Insights
If Perth loses its regional status, graduate work visas, Regional points for applicants yet to receive an invitation, and employer sponsorship options would be affected. Where Subclass 491 and 494 holders can live to meet Subclass 191 requirements depends on the regional definition at visa grant.
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VIC’s first 2026 round covered more non-priority occupations and mainly issued 190 invitations. NSW issued fewer invitations and continued to focus on priority occupations, with systems analysts requiring 105+5 points. The two states differed in their invitation priorities.
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Follow South Australian state nomination and visa processing: South Australia issued around 300 invitations on 5 January 2026. Almost all IT invitations were for Subclass 491, with only 1 for Subclass 190. Recent processing patterns differ across skilled, parent, employer-sponsored and student visas.
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When planning Australian migration, consider the application and grant patterns for 2024–25: India led skilled migration, while mainland Chinese family migration exceeded skilled migration. The report covers only categories subject to allocations, excluding Subclasses 191, 888, 801 and 100.
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When arranging visa matters over Christmas 2025, note that the parent migration team pauses processing and grants from 25 December 2025 to 1 January 2026. Tasmania still accepts ROI and formal nomination applications during its holiday closure, but pauses processing and nomination invitations.
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Following skilled migration points reform and state nomination planning? Iscah says points-test and regional reform proposals will go to the government in early 2026. The multi-year state nomination plan has stalled, as the federal government still wants flexibility over annual invitation quotas.
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A Hong Kong passport holder’s student visa was refused after they were not promptly notified about a medical examination. Having graduated, they needed a new course to remain enrolled. Following a successful appeal restoring Subclass 500, their Subclass 485 application received a five-year grant that day.
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By the end of October 2025, Subclass 190 and 491 processing had accelerated, with backlogs just over 28,000 and under 26,000 respectively. Subclass 191 recorded 12,369 grants in the first four months of the 2025–26 financial year, but fewer than 1,000 grants in October 2025.
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Assess Subclass 189 prospects using Australian workforce size, tier ceilings and the previous year’s Subclass 186/190/491 PR numbers. Higher tiers and larger workforces are favourable, but allocations are ceilings; actual invitation numbers still depend on the plan for each round.
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To assess Subclass 189 prospects, consider Iscah’s calculation, reportedly from the Department: Australian workforce size, priority tier and previous-year Subclass 186/190/491 numbers together affect the ceiling. There is no guarantee that the calculated number of invitations will be issued.
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