Subclass 189 Visa Next Invitation Round: When Is It and What Are Your Chances?
If you have an Expression of Interest sitting in SkillSelect and you are waiting for a Subclass 189 invitation, you are in good company. The Subclass 189 visa is a key pathway to Australian permanent residency. This is one of the most searched topics in Australian skilled migration right now, and it is not hard to see why. The system has changed, competition is fierce, and for a lot of people the wait feels uncertain.
The Australian government oversees the invitation process and sets the rules for skilled migration. This article breaks down how the rounds currently work, what the recent data shows, and what you can realistically do to improve your position.
How the invitation rounds work
The Subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa is a permanent residence visa that requires no employer sponsorship, no job offer, and no state or territory nomination. The Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) is a points-tested permanent residency visa for skilled workers in Australia, allowing holders to live and work anywhere in the country without requiring employer sponsorship or state or territory nomination. You submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) through SkillSelect, and the Department of Home Affairs periodically invites the highest-ranking skilled applicants to lodge a complete visa application. The invitation process operates through SkillSelect invitation rounds, where applicants are ranked based on their points score, occupation, and the date they reached that score. The 189 visa operates under a points tested stream, and the points tested system determines eligibility and competitiveness for permanent residency.
From the 2025-26 program year, the Department of Home Affairs shifted to a formal quarterly model for Subclass 189 invitation rounds, occurring roughly four times per financial year. It is worth noting that the third quarter passed without a round being held, which is a reminder that while the quarterly schedule is the stated intention, it does not always play out that way in practice. This fixed schedule means fewer rounds each year, resulting in a larger and more competitive pool of EOIs accumulating between each event. However, the Department does not publish fixed dates for invitation rounds, so applicants must monitor official updates. Your EOI needs to be in the best possible shape before a round opens, not put together once one is announced.
Invitations are issued based on points ranking, with higher scoring EOIs invited first. The minimum requirement to lodge an EOI is 65 points, but competitive points scores are typically much higher, with most successful applicants scoring between 85 and 95 points depending on their occupation. Achieving higher points, through superior English for example, can significantly improve your competitive points score. When multiple applicants share the same score, the Department uses the Date of Effect as a tiebreaker. This is the date and time your EOI first reached its current points score, with earlier dates taking priority. This is why keeping your EOI accurate and up to date actually matters.
Invitations for the Skilled Independent visa are prioritized based on a four-tier system, with priority occupations and priority sectors such as healthcare and education receiving invitations at lower points due to workforce shortages and occupation demand. Skilled applicants are prioritized based on their skilled employment history and alignment with Australia's labour market needs. It is crucial to submit a complete visa application with all required documents immediately after receiving an invitation to avoid delays.
While state and territory governments and territory governments nominate applicants for other visa subclasses, such as the 190 and 491 visas, the 189 visa does not require state or employer sponsorship. The focus is on the points tested stream and the applicant’s ability to meet the eligibility criteria through skilled employment, occupation demand, and a competitive points score. For many applicants, employer sponsored visas like the 482 and 494 can provide an alternative pathway where a business is willing to nominate them.
What the recent rounds showed about competitive points score
In previous rounds, the invitation process has followed a quarterly schedule, with each round providing a detailed breakdown of outcomes by occupation and points score. The first round of the 2025-26 program year on 21 August 2025 saw nearly 6,900 invitations issued for the Subclass 189. A further 10,000 invitations followed in the November 2025 round, with the lowest points score invited being 65 for priority trade occupations. In this November 2025 round, construction trades such as carpenters, electricians, and plumbers received invitations at the lowest cut-off of 65 points, reflecting urgent demand in these areas. Healthcare roles, including registered nurses and general practitioners, typically required cut-off scores of 75-80 points. Most professional roles required scores between 85 and 95 points to receive an invitation. By early 2026, total invitations for the program year had already reached 16,887, though no new round had been conducted in the first quarter of 2026. You can see data on the rounds through the SkillSelect Database.
High competition favors high-point scorers in healthcare, education, and construction/trades for the Skilled Independent visa. The Australian government is concentrating invitations in sectors facing genuine workforce shortages, such as construction trades and healthcare.
