In the second week after the holidays, the Department of Home Affairs released the official invitation data from the 18 December 189 round. It also updated, as at 31 December 2023, the actual usage of each state’s nomination quotas！

Actual Usage of Each State’s Nomination Quota

The financial year is halfway through, so a quota usage rate of around 50% is a normal pace. We’ve used that as the cut-off to group the states below.

Plenty of Room Left for the Second Half of the Financial Year —

NSW 190 and 491: NSW 190 still has 1,684 places remaining — 63.55% of the allocation. NSW 190 will definitely run several more invitation rounds; competition is fierce, but if you have work experience and a skilled partner, NSW is still well worth a shot. In the first half of the financial year, NSW favoured construction and engineering disciplines, along with priority occupations in IT, healthcare and education.

491 still has 1,205 places remaining — 80.33% of the allocation — and only one 491 round has been run so far. Invitation numbers were modest, with a heavier share going to marketing specialists. 491 no longer carries an income requirement, so securing a 491 this year remains very attractive.

In short, NSW has become the whole village’s hope for the second half of the year…

Making Do in the Second Half of the Financial Year —

Victoria 190 and 491: Victoria’s remaining quotas look a little more optimistic than expected — 190 still has 978 places remaining.Because Victoria has announced it will wind up its state nomination programme in 2024, we may see 1-3 more invitation rounds, or perhaps a single large round? Victoria 190 invites a diverse mix of occupations: not only the priority occupations in IT, the ‘three treasures’ (education, social work, nursing) and construction, but also popular mainstream fields such as accounting, design, finance and audit — with preference given to applicants with work experience and a skilled partner.

The 491 remaining share is higher, though the absolute number is small — 296 places.

Western Australia 190 and 491: Western Australia has also run several generous rounds, leaving many wondering whether any quota is left. There is! 190 has 587 places remaining and 491 has 430. WA currently has a backlog of pre-invitations yet to be processed, which will also consume some of the allocation. Even so, at least 1-2 more rounds should still be on the cards. In the first half of the financial year, WA issued many invitations to construction disciplines; accounting and IT received invitations too, but required a strong competitive profile.

Queensland 190 and 491：43.89% of the 190 quota and 59.38% of the 491 quota remain. That’s slightly ahead of pace. Queensland said early on that it would run small monthly rounds to stretch invitations through to the end of the financial year, so quota is available, but big surprises in the invitation rounds are unlikely. High-scoring STEM professionals tend to be Queensland’s preferred cohort.

South Australia 491: Compared with 190, the South Australia 491 offers more opportunities, and the 491 stream is more favourable to offshore applicants.

Tasmania 190 and 491: Tasmania continues to issue invitations at a steady pace, and regularly updates quota usage (Tasmania published its own quota usage on 2 January, which broadly matches the Department of Home Affairs figures — confirming that the Department’s data is accurate and up to date). There are still opportunities in the second half of the financial year, especially for the 491.

Lean Times for the Second Half of the Financial Year —

Canberra (ACT) 190 and 491: 190 has only 24.33% and 491 only 32.17% remaining — both are seriously overdrawn. The ACT government has indicated the next round will be in February, so from here on every invitation counts.

Northern Territory 190 and 491: Both have already closed to new applications.

South Australia 190: 190 has 24.55% remaining. South Australia quietly burns through invitations, having already issued 830 formal nominations without much fanfare.

Thanks to the Department of Home Affairs for releasing detailed data right at the start of 2024. It looks like the second half of the financial year will keep everyone busy, and at the very least applicants can read the situation clearly and see a real chance of being invited.

As we always say, Australian migration comes in waves — good times and bad. We’re not in an easy invitation window right now, but without a completed skills assessment and an English test result, you can never lodge an EOI. Without lodging, you will never be invited — and all the good and bad news becomes irrelevant to you.So get everything you can out of the way first — being in the pool is the only way to have a chance!

If you need assistance, contact one of our consultants listed below!

Official Data from the 189 Round on 18 December

8,300 Subclass 189 invitations were issued, along with 79 Subclass 491 family-sponsored invitations.

Invitations went exclusively to healthcare and ‘three treasures’ (education, social work, nursing) occupations, although this official report did not break out onshore versus offshore results separately. Key occupations of interest include:

Early Childhood Teacher — 65 points

General Practitioner — 65 points

Midwife — 65 points

Occupational Therapist — 65 points

Registered Nurse (multiple specialisations) — all at 65 points

Secondary School Teacher — 65 points

Social Worker — 65 points

This 189 round will clear a batch of ‘three treasures’ and healthcare applicants, which effectively frees up more room for state nomination.. That said, we suspect a sizeable share of these 189 invitations will be ‘dead invitations’ — applicants who lodged multiple EOIs where another EOI was already invited and granted long ago, leaving the remaining EOIs still spinning in the pool…So once you’ve been invited, please withdraw your other EOIs and leave some room for everyone else!

Past Articles Worth Revisiting

2024 Is the ‘Golden Age’ for This Work Migration Visa! Core Questions You Need to Know!

Multiple Early-2023 190 and 491 Grants; 189 Continues to Clear December 2022!

Skills Assessment Without an English Test or Work Experience After Graduation, Invited at 65 Points — a Hidden-Gem Study-and-Migration Major!

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Reply 0000 → Read the 16 November policy update (491 + skilled-migration points)

State Nomination Remaining Quotas Update: NSW Still Has 2,889 Places, 491 80% Remaining! 189 Issued 8,300 Invitations Late Last Year, Many Occupations at the 65-Point Floor!

2024 Is the ‘Golden Age’ for This Work Migration Visa! Core Questions You Need to Know!

Multiple Early-2023 190 and 491 Grants; 189 Continues to Clear December 2022!

Skills Assessment Without an English Test or Work Experience After Graduation, Invited at 65 Points — a Hidden-Gem Study-and-Migration Major!

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