News: 189 invitation round of 15 October 2026: invitations from 65 points, and what invited applicants must do by 14 December

The Department of Home Affairs held its first Skilled Independent (subclass 189) invitation round of the 2026-27 program year on 15 October 2026, the first Department-run round since 4 June. Migration agencies that published their clients’ invitations the same day reported invitations at scores from 65 points, the minimum the Department invites. Carpenters, bricklayers, wall and floor tilers, plasterers and electricians were among the occupations reported at 65 points, with registered nurses reported at 70 to 75 points. By 16 October the reports covered more than 50 occupations, and several trades and environmental science occupations were reported at 70 points, against a minimum of 80 in the June round.

If you were invited on 15 October 2026, your 60 days to lodge run to 14 December 2026. The Department had not published the official totals, occupation cut-offs or tie break date when we checked on the morning of 16 October 2026, so the scores below are reported invitations, not official minimums.

What has been reported from the 15 October 2026 round

Several migration agencies published the invitations their own clients received: one listed invitations across 58 occupations, and others listed between 24 and 33 client invitations each. Taken together, the reports show the lowest scores below. Each is an individual invited score, not the Department’s cut-off, and an occupation missing from the table may still have been invited.

The June column is from the Department’s SkillSelect invitation rounds page. Where an October report sits below the June minimum, as for the trades and environmental occupations reported at 70, Solicitor, Physiotherapist and some nursing occupations, it suggests more room at lower scores in this round, but only the Department’s published results will confirm it. No agency reported a subclass 491 Family Sponsored invitation from this round, one agency noted that it had seen no ICT or accounting invitations among its clients, and another saw no civil engineering invitations.

Why this round reached lower scores

Two facts on the public record are relevant. First, no 189 invitations were issued for more than four months: the Department’s monthly table for the 2026-27 program year records zero invitations in July, August and September. Second, the government’s Migration Program planning levels set 21,090 places for the Skilled Independent category in 2026-27, up from 16,900 in 2025-26. The Department has not said how many invitations this round issued. The previous round, on 4 June 2026, invited 10,000.

You were invited: what to do before 14 December 2026

The Department states that you have 60 calendar days from the date of your invitation to lodge the 189 visa application, and that it cannot extend this time. The application must prove what the EOI claimed on the day you were invited, and an applicant invited at or near 65 points has no spare points to lose.

1. Check every claim against 15 October 2026. A suitable skills assessment, at least competent English and the points score are assessed as at the time of invitation. An English test result or skills assessment that had expired by that date, or work experience that the assessing authority did not count, will reduce the score the application can prove.
2. Gather the evidence for each point. Age, English, qualifications, Australian and overseas employment, partner skills, Australian study, regional study and community language points each need documents that existed on the invitation date. Our points test guide lists what each category needs.
3. Start health and character checks now. Police certificates from overseas can take weeks to obtain, and the Department’s health and character requirements apply to every applicant included in the application.
4. Do not overstate anything. An application that cannot prove the points it was invited on is refused, and false or misleading information can lead to a three-year bar under public interest criterion 4020.
5. Plan the lodgement date. Lodge only when the application is complete, but not on the last day: 14 December 2026 is the final day for an invitation dated 15 October 2026. Our subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa page sets out the criteria in full.

Not invited: what still moves your position

Points rank first, and equal scores are separated by the date of effect, the time the EOI reached its current score. A new skills assessment, a higher English result, an additional year of skilled employment or a partner’s skills claim can each lift a score, but the date of effect moves to the date the EOI reaches the higher score. The Department has not announced the next 189 round.

State and territory nomination runs on its own timetable and often values residence and work in the state above the SkillSelect score. The Department’s table counts EOIs that received a nomination between 1 July and 31 August 2026:

The 2026-27 planning levels set 35,500 places for the State/Territory Nominated category and 14,110 for the Regional category. As at 15 October 2026 the Department had not published each state’s 2026-27 nomination allocation.

• ACT: its first Canberra Matrix round of 2026-27, on 12 October 2026, invited 261 candidates for subclass 190 nomination and none for the 491, according to the ACT invitation round page. Further rounds are scheduled in the weeks starting 25 January, 22 March and 24 May 2027. See our ACT 190 nomination page.
• Tasmania: invites weekly. On 15 October 2026 it invited 45 subclass 190 candidates (lowest score invited 319) and 32 subclass 491 candidates (lowest score invited 88), according to the Migration Tasmania invitations page. Its 2026-27 program update confirms 1,250 subclass 190 and 800 subclass 491 places. See our Tasmania 190 nomination and Tasmania 491 nomination pages.
• Victoria: its 2026-27 program update of 13 October 2026 says the program has not yet opened, and anyone who registered interest in an earlier year must submit a new Registration of Interest when it does. Fees for service apply from 2026-27. See our Victoria 190 nomination page.
• Northern Territory: its nomination page, updated on 13 October 2026, states that it is not accepting new subclass 190 or offshore applications for 2026-27, and accepts subclass 491 applications only by exception from onshore NT Graduate and NT Resident candidates facing a visa expiry, their 45th birthday or a loss of points on or before 30 September 2027.
• New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia: NSW says its 491 program is closed for the current program year and its 190 nominations are by invitation only with no announced round dates. Queensland and South Australia closed Registrations of Interest for 2025-26 and say 2026-27 settings will follow. Western Australia had published no 2026-27 program when we checked.

Our subclass 190 and subclass 491 pages compare the state programs, and the subclass 191 page explains the permanent pathway after a 491.

What to watch next

The Department publishes official round results on its SkillSelect invitation rounds page, including the number of invitations, each occupation’s minimum score and the tie break date. We will update this post with the official figures when they appear. Tasmania publishes each week, with the 22 October round moved to Friday 23 October for Hobart Show Day. If you were invited on 15 October, or are deciding whether to wait for the next 189 round or pursue state nomination, book a consultation with our skilled migration team while there is time to prepare a complete application.

General information only, current at the date shown. It is not legal advice on your situation. To get advice on your matter, book a consultation.