As October begins, there is finally some news on Australian skilled migration and state nomination invitations.
The Department of Home Affairs had expected to issue the next round of Subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa invitations on or before 30 September, but none had appeared by the last day of September. After a wait of almost three months, the department updated its information on the morning of 1 October, postponing the next Subclass 189 round to on or before 31 October. Its website still uses the familiar wording “is expected to”.
Three months into the financial year, progress on state nomination and Subclass 189 invitations remains relatively limited overall. As October begins, the main question is whether this Subclass 189 round will go ahead by the end of the month as scheduled.
Canberra announces the first state nomination round of the new financial year
On the last day of September, Canberra also announced its state nomination invitation plans for the new financial year.
The first announced round will take place in the week beginning 12 October, and will invite only Subclass 190 applicants.
Subsequent rounds are provisionally scheduled for the weeks beginning 25 January, 22 March and 24 May.
Based on its invitation pattern in the 2025–26 financial year, Canberra usually issues invitations on the Thursday and Friday of the relevant week.
The schedule announced so far suggests that ACT state nomination rounds are provisionally planned about every two months in the new financial year. However, the ACT Government explicitly told agents that it had still not received its final allocation for this financial year when it announced the schedule.
As the final allocation has not yet been confirmed, the announced invitation dates may still be adjusted once the final allocation is determined.
The ACT also provided an update on its new Portal system. Overall, the launch has gone relatively smoothly. The government is actively gathering feedback and says it will continue to improve the system in response, while encouraging agents to keep sharing their views.
Why is state nomination progressing so differently this year?
In previous financial years, states would usually receive an interim allocation before federal allocations were fully confirmed, allowing them to begin their state nomination programmes for the new financial year in turn.
This year is different. Some states have begun moving ahead, while others have yet to announce a clear invitation schedule.
Tasmania currently remains one of the most consistently operating state nomination programmes, and Canberra has also announced its plans in advance. Western Australia has already issued its first invitations of the new financial year, although the information released so far remains limited.
For applicants, the priority now is to watch for each state’s final allocation and official invitation schedule. Announced dates can serve as a guide, but specific invitation dates may still change before final allocations are confirmed.
Tasmania continues issuing invitations as the Subclass 190 minimum falls to 331 points
Tasmania’s state nomination programme is continuing at its usual pace.
Tasmania issued more invitations this Thursday: 38 for Subclass 190, comprising seven Gold applicants and 31 Green applicants. The lowest invitation score fell further, from 352 points the previous week to 331 points.
This round also issued 34 Subclass 491 invitations, with a lowest invitation score of 71 points, down from 72 points the previous week.
One of our clients also received a Subclass 190 pre-invitation through the Established Resident pathway this week.
The Tasmanian Government previously indicated that it would gradually increase Subclass 190 invitations, including more invitations for Green applicants. Meanwhile, the number of applications awaiting assessment has also risen.
Tasmania currently has 62 Subclass 190 applications and 51 Subclass 491 applications awaiting assessment. Processing has reached nomination applications lodged on 21 September. Approximately 979 Subclass 190 places and 704 Subclass 491 places remain.
Keep watching state nomination and Subclass 189 invitations in October
As the new month begins, some uncertainty remains around Australian skilled migration invitations.
For Subclass 189, the Department of Home Affairs has postponed the next invitation round to on or before 31 October. The ACT has announced its first state nomination round of the new financial year, but its final allocation remains unconfirmed. Tasmania continues to issue invitations at a relatively steady pace, with its lowest Subclass 190 invitation score falling further.
If you are waiting for an invitation or preparing to apply for state nomination, we recommend getting your skills assessment, English results, EOI and state nomination documents ready in advance so you can apply promptly when invitations open.
A particular point to bear in mind is that, although Tasmania and the ACT currently have relatively active state nomination programmes, both have detailed application rules and document requirements, and have continued to update their application guidelines in recent years. If you are unfamiliar with state nomination requirements, we do not recommend lodging a DIY application without first gaining a thorough understanding of the rules.
As October begins, we hope this financial year’s state nomination allocations and Subclass 189 invitations will gradually become clearer. We will continue to follow state invitation rounds and the department’s latest Subclass 189 invitation developments.