For ICT professionals and accountants, the situation has been particularly difficult with barely any invites over the past year and a half. These are occupations where the EOI pool significantly outnumbers the available places, and even well-qualified applicants have been waiting a long time without movement. The transition from irregular, monthly SkillSelect rounds to one round per quarter has made it even more important for applicants to monitor upcoming rounds and ensure their EOIs are fully optimized and ready for when the next 189 invitation round opens.
The new four-tier occupation system
One of the more significant changes this program year is the introduction of occupation tiers. The new four-tier priority system categorizes occupations into tiers based on demand, with Tier 1 occupations receiving invitations at lower points due to critical national need, while Tier 4 occupations face the highest competition and require scores of 95-100+ points if invites are given at all. Only applicants whose EOIs meet parameters set by the Department are considered for invitations in each tier. This system is designed to prioritize key skilled occupations that are essential for meeting Australia's labour market needs. Under this model, your occupation tier directly influences your invitation chances, and the 189 program now receives only the leftover quota after state and employer programs have used their allocations first.
Tier 4 covers occupations with persistently high volumes of EOIs and faces the most restrictive invitation settings. These tend to be roles that are available through multiple other visa pathways such as the 190, 491 and Skills in Demand visa, which reduces the pressure on the 189 program to fill those occupations. If your occupation sits in this category, the honest reality is that the 189 may not be your most reliable path to permanent residence right now, and it is worth looking seriously at alternatives, including other Australian skilled visa options such as the 190 and 491.
When is the next 189 invitation round?
The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed that the next Subclass 189 invitation round will be held in May 2026. While the Department generally follows a fixed schedule of quarterly invitation rounds, it does not publish fixed dates in advance, making the exact timing unpredictable. Applicants should closely monitor official updates to ensure they do not miss important announcements. That said, even with dates now being announced in advance, your EOI should be in its best shape well before the window opens, not put together in a rush once the date is confirmed.
What you can do in the meantime
If you are waiting on an invitation, there are a few things worth reviewing before May.
Start with your points. While the official minimum requirement to lodge an EOI is 65 points, this minimum score is rarely sufficient in the current competitive environment. Most successful applicants have a minimum score much higher than this—competitive points for 2026 typically require 80 to 90 points or more, and in oversubscribed occupations the bar is even higher. Higher points are necessary to stand out in the invitation rounds. If you are sitting below that range, it is worth identifying where you can add points before the round opens. Achieving a positive skills assessment can significantly boost your points score and competitiveness, and a strong skilled employment history in an eligible occupation is a key factor in building a competitive points score.
Superior English is one of the highest impact improvements available. Achieving 'Superior English' can add a critical 20 points to your score for the subclass 189 visa. If you are currently on Proficient English, retesting for Superior could make a meaningful difference to your score. Adding a skilled partner to your EOI is another option depending on their qualifications, and any additional claimable work experience should be accurately reflected.
Just as important as boosting your points is making sure the points you are already claiming are airtight. If your relationship status has changed, your EOI needs to reflect that. Every point you claim needs to be supportable with documentation at the time you lodge your visa application, and the Department will check. Submitting a complete visa application with all required documents is essential to avoid delays in processing and ensure eligibility for benefits. It is not uncommon for applicants to claim points they cannot actually prove, which can cause serious problems down the line. Go through your EOI carefully before May and make sure everything you have claimed accurately reflects your current situation and can be evidenced.
It is also worth not relying solely on the 189. You can submit an EOI for the Subclass 189, 190 and 491 simultaneously, and applying across multiple subclasses significantly increases your overall chances of receiving an invitation. State nomination through the 190 adds 5 points to your score and operates on its own invitation system, which for some occupations and states moves faster than the 189.
How Via Migration can help
Waiting on an invitation is stressful, particularly when the rules keep changing and it is hard to know whether your strategy is still the right one. At Via Migration, we help you understand where your profile actually sits in the current invitation landscape, whether the 189 is genuinely your best option, and what you can do to strengthen your position before the next round opens.
If you would like to talk through your situation in detail, you can book a consultation or contact Via Migration directly. Speaking with a MARA registered migration agent ensures that the advice you receive is accurate, up to date and aligned with the current invitation settings.
