The WA state government named this round the trade occupation round

, so only and exclusively construction-trades occupations were invited. One of WA’s priority changes this year is that blue-collar construction trades have been split out as a separate category. They were a priority before as well, included as part of the construction and engineering sector, but this financial year that sector is now divided into trades occupations and other occupations — which clearly shows these occupations now sit at the top of the priority list。

Sure enough, in this first round — which only had an interim quota — WA invited construction-trades occupations only.For these occupations, the main hurdle in points-tested skilled migration is obtaining a skills assessment, so the EOI pool for them isn’t large. To attract the most critically needed talent, WA invited applicants residing offshore or in other states for most of the occupations in this round.

Some analysis:

– We expect the acceptance rate for this round of invitations to be relatively low

WA is still using the federal EOI points system this year, picking candidates from highest score downwards. As you can see, the minimum invited score for most occupations was 85 points — meaning 70+15 to reach 491 or 80+5 to reach 190 — which is not low. Keep in mind that for 189 invitations, these same occupations have consistently been invited at 65 or 70 points year after year, and given that many applicants are likely in other states or offshore, a fair share may already have been invited through another state’s nomination programme or through 189. Even for applicants still waiting, if they sit on a base 70, they can likely wait a bit longer and pick up a 189 at the same score — so they may well decline this 491 invitation.

So in practice this round of pre-invitations won’t actually consume much of WA’s 2025–26 quota.

– This year WA is also going to be all about skilled trades occupations

WA already said last year that construction-trades occupations were its biggest shortage, and this year it has singled them out as a top priority. So as long as you secure a skills assessment and hit at least 65 points on your EOI, an invitation is just a matter of time.If WA wants to keep inviting construction-trades occupations round after round, it will most likely need to keep sourcing candidates from other states or overseas. So for anyone currently in Australia waiting for an invitation, it’s worth considering studying a construction trade — a classic example being carpentry, which we’ve recommended before:Invitations have been stable at 65 points for the past year and a half — even current Business / IT students in Australia can enjoy this “win”! Make full use of your student visa without waiting for graduation!You can also contact us to learn about courses that can serve as alternatives to carpentry, such as wall and floor tiling or joinery.

To date, four states have issued new pre-invitations. They are

NSWAustralia Migration Weekly, Issue 399 | NSW 190 invitation summary updated!

VICVIC runs its first round — Accounting / IT / Civil Engineering / Early Childhood Education all invited!

CanberraCanberra rolls out its first round of the financial year!

NT, TAS and QLD have also issued sporadic invitations to individual applicants in special circumstances.

Tomorrow marks the last week of October — can we finally expect the state nomination quotas to be announced?