We’ve now reached October, and the Department of Home Affairs has released the latest 189 EOI data through to October. Let’s take another look at the major in-demand occupations: Early Childhood Teaching, Secondary Teaching, Nursing, Social Work, Civil Engineering and Accounting.

First, a state nomination update – Tasmania and South Australia have received additional interim places

Tasmania has received 300 subclass 190 places and 150 subclass 491 places

With these 450 additional places – and because applicants have been waiting for so long – Tasmania has decided to issue ROI pre-invitations steadily every week from now on.Not only Gold Pass holders have a chance; Green and Orange tiers now also have a chance of being invited. Previously, ROI invitations were generally issued on Thursdays only.

In mid-October, Tasmania announced that the first round of interim places had been exhausted (without disclosing the exact number). After receiving the additional places, they immediately began issuing formal nominations to previously pre-invited applicants. We’ve had two clients receive their nominations in quick succession – one on the 190 and one on the 491.

South Australia is about to announce this year’s policy settings and open ROI

South Australia has also received additional places, although they have not disclosed the figures for the first or second interim allocations.They have indicated only that the updated policy for this year will be confirmed in the near future, and the onshore ROI channel will be opened very soon. South Australia had previously said they would wait until the full quota was confirmed before announcing and opening – but after waiting and waiting, it seems they could no longer hold off.

It’s now entirely possible that other states have also received additional interim places, and the second round appears to be larger than the first. Whether this is because state governments – having burned through their first interim allocation quickly – are proactively pressing the Department of Home Affairs for more, or whether the federal government is initiating additional allocations itself,it may mean the final full quota won’t be decided as quickly as expected. After all, as we’ve noted previously, this round has seen Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia collectively pushing back against cuts to state nomination places, which creates greater resistance.

We’ll continue to follow up on the status of the other states. Late this month we’ll be attending the MIA (Migration Institute of Australia) MARA-registered migration agent conference, and we plan to invite all states to present. We hope to bring additional information back to everyone.

Early Childhood Teaching – the 85-point band is accelerating

– October saw a total increase of 667 EOIs at 65 points or above, of which close to half are on 85 points, and 85+80 points together account for more than 60%

– The 85-point band grew by 150 in September and by 317 in October – effectively doubling the growth rate

– There are now 760 EOIs banked up at 85 points or above, and each of the other score bands continues to grow steadily on top of the existing 1,000+ base.

For Early Childhood Teachers on 85 points, we no longer recommend relying on the 189 as your only option – the wait is only going to get longer from here. Take a closer look at your own state’s 190.

Secondary Teaching – growth at the 80-point band is accelerating

The 80-point band grew by 105 in October, compared with just 24 in September. The 85-point band also saw an increase of 47

There are 516 EOIs at 80 points or above, while the backlog at 85 points is still only in the double digits

At the moment we’re recommending Secondary Teaching over Early Childhood Teaching – not because Secondary Teachers can get invited on ultra-low scores,but because there is much less competition in the pool, and it’s difficult for a large volume of applicants to flood in within a short period

Secondary Teaching at 85 points is a solid bet – as long as the Department of Home Affairs is willing to issue invitations, applicants can be finalised within a short window. 80 points requires a bit of patience; wait it out while you work towards 85.

Social Work – the pool remains roughly the same size

– October saw only 114 additional EOIs, with 30+ each at 80 and 85 points

– In Social Work, the high-score bands are growing faster than the lower bands – not because everyone is pushing for 80+,but because most Social Work applicants are graduates of Australian universities, and many already have 70 points locked in the moment they graduate,Add an IELTS Superior (“8-bang”) result and they’re at 80. Regional university graduates can also add an extra 5 points.

Nursing – 85 is relatively stable, 80 requires waiting

– October saw 980 additional EOIs. Compared across occupations, the backlog and growth in Nursing sit in the mid-score bands (75–85). The 80-point band alone grew by 452 – around 46% of the total increase

– There are fewer than 400 EOIs at 85 points or above, more than 1,000 at 80 points, and 3,000+ at each band below that

Nursing is one of the biggest backlogs and also one of the biggest invitation beneficiaries, so 85 points or above can realistically be cleared within one or two rounds. For 80 points, expect more waiting and more luck.

Civil Engineering – only 95 points counts as solid

– Civil Engineering, another major backlog occupation, saw only 129 new EOI lodgements in October – not many – with each score band growing by just 10–30

–There are 771 applicants at 90 points or above, and growth in the high-score bands is relatively slow

It now comes down to the Department of Home Affairs’ stance on Civil Engineering. If invitation numbers return to those of earlier rounds, 90 points has a chance; and if applicants can push for an extra 5 points, the outlook changes significantly

Accounting – 600+ EOIs at 90 points added in a single month

Years ago the saying was “Choose Accounting for Australian migration”. In recent years it has flipped to “Don’t choose Accounting for Australian migration”. Even for those who do choose Accounting, no one is pinning their hopes on the 189. “Ten thousand troops crossing a single-plank bridge” is precisely what going for Accounting via the 189 looks like.

Yet this so-called sunset migration occupation still saw 747 new lodgements in October – more than Early Childhood Teaching.

And plenty of Accounting applicants are still pushing hard for points,Early Childhood Teaching gained 667 new EOIs in October, while Accounting added 644 at 90 points or above alone,So if you want to see what “rapid growth in the ultra-high score bands” really looks like, Accounting is out there showing Early Childhood Teaching how it’s done.

The core challenge for Accounting in recent years has not been the points or the volume of applicants – it’s that even when applicants hit those points, neither state governments nor the federal government are willing to invite them. Most Accountants who manage 90 points or above have at least a year of work experience, so we’d suggest considering employer sponsorship in parallel.

The Department of Home Affairs previously indicated a plan to issue invitations every three months. The last round was in August, so in theory there’s a chance we’ll see a 189 invitation round land in November. Make sure your EOI documentation is all within its validity period.

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