1. Latest Skilled Migration grant data — state nomination grants continue to spread

We received the latest live visa processing data for three major categories up to the end of November this week.

189:New lodgements increased by 3,694,meaning there were 2,552 primary applicant lodgements by the end of November. The approximate acceptance rate for the November round was around 25%

although the number of grants increased by more than 1,400, the newly lodged applications were too numerous, so the backlog broke through 10,000 — exceeding 11,000 in total.189 is still processed by lodgement date. In January, DoHA was mainly processing applications lodged in December 2024 and August 2025.

190:New lodgements exceeded 1,000, 588 more than October, but still short of the expected numbers.Grant pace stayed above 3,000, slightly less than October. The backlog decreased by more than 2,000.

November 190 processing spread out even further,covering lodgements from June 2023 through October 2024, ranging from a few dozen to more than 300 per month. The highest-volume month processed was December 2023 with 325 applications. The remaining pending cases for each month of FY23-24 are now fairly low — all below 400.

491:New lodgements grew by more than 700, around 200 more than October. Grants compared to October increased by more than 600, reaching over 2,700. The backlog further dropped to under 24,000.

491 is likewise not strictly processed by date. DoHA is mainly working on FY23-24 lodgements; applications lodged in late July 2023 dropped by 581. Pending cases per month in FY23-24 sit slightly higher than 190 — ranging from just over 200 to more than 800. But 491’s FY24-25 per-month backlog is actually lower than 190’s.

For more detailed data and analysis, see:Latest Skilled Migration visa data! 190 and 491 grants keep accelerating, backlogs continue to fall, 189 backlog breaks 10,000!

2. NSW 491 P1&P3 closed less than a day after opening

NSW 491 direct-application nomination Pathway 1 and Pathway 3 opened on Monday the 19th and, by that afternoon, filled up and were declared closed.Pathway 1 is the work pathway with no restriction on nominated occupations; Pathway 3 is the NSW regional university graduate pathway, where the occupation must appear on the NSW 491 list.

At the earlier information session, the state government said it would monitor lodgement numbers in real time after opening, and would close the application window once volumes grew too high. Last financial year also closed early, but no one expected this year to fill up within a single day — which shows just how competitive every NSW pathway has become.

The state government again reminded applicants that processing for these two pathways will take longer, potentially exceeding the standard six weeks; we have seen the graduate pathway already producing some approvals.

NSW 491 has 1,500 places this year in total. Halfway through the financial year, 330 have been used.Pathway 2 is the pre-invitation pathway, with no work-experience requirement; both onshore and offshore applicants can apply, and the occupation must appear on the NSW 491 list. Lower-points teachers and engineering occupations offshore may want to consider it.This pathway is lodged through the EOI system and remains open year-round, though its priority is lower than Pathways 1 and 3.The state government previously said it may issue one round, at most two rounds, of invitations toward the end of the financial year, depending on how many places Pathways 1 and 3 leave behind. At present, places look fairly tight.

3. Tasmania issues invitations weekly as scheduled; Northern Territory processing speed update

Tasmaniaissued invitations on Thursday as scheduled. We had one client receive a 491 invitation through the graduate pathway.

This round was again dominated by the orange pathway,with 35 190 invitations issued (lowest score 54) and 25 491 invitations (lowest score 31).

The pool currently holds 449 190 and 198 491 ROIs awaiting invitation, with 744+504 formal nomination places remaining and 365 invited ROIs still awaiting processing.Processing has reached applications lodged on 28 November 2025.

4. Perth to be removed from the regional list? The full story!

This week, rumours that “Perth will be stripped of regional status” have been circulating widely.The broader context is that the government has been discussing regional reforms for some time.Previous discussions focused heavily on points-system adjustments; changes to the definition of regional areas have in fact also been ongoing.

The earliest link between regional reform and Perth came in an early-October press release from the WA Premier. The main message was opposition to the federal government’s state-nomination quota cuts, but the final paragraphs notedthat the Commonwealth is pushing ahead with regional reform, and if that reform affects WA’s ability to attract labour — including removing Perth’s regional status, or points-system changes that reduce Perth applicants’ competitiveness — WA opposes all of it.So at least by that point, internal discussions were already underway, or a preliminary draft opinion had already mentioned it.

Following that, a senior Perth-based MARA agent revealed in late December 2025 that the federal government would receive relatively complete points-system and regional-reform recommendations in early 2026.Now in January, they have suddenly stepped up their advocacy for Perth. It is likely that the final decision on whether Perth will be removed will appear in that report; at the very least, in the current draft of the report or the submissions, the outlook for Perth’s regional status is not favourable.

If Perth were to be removed, it would affect regional-study bonus points for Perth graduates, Perth employer-sponsored regional 494 visas, and future 491/494 holders would no longer be able to satisfy the requirements in Perth to transition to the 191. For details, see:“Perth to be removed from the regional list” — full story | Who may be affected and how to respond? 491 holders, watch out for where you live!

Holders of the 485 in Perth can contact us now to apply for the second-stage visa — no need to wait until the first-stage visa is about to expire before applying.