Overview of the February 2026 Australian Subclass 189/190/491 FOI Data
Another update on the Subclass 189/190/491 data! Through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request we have obtained the figures up to the end of February 2026 (see the feature image); the original data is shown in Figures 2-3.
Key Changes in Grants and Backlogs Across the Three Main Visas — February 2026
In summary:
Grants for both Subclass 189 and 190 picked up pace, with Subclass 190 granting close to 4k in a single month — a new high for this financial year.
Backlogs fell across all three categories: the Subclass 189 backlog dropped below 10,000, and Subclass 491 fell below 20,000 as expected.
Subclass 189 — Skilled Independent
Grants held at a high level, and the backlog dropped below 10,000.
Subclass 189 grants sped up in February, with 2,011 approved in the month — 147 more than in January. By the end of February the backlog had fallen below 10,000.
As at the end of February, Subclass 189 had used 11,614 places, with 5,286 remaining and a current backlog of 9,922. Based on the roughly 56% acceptance rate from the last round, and given that around 7k of backlog has typically been carried over each financial year recently, this is broadly in line with earlier expectations: Subclass 189 will most likely see one more small round, of around 3-5k.
There was no advance notice of a Subclass 189 invitation round last week, but the MIA has also announced there will be a round in May, so we can expect one within the next 2 weeks.
Processing progress: in February, the cases mainly being worked through were those lodged between September and December 2025. November and December 2025 remain the bulk of the backlog, with 2,631 and 2,566 respectively still awaiting assessment.
New applications lodged in January 2026 have also started to be assessed, with only 819 now left in the backlog.
Subclass 190 — State Nomination
Record single-month grants
In February, Subclass 190 grants jumped straight to nearly 4k — a sharp increase of 445 over January, and the highest single-month grant figure so far this financial year.
Lodgements: new applications in February remained high at 2,592, of which 1,396 were primary applicants.
But because of the high number of grants, the total backlog still fell by 1.3k, with 22,648 now remaining.
Processing progress: for each month between November 2024 and June 2025 there is still a backlog of 1k-2k+, but applications from July to November 2025 have already dropped below a thousand.
Subclass 491 — Regional Sponsorship
The retrieved data shows only 63 grants for the month, but if you take the end-of-January monthly backlog and subtract the end-of-February figure, Subclass 491 processing should actually be 2,650 — above the average monthly processing volume. There are currently 16,246 places remaining, and the total backlog has successfully fallen below 20,000, reaching 19,000. This means that as long as the February-style processing pace of 2,600+ can be maintained through to the end of the financial year, the Subclass 491 inventory will become very healthy.
Analysis and Invitation Outlook
A couple of days ago I wrote that 425,000 PR visas were in the grant pipeline, which is why there have been calls for the Federal Government to increase the quota. At the time I noted that the backlog is concentrated in the family category — with parents being the largest share and partners rising quickly. Meanwhile, the points-based skilled categories keep being pared back, to little effect. This latest data continues to bear that out: the three main categories make up only a small share of the total and have been declining all year. The Budget is handed down tomorrow, and we should be able to see the 2026-27 grant quotas — let us hope the quota for the three main categories at least holds steady.
