This week — key
Australian migration news
1. 189 invitations arrive as expected — Nursing / Secondary-teaching / Social workers at 75; Early-childhood teachers at 85 still not cleared
2. Latest 191 grant data — over 10,000 granted in two months
3. NT increases its quota — all channels open from 24 November
5. Home Affairs updates visa processing times — skilled categories finally speeding up
4. This week’s grants, invitations and skills-assessment success stories
1. 189 invitations arrive as expected — Nursing / Secondary-teaching / Social workers at 75; Early-childhood teachers at 85 still not cleared
189 issued its second invitation round of the financial year this week
– This round is visibly larger in volume than the August round, and the range of occupations invited is broader
– This round, Early-childhood teachers had a large cohort at 85 points cleared, but not entirely — processing roughly reached the end of August. Clients of ours who lodged later did not receive invitations. Referring back to our earlier data, as at the end of August there were 200+ early-childhood teachers on 85+ points, meaning this round likely issued around 200+ early-childhood-teacher invitations, whereas at the end of October there were 750+ on 85+ points. Accordingly, even reaching 85 points in early-childhood teaching now requires preparation for a substantial wait, given the current issuance rate
–Secondary teachers / Social workers received more invitations this round — noticeably more than last round. The backlog in these two occupations is not large, so this round we saw invitations down to 75 points, though the 75-point band is not fully cleared
–Nursing received a large volume of invitations, and not only NEC. We have clients invited at 75 points with a DOE of March 2025.Given the sizeable Nursing backlog and the rapid clearing down to 75 points, Nursing is very likely the single occupation with the most invitations this round.
–Engineering occupations were issued selectively — a handful of high-point invitations were made across the engineering disciplines: Chemical, Mining, and Materials all appeared; a Civil Engineer was invited at 100 points (we have not been able to fully verify this); Civil Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians were both invited at 85 points, and Construction Project Managers also at 85.
–Trade occupations picked up invitations across various occupations, all at 65–75 points. Once the official report is published, we expect it will again be uniformly 65-point invitations.
– A notable surprise compared with the previous round: some less common occupations also received invitations, including Food Technologists, Solicitors, and Management Consultants. In IT, so far we have only seen Multimedia Specialists, all at around 90 points.
–Popular streams such as Accounting and IT have not had invitations this round.
For the updated 189 invitation report, see:
If you have received a 189 invitation and need lodgement advice or assistance, please contact our consultants below.
2. Latest 191 grant data — over 10,000 granted in July and August
At an October hearing, senators questioned why 191 processing had been so slow and why Home Affairs had not prepared in advance. Home Affairs representatives responded on record:
– Budget and staffing are finite. Even though it was foreseeable that 191 applications would surge from FY23–24 (because the 491 visa commenced in late 2019 and holders began becoming eligible to transition from late 2022), resources cannot be expanded indefinitely — they can only be re-allocated across categories.
– The good news: 10,353 grants were made in July and August, against 5,347 new lodgements during the same period, so the 191 backlog fell from around 16,000 at end-June to around 13,000 at end-August.
– Home Affairs cannot publish this financial year’s 191 grant target, but conceded 191 may be prioritised.
191 opened the first — and so far only — “grant shower” of FY25–26. At that point the PR grant quota had not yet been settled, so 189 and similar categories could not be processed at scale; 191, being quota-exempt, was granted heavily across those two months, jumping from its earlier slow crawl at April 2024 to processing applications all the way through to July 2025. Processing volume has eased since August, but grants have not stalled. 191 is still running on a dual track, with grants continuing for recent 2024 and 2025 lodgements alike.
If you hold a 491 or 494 visa and are roughly three months from meeting the 191 requirements, please contact our consultants below for advice.Skilled migration grants begin the new financial year — the first grant shower is opened by 191! The top 10 questions on transitioning 491 to PR — prepare ahead!
3. NT increases its quota — applications open on 24 November
On Thursday the NT Government released a press statement confirming it has received this year’s full allocation, and will open all application channels — onshore and offshore — from the 24th.The standard offshore 491 channel requirements are unchanged: still 2 years of relevant experience, English at four 6s, and an EOI of at least 65 points. The occupation list is still under review and this year’s list has not yet been published.
The state government website has not announced the full quota figures, but the state minister’s media release, and the subsequent notice from the MIA (Migration Institute of Australia), both confirmed 850 for 190 and 800 for 491 — 50 more 190 places than last year.The minister’s release also stated: “The Northern Territory is one of few jurisdictions to receive an increase.” That is — NT is one of only a few states or territories to receive a quota increase — which implies other states likely received larger allocations as well. Aside from QLD, which is very likely, WA / VIC / SA are still to publish their numbers — hopefully these states will also deliver some good news.
4. Home Affairs updates visa processing times — skilled categories finally speeding up
Home Affairs released its latest visa processing-time reference in early November
189
50% waiting 9 months, 1 month slower
90% taking 10 months, 1 month slower
190
50% taking 19 months, 2 months faster
90% taking 26 months, 1 month slower
491
50% taking 20 months, 2 months faster
90% taking 27 months, 1 month slower
491 to 191
50% taking 7 months, 1 month faster
90% taking 14 months, unchanged
887
50% taking 10 months, 7 months slower
90% taking 18 months, 1 month slower
189 is processed strictly in lodgement order: processing is currently focused on applications lodged in December 2024, November is mostly cleared, and a small number from the August 2025 invitation batch have already been granted.
