According to Australian Department of Home Affairs data we obtained, the application and processing position across the entire financial year for four skilled migration visa categories—Subclass 189, 190, 491 and 191—can be seen as at the end of June 2026.
The current data reveals several clear features of skilled migration processing in the 2025–26 financial year: the Subclass 189 and 190 allocations have essentially been exhausted; the Subclass 190 and 491 visa backlogs have continued to fall; and whether a substantial portion of the Subclass 491 allocation went unused still requires confirmation in the final official data.
Subclass 189 backlog grows by more than 5,000, but the short-term rise does not mean processing pressure is out of control
By the end of June, the Subclass 189 visa backlog had increased by approximately 5,386 applications, while only about 77 visas were granted over the same period. When applications generated by the new Subclass 189 invitation round on 4 June are taken into account, it can be inferred that the round produced a large number of new visa applications.
Using the historical acceptance rate of approximately 55%–65% for Subclass 189 invitations as an estimate, actual visa applications resulting from the 4 June invitation round may continue to arrive. A further short-term increase in the Subclass 189 backlog would therefore not be surprising.
However, this does not mean the Subclass 189 backlog will continue rising indefinitely. Onshore applicants make up a relatively high proportion of Subclass 189 applicants, and with processing continuing through July and August, the Department is expected to remain capable of controlling the overall backlog.
At the same time, when the Department decided to issue another round of Subclass 189 invitations in early June, it had already considered the 2026–27 financial-year allocation and the existing backlog. The short-term rise in the backlog after this invitation round was therefore largely within the Department’s expectations.
Subclass 190 backlog falls to a nearly three-year low, with the allocation broadly able to cover current applications
Compared with Subclass 189, processing of Subclass 190 visas has been more stable this financial year.
Apart from the period early in the financial year when the allocation had not yet been fully determined, more than 3,000 Subclass 190 visas were granted in most months. Sustained processing has also reduced the Subclass 190 backlog further, bringing it back to approximately 24,000 applications—about half the peak level reached in the 2022–23 financial year.
Subclass 190 currently has an allocation of approximately 35,500 places. Based on the existing backlog, most Subclass 190 applications awaiting processing have a chance of being covered by the current financial-year allocation.
For onshore Subclass 190 applicants, processing may continue to accelerate as the backlog falls further. Processing for offshore applicants will still depend on whether the Department resumes offshore visa grants on a larger scale.
Did part of the Subclass 491 allocation go unused again? Official data is still needed
Subclass 491 is one of the more noteworthy categories in this financial year’s data.
Following the adjustment to the Regional category allocation, Subclass 491 theoretically received approximately 28,000 places. However, the FOI data currently available suggests that around 4,800 Subclass 491 places may still have gone unused this financial year.
This figure should, however, be treated with caution.
FOI data for the 2024–25 financial year likewise appeared to show that approximately 4,000 Subclass 491 places had gone unused. Yet official annual data released later showed that more than 28,000 Subclass 491 visas and approximately 4,400 Subclass 494 visas were ultimately granted. Until the final official report is released, it therefore cannot simply be concluded that a large portion of the Subclass 491 allocation has in fact been wasted.
Whatever the final data shows, the reduction in the Subclass 491 backlog this financial year has been relatively encouraging. By the end of June, the backlog had fallen to more than 21,000 applications, its lowest level in the past four financial years, after previously peaking at nearly 47,000.
The Regional category currently has an allocation of approximately 14,110 places, part of which must be used by Subclass 494. The number actually available to Subclass 491 may therefore be around 9,000–10,000. Based on the current backlog, one financial year’s allocation alone will still not be enough to clear all existing applications.
The processing outlook for onshore Subclass 491 applicants is therefore relatively more positive, and some applications may continue to be processed this financial year. Offshore Subclass 491 applicants, however, may still face longer waits.
Subclass 191: substantial annual grant numbers, but a marked year-on-year backlog increase
The Subclass 191 data presents two quite distinct sides.
Looking at June alone, almost no Subclass 191 visas were granted; official data shows fewer than five grants that month. However, new Subclass 191 applications also did not rise sharply in June as they had in previous years, with approximately 1,000 new applications lodged that month.
As a result, despite the very limited number of grants, the Subclass 191 backlog increased by only about 1,008 applications.
The picture is somewhat more positive when the entire financial year is considered. Approximately 20,000 Subclass 191 visas were granted in the 2025–26 financial year, which is not a low overall figure.
On the other hand, by the end of June the Subclass 191 backlog had increased by approximately 10,000 applications compared with the 2024–25 financial year. This indicates that, despite the substantial number of grants over the year, a gap remains between new applications and processing.
Processing of Subclass 191 visas has currently advanced to around the end of February 2026. Some applications lodged in January 2026 and at the end of 2025 are also being processed progressively.
Will processing resume for offshore skilled migration and family visas?
One question we have received frequently recently is whether offshore skilled migration and family visas will remain unprocessed for the entire financial year.
The Department of Home Affairs currently says that some offshore applications are not progressing normally for the time being. However, the government has recognised that a prolonged suspension in processing would have a clear effect on applicants’ waiting times and has said it will continue monitoring the situation and reporting it to senior officials.
A more accurate understanding at present is therefore: offshore applications currently have a lower processing priority, but that does not mean processing will stop completely for the entire financial year.
Looking at the overall allocation, offshore applications theoretically still correspond to a large number of permanent migration places. Compelling-circumstances cases and a small number of highly skilled applicants alone would also be unlikely to use all these places.
It therefore remains worth watching whether offshore visa grants will progressively return to a more normal scale as the financial year advances.
Signals from skilled migration processing in the 2025–26 financial year
Taken together, the data available to the end of June 2026 shows that Australia is continuing to clear its skilled migration backlogs. Subclass 190 and 491 backlogs are now well below their peaks of previous years, while the Subclass 189 backlog has rebounded in the short term following a new invitation round.
From an applicant’s perspective, the overall processing environment is currently clearly more favourable for onshore applicants than for offshore applicants. In particular, as the Department places further emphasis on prioritising onshore applications, applicants who are already studying and working in Australia and meet the visa requirements continue to have a degree of processing advantage.
Whether approximately 4,800 Subclass 491 places really went unused, and whether offshore skilled migration processing will return to a more normal scale in the middle or later part of the financial year, will still require subsequent official data and further policy signals from the Department.
