Australia’s 2026-27 Migration Program has opened a new planning year for skilled migration applicants but the strategy should not be to simply submit an EOI and wait.
If you are building or refreshing your SkillSelect profile now, five elements deserve particular attention: occupation, skills assessment, English, points and state or territory nomination. Your EOI can remain active for two years, and Home Affairs allows you to update it before receiving an invitation when your circumstances change.
The bigger question for 2026-27 is therefore not simply “How many places are available?” It is “How does this year’s program structure affect the pathway I should be pursuing?”
That means reassessing your nominated occupation, points position, skills assessment, English score and potential 190 or 491 nomination options rather than carrying forward assumptions from the previous program year.
The 2026-27 Program at a Glance
The government has shifted the mix of places compared with the prior year, and that shift changes strategy for anyone lodging now:
- Skilled Independent (189) : 21,090 places, up from the previous year.
- State Nominated (190): 35,500 places, the largest points-tested category, and increased.
- Regional (491): 14,110 places, reduced compared with the prior program.
- Employer-sponsored: 58,040 places, a significant increase, signalling a stronger tilt toward employer-driven pathways this year.
The practical read for EOI applicants: 190 now offers more room than 491, and independent 189 places grew too, so it’s worth reassessing which pathway you are prioritising rather than assuming last year’s balance still holds.
How SkillSelect Works This Program Year
SkillSelect is not a visa application, it is a ranking pool. You declare your nominated occupation and points, and the Department ranks every EOI in that occupation. Each program year, invitation rounds draw from the current year’s planning levels, so an EOI sitting in the pool since the previous program year is now competing under the new allocation.
- An EOI stays active in the pool for two years from submission.
- Once invited, you have 60 days to lodge your full visa application via ImmiAccount.
- 189 requires an MLTSSL occupation; 190 allows MLTSSL or STSOL plus state nomination; 491 allows MLTSSL, STSOL or ROL plus state/territory or eligible family sponsorship.
Step 1: Lock In the Right Occupation for This Year’s Ceilings
Occupation ceilings reset each program year, and with 189 and 190 places both increased for 2026-27, some occupations may open up more room than they had last year, while others tied to the shrinking regional allocation may tighten.
- Confirm your occupation sits on the correct list (MLTSSL / STSOL / ROL) for your target visa.
- Confirm the assessing authority for your occupation – e.g., ANMAC for nursing, Engineers Australia for engineering, ACS for IT.
- Check whether your occupation is one that historically fills its ceiling early with 491 places down this year, regional-list occupations may fill faster than in 2025-26.
Step 2: Secure a Skills Assessment Before You Lodge
A positive skills assessment is mandatory before you can submit a valid EOI, and it must exactly match your nominated occupation. Assessments generally stay valid for around three years, but processing times vary widely by authority start this well ahead of any 2026-27 invitation round you’re targeting.
- Engineers without an accredited qualification pathway may need a Competency Demonstration Report (CDR).
- Keep your reference number and issue date ready for SkillSelect.
Step 3: Push Past the English Minimum
Competent English (broadly IELTS 6 in each band, or the PTE/TOEFL/Cambridge equivalent) is the floor most applicants need. Given the larger 190 allocation this year, competition within specific state nomination streams is still likely to be strong – Superior English scores meaningfully more points and strengthens both your EOI ranking and your state nomination case.
- Results are typically valid for three years, do not let a test lapse while your EOI sits in the pool across two program years.
- Update your EOI immediately after a stronger test result; it can move your ranking within the current round.
Step 4: Build Your Points Score for This Round
The entry floor to lodge an EOI is 65 points, but most 2026–27 invitations are expected to go to applicants scoring well above that, commonly in the 80s and 90s for competitive occupations.
- Age: maximum points at 25–32, generally must be under 45 at invitation.
- English: Superior English outscores Competent English by a meaningful margin.
- Skilled employment: overseas and Australian work experience, capped at a combined maximum.
- Education, partner skills, state nomination, and professional year can each add further points.
Only claim what you can substantiate. Overclaiming and failing to prove it at the visa stage carries far more serious consequences than lodging with an honest, slightly lower score.
Step 5: Reconsider State Nomination Given the New Allocation
With 190 places up to 35,500 and 491 places down to 14,110 this program year, state nomination through 190 is arguably the stronger points-tested pathway to prioritise in 2026–27 for many applicants who don’t clear the 189 threshold on their own.
- Each state and territory sets its own nomination criteria and occupation lists, separate from SkillSelect.
- You nominate one state per application, there is no applying to all states simultaneously.
- 491 remains available via eligible family sponsorship in a designated regional area as an alternative to state nomination, though with fewer overall places this year.
Common Mistakes Heading Into a New Program Year
- Assuming last year’s occupation ceilings or state nomination criteria still apply unchanged.
- Letting an English test or skills assessment expire while your EOI carries over into a new program year.
- Not updating your EOI after gaining more experience, a better English score, or a partner assessment.
- Defaulting to 189 when the 2026-27 allocation shift makes 190 the more realistic route for your occupation.
What to Do Next
Recalculate your points against the current thresholds, and reassess your pathway in light of this year’s larger 190 allocation and smaller 491 allocation. If your score is close to competitive for your occupation, it’s worth confirming whether a state nomination now gives you a faster route to an invitation than waiting in the 189 pool through the rest of the program year.
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Last updated: 19 September 2026.
