NSW 491 opening dates: 2026 pathway schedule - Newstars Education & Migration

When will NSW Subclass 491 pathways 1, 2 and 3 open or issue invitations?

NSW Subclass 491 pathways 1 and 3 will open on 19 January 2026, with processing starting immediately. Pathway 2 has lower priority, with invitations expected from April 2026 at the earliest. There may be only 1 round, with a maximum of 2.

WA officials recommend waiting at least 3 months after moving before submitting an EOI. Residence should generally be continuous, and applicants who are invited and submit documents without meeting residency conditions will still be refused.

Today we bring you the news from NSW and WA — two of the states with the largest allocations this year. For a recap of Day 1-3, see below

Day 1 VIC & QLDState Nomination Briefing | QLD to ramp up invitations from January; VIC unveils three overseas 491 priorities; NSW issues more invitations!

Day 2 TAS & ACTState Nomination Briefing Day 2 | ACT expected to issue invitations in December, one round per month! TAS invited today — lowest 190 score 36 points (orange)!

Day 3 SA & NTState Nomination Briefing Day 3 | NT continues to invite based on “commitment”, not points! SA to issue onshore invitations monthly, with priority sectors receiving more 190 offers!

NSW

NSW has finalised its five-year plan, so the overall direction for 2024-2028 is as shown below

The ten most-invited occupations in FY 2024-25 — state officials expect the mix to remain similar over the next few years.If applicant numbers are sufficient, we may see more blue-collar trade occupations invited going forward

Ten occupations with the most NSW invitations in 2024–25

–The 190 program plans to issue one round of invitations per month, with 375 formal nominations released each month,but the acceptance rate is influenced by many factors, so the actual number of pre-invitations issued will certainly exceed 375 — this is likely why NSW has previously run more than one round per month

–491Pathway 1 and Pathway 3will open for applications on 19 January, and processing will begin immediately once open. Processing times are expected to exceed the standard six-week timeframe. The state government will monitor Pathway 1 and Pathway 3 application volumes in real time, and will close the pathway once it is assessed as likely to reach capacity

–491Pathway 2’s priority is lower than Pathways 1 and 3, so invitations are not expected to start until April at the earliest — likely just one round, or at most two

NSW Subclass 491 pathway opening and invitation arrangements

– NSW does not give particular priority to onshore or offshore applicants; it is committed to selecting the right skill, with occupation remaining the priority. NSW needs people to build houses, so blue-collar tradespeople

NIV section —

NSW has issued 5 NIV invitations to date,Each NIV invitation requires consultation with external agencies, so processing times for each are very long.

NSW currently has 825 ROIs in its pool under theresearchers and academics pathway, 180 Entrepreneurs, 28 innovative investors, and 37 Sports Professionals.

WA

– This year the plan is to continue issuing invitations once a month,with the next round in early December; because May and June will be used to process pre-invitations,April is expected to be the final round,and there may also be some add-up rounds depending on the quota situation

Western Australia state nomination invitation plans

– The first round only invited construction blue-collar occupations due to limited quota (which was still a temporary allocation at the time); once the numbers were increased, other priority sectors also had a chance of being invited.As for non-priority occupations, it is confirmed that invitations will still be issued this year, but not in the first two rounds in December and January — timing after that is to be determined

– WA has introduced a 3-month residency documentation requirement this year.State officials recommend waiting at least 3 months after relocating before lodging an EOI. Applicants who submit documents after being invited without meeting the residency requirement will be rejected. The 3 months of residency must, in principle, be continuous,short absences for travel, business trips or family visits are mainly judged on duration — a few days is normally fine, but trips lasting one to two months may have an impact

– Overall, WA this yearstill looks at occupation first, then the overall score,and will not,like VIC or QLD, scrutinise English or work experience in detail.If you go through the graduate pathway, qualifications will be assessed.

–Will offshore applicants have a chance? State officials said this is a very difficult question to answer, and only reiterated that there are many EOIs in the pool and it is hard to predict

– WA does not set quota numbers for individual occupations; it is simply that applicant numbers vary significantly between occupations, which leads to differences in invitation cut-off scores

– Former WA graduates not currently residing in WA can still apply through the graduate pathway; however, WA will give priority to those residing locally

Putting all of this together: if you are currently offshore or interstate and want to relocate to WA for the highest priority, you need to make the decision soon — aiming to be invited in the April round at the earliest.

For a comprehensive assessment of this year’s state nomination programs, or if you are currently studying higher education in Australia and want to learn more about blue-collar trade courses, please contact our consultants below!