2026 Australia Subclass 189: the complete table of remaining allocations by occupation for the financial year
Many people have asked us how many places are left for their occupation this year — or whether any remain at all.
We have done the calculations. The popular occupations are in the lead image, and the full occupation list is in Figures 2–3.
- The November round figures come from internal departmental documents obtained through a records request.
- The August round figures come from the number of EOIs in each occupation group with an invited status in EOI data at the end of August.
Sources and margins of error in the Australian Subclass 189 allocation figures
Both datasets come from the Department, but there will still be some discrepancies:
- First, the planned number of invitations for each occupation in the November round does not necessarily equal the number actually issued.
- Second, a small proportion of people invited in August lodged their visa applications before the end of August, changing their status from invited to submitted. For some less popular occupations with very few invitations, the EOI data may therefore not match the official August invitation report.
- Third, a few occupations have total allocations of fewer than 500 places, which we have counted as 100. Some occupations received fewer than 20 invitations, which we have counted as 10.
The figures are therefore for reference only. The remaining numbers are in the final blue column.
Forecasts for Australian Subclass 189 invitation scores by occupation
Here is a closer look alongside the EOI data at the end of January (Figures 4–5).
- Early childhood teachers have fewer than 200 places left. With that number, scores will certainly be 85 points or more for the financial year, and even many people on 85 points will miss out on an invitation. Competition really is intense for early childhood teachers. We still encourage those with high scores to consider state nomination, especially following recent Western Australian Subclass 190 invitations for early childhood teachers on 75+5 points. If you can act, do so soon!
- Secondary school teachers have 2,200+ places left, while the entire backlog of secondary school teachers in the pool is below 2,200+. Allocation limits still apply, of course. The previous round invited secondary school teachers on 75 points, and their prospects look quite steady at present!
- Social workers have 300+ places left, and those on 75 points or more are likely to have a chance of an invitation.
- Nurses have 5,800+ places left. If the allocation ceiling alone were followed, 70 points could be possible. However, this also depends on the overall Subclass 189 allocation for the financial year. An optimistic view would be only 3,000–5,000 invitations in the next round, so we estimate that those on 75 points or more still have some hope.
Some occupation groups received invitations above their allocations:
- Civil engineering draftspersons/technicians
- Chemical and materials engineering
- Painters
- University lecturers
- Life sciences
- Carpenters (the largest excess, at 725 invitations above the allocation)
Occupations belong to the same group if the first four digits of their ANZSCO codes match. If you are unsure, check your skills assessment letter or search Google for your occupation name and “ANZ”.
To reiterate, the Department has discretion. An allocation is the theoretical maximum number of invitations that can be issued, and it will not necessarily be filled. The overall allocation for each round and the applicants in the pool also affect invitations.
There should be one more Subclass 189 invitation round in the financial year, but numbers will not be large. Occupations with substantial remaining allocations can still look forward to it. If your occupation has few places left and your visa is close to expiring, consider a Plan B as soon as possible!