190 grant volume has picked up noticeably of late; most are 2024 lodgements, with some from the second half of 2023.491 grants are running at a lower volume than 190.
Recent 191 grant volume feels lukewarm — not stalled but not in a steady surge either, with occasional concentrated grant showers. The dual-track pattern continues, with grants for both late-2024 and early-2025 lodgements visible. 887 is not as slow as the official figures suggest — most of our clients see grants within 3–4 months.
For other categories’ processing times, see:Home Affairs updates November visa processing times | 190 / 491 / 191 finally speeding up! Parent visa 143 requests for information reach end of June 2018!
This week — grants, invitations and skills assessments
StateSponsorship
An onshore NT 190 nomination was formally received this week, with invitation date in the previous financial year
Visa grants
189 Independent Skilled Migration
2025-8-15 lodged onshore, 2025-11-12 granted, HK stream
190 State-Nominated
Lodged 30 Oct 2023, 190 granted 11 Nov 2025
10 Oct 2024 Lodged onshoreACT 190, 12 Nov 2025 granted–Graphic Designer
2023-10-20 lodged, 2025-11-10 granted (lodged onshore, with spouse, Chef – 351311，60+5 points)
2023-9-26 lodged, 2025-11-11 granted (lodged onshore, with spouse, Accountant (General) – 221111，65+5 points)
491 Skilled Work Regional (State-Nominated)
Lodged 21 Jul 2023, 491 granted 14 Nov 2025
03 May 2024 Lodged onshoreACT 491, 11 Nov 2025 granted–Accountant (General)
Submitted on 10/1/2024, Granted on 13/11/2025. Private Tutors and Teachers nec
191 / 887 Regional Permanent Residence
None this week
Employer-Sponsored
2025-11-12 lodged, 2025-11-12 nomination approved, IT occupation
Investor visa / GTI visa
None this week
Partner migration
Lodged 20 Oct 2023, 820+801 granted 10 Nov 2025
Lodged 8 May 2024, 820 granted 11 Nov 2025
2023-12-9 lodged, 2025-11-13 granted, subclass 820
2023-1-13 lodged, 2023-4-11820 granted, 2025-11-14801 granted, subclass 801
Parent visas
Lodged 25 May 2018, 143 granted 10 Nov 2025
2018-5-28 lodged, 2025-9-24 — received AOS RFI letter, 2025-11-7 — received contribution payment notice, 2025-11-10 granted
2018-5-11 lodged, 2025-9-9 — received AOS RFI letter, 2025-11-3 — received contribution payment notice, 2025-11-12 granted
2018-6-1 lodged, 2025-10-6 — received AOS RFI letter, 2025-11-11 — received contribution payment notice, 2025-11-13 granted
155 Resident Return Visa
2025-10-16 lodged, 2025-11-14 granted
500 Student visa
Multiple applications lodged around 15 Oct 2025, granted this week
2025-6-11 lodged, 2025-11-10 granted
Submitted on 10/10/2025, Granted on 10/11/2025
600 Visitor visa
2025-10-13 lodged, 2025-11-10 granted
2025-10-27 lodged, 2025-11-10 granted
2025-10-21 lodged, 2025-11-11 granted
2025-10-21 lodged, 2025-11-12 granted
2025-11-4 lodged, 2025-11-13 granted
485 Temporary Graduate visa
2025-9-24 lodged, 2025-11-11 granted
2025-11-7 lodged, 2025-11-11 granted
Skills assessments
ACS
Lodged 29 Oct 2025, ACS skills assessment approved 11 Nov 2025
AIQSSkills assessment application (Quantity Surveying）
2025-9-24 lodged, 2025-11-12 — result issued
NewStars Group introduction video
(filmed in 2021)
189 invitations issued on the 13th! NSW / Canberra / TAS full quotas revealed; QLD / WA announce upcoming invitations!
Offshore visa refused with PIC 4020 and no appeal rights! How we won the visa back through four rounds of review / appeal
Latest NSW 190 full invitation data; TAS issued 100; 491 hits the Orange category!
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No. 01- Australia’s most popular skilled migration pathways: 189, 190, 491
No. 02- Work-to-migration one-stop employer sponsorship: 482, 186, 494
No. 03- Study first, migrate later — course and specialisation recommendations
No. 04- High school / Gaokao / undergraduate study-abroad pathways
No. 05- Essential for international-student migration: 485 Temporary Graduate visa
No. 06- Arrange immediately after PR: parent migration and visas
No. 07- Master of Marriage — partner migration
No. 08- Pivoting to Hong Kong — the QMAS and Top Talent Pass schemes
No. 09- A must for parents / relatives / friends visiting — the 600 visitor visa
No. 10- Weekly-updated grant / invitation / skills-assessment success stories
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