Insights
WA issued 1,800 state nomination invitations in December 2025, all to local applicants, with priority given to General Sch2. Applicants must provide evidence of at least 3 months’ residence before invitation; nomination may be refused if they have not completed that period.
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By November 2025, two Subclass 189 rounds had issued 17,000 invitations, exceeding the annual quota of 16,900. Nursing, social work and secondary teaching reached 75 points; early childhood teaching remained at 85. Accountants, auditors and IT occupations received no invitations.
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If you are in Australia without a valid visa, an onshore partner visa application involves a Schedule 3 waiver. Lodging Subclass 820 without a substantive visa generally brings a BVC without work rights. Clients have secured waivers, full-time work rights and Subclass 820 grants.
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By midday on 3 December 2025, almost all observed Victorian invitees had work backgrounds. Onshore early childhood teachers had highly paid jobs, while offshore early childhood teachers claimed work-experience points. Many onshore applicants with high scores but no jobs had received no news.
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NSW Subclass 491 Pathways 1 and 3 open on 19 January 2026, with complete documentation required. By December 2025, 25% of Subclass 190 places had been used, about 525, leaving around 1,575. No pre-invitations will be issued in December 2025.
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NSW Subclass 491 pathways 1 and 3 open on 19 January 2026; pathway 2 invitations are expected from April 2026 at the earliest. WA requires 3 months’ residence, generally continuous. Invited applicants who submit documents without meeting the residency conditions will still be refused.
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Applying for SA or NT state nomination? SA will hold separate monthly invitation rounds for onshore and offshore applicants. Processing for the NT offshore Subclass 491 Priority Occupation Stream may start as early as the first quarter of 2026, or in the second quarter of 2026.
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For NT491, watch the occupation list and when you lodge: around 15 occupations were removed, but applications lodged before an occupation’s removal will still be assessed against the old list. NT has not ruled out further changes; applicants whose occupations remain listed should lodge promptly.
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For the Northern Territory offshore Subclass 491 general stream in 2025, you need two years’ relevant post-qualification experience within five years, a skills assessment, four English scores of 6 and 50 points of your own (EOI: 50+15). Pay on lodgement; the fee is non-refundable regardless of invitation.
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For Victorian state nomination, consider employment and allocation changes: observed invitees within Victoria all had relevant work, while the few offshore invitees all had work experience points. The overall allocation fell by more than 30%, and the Subclass 491 allocation was cut by 65%.
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