–Civil Engineering771 at 90 points or above; 118 at 95 points
–Accountant86 at 100 points; 1,613 at 95 points
With one round per quarter now, the quota and backlog picture is in line with expectations. We anticipate this round will look similar to the last one, though we’re also hoping Construction and Engineering — which are likewise treated as priority categories — see more invitations issued.
Part 3: QLD and WA to issue invitations; SA opening soon
All three states made their announcements after receiving the second round of interim allocations earlier this week.
QLDhas saidit will start regular, scheduled invitation rounds — but without specifying timing or frequency. QLD was the first state to publish its policy this year and opened quickly, yet it has not run any major invitation rounds to date, issuing only occasional invitations through the small business stream.
WAafter receiving the second round of interim allocations, has indicated it will run another invitation round in November — this will be the state’s second round of the year. WA only processes first-round pre-invited applications once the full formal allocation is received, which has now arrived. We’re hoping things move quickly, as last year’s WA processing pace and planning caused significant frustration.
SA was the first state to confirm receipt of the second round of interim allocations. After a prolonged quiet spell, SA has finally announced that it will publish its 2025–26 financial year policy soon and open the onshore ROI (Registration of Interest) channel.
If you’d like to learn more about lodging a state nomination with any of these states, please contact our consultant below
Part 4: September skilled visa grant figures — Subclasses 190 and 491 processing on “three parallel tracks”
189-3,135 new applications added, 2,142 primary applicants. As of end-September, 3,687 of the invitations issued in the 21 August round had been accepted and converted into visa lodgements — an acceptance rate of 53.5%.Invitees have 60 days to lodge, so a small number of additional acceptances will still show up in October’s data — but not many. The final acceptance rate should land somewhere between 50% and 55%.Subclass 189 grants were down by 408,the November 2024 backlog dropped by 198 to under 300 remaining; the December backlog dropped by 530 to around 1,800, and should be cleared before long.
190-broke past 2,000 — 247 more than August. The June 2023 aged backlog saw 252 processed, with 1,000+ still remaining at end-September. From the second half of 2023 through April 2024 the Department processed about 100 per month, then skipped mid-to-late 2024, then picked up some cases from March through June 2025. September’s peak was May 2025 lodgements, with 459 processed in a single month.
491-saw 1,545 grants — up 335, but still nearly 800 below the expected average pace. Like Subclass 190, Subclass 491 is now processing on three parallel tracks.June and July 2023 had 189 and 188 applications processed respectively, with 1,200+ and 1,100+ still pending. In the second half of 2023 a few dozen were picked off each month; January and February 2024 saw a sudden increase. September’s peak was February 2024 lodgements with 200 granted — then processing jumped forward to early 2025.
This Week’s Visa Grants, Invitations, and Skills Assessments
StateNomination
ACT (Canberra)
Formal Nomination
2025–9–29 submitted; 2025–11–05 invitedACT 190 SBO,Accountant (General)
2025–9–29 submitted; 2025–11–06 invitedACT 190 SBO,Accountant (General)
2025–10–01 submitted; 2025–11–06 invitedACT 190 SBO,Accountant (General)
2025–09–29 submitted; 2025–11–07 invitedACT 491 SBO,Cafe or Restaurant Manager (Excluding positions in Fast Food)
Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent)
Subclass 190 (State Nominated)
04 Oct 2023 onshore lodgementACT 190, 07 Nov 2025 granted–Systems Administrator
Subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional)
Lodged 10 Jul 2023, granted 7 Nov 2025 491
17 Apr 2025 onshore lodgementACT 491, 03 Nov 2025 granted–Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher
Subclasses 191 / 887 (Regional Permanent Residence)
Lodged 20 May 2025, Subclass 887 granted 7 Nov 2025
Lodged 19 Sep 2025, Subclass 482 sponsorship approved 6 Nov 2025
Lodged November 2024, Subclass 186 nomination and visa approved 7 Nov 2025 — Software Engineer, accredited sponsor
Investor visa / GTI visa
Lodged September 2023, Subclass 858 GTI granted 6 Nov 2025
Partner Migration
Lodged September 2019, Subclasses 820 + 801 granted 6 Nov 2025 (received an s.57 request)
Lodged May 2018, granted 5 Nov 2025
Subclass 500 (Student)
Lodged 26 Sep 2025, Subclass 500 granted 7 Nov 2025
Submitted on 4/11/2025, Granted on 7/11/2025
Skills Assessments
ACS
Lodged 17 Oct 2025, ACS skills assessment passed 7 Nov 2025
Submitted on 20/10/2025, Approved on 3/11/2025
TRA-JRP
Occupation: Motor Mechanic
Newstarsec Group Introduction Video
NSW / VIC / QLD / WA still have some transitional allocations remaining! WA’s first round was taken entirely by construction tradespeople!
Subclasses 190 and 491 processing three time periods simultaneously! Last round’s Subclass 189 real acceptance rate just over 50%!
If your child is an Australian PR or citizen, how long can a parent’s visitor visa be granted for? Can you choose the duration yourself?
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Number: 01 — Australia’s most popular skilled migration visas: Subclasses 189, 190, 491
Number: 02 — work-to-migration in one step: employer sponsored Subclasses 482, 186, 494
Number: 03 — study abroad first then migrate: major and course recommendations
Number: 04 — high school, gaokao, and bachelor’s study-abroad pathways
Number: 05 — essential for student-to-migrant: Subclass 485 (Temporary Graduate)
Number: 06 — arrange as soon as you have PR: Parent migration and visas
Number: 07 — Master of Marriage: Partner migration
Number: 08 — pivoting to Hong Kong: Top Talent and Talent schemes
Number: 09 — essential for parents, family, and friends visiting: Subclass 600 visitor visa
Number: 10 — weekly updates on grants, invitations, and skills assessments: success stories
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