189 visa invitation round October 2026

Home Affairs has published the results of its 15 October 2026 SkillSelect invitation round. It invited 20,000 people to apply for the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189), twice the 10,000 invited in the last round on 4 June. If you are a graduate in Melbourne with an Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect, or a student planning to lodge one, the published table shows the lowest points score that got an invitation in each occupation.

The 189 is the permanent visa that needs no employer and no state nomination. You cannot apply for it directly. You lodge an EOI, and Home Affairs invites the highest-ranked people whenever it runs a round.

What the results show

The invitation rounds page lists every occupation invited on 15 October, with a minimum points score and a tie break date for each. This was the first 189 round of the 2026-27 program year. July, August and September all show zero. No invitations have gone out yet this year for the family sponsored stream of the subclass 491 visa.

Put the October table next to the 4 June round and a few things stand out.

Construction trades stayed at 65 points, the lowest score the visa allows. Carpenters, bricklayers, general electricians, general plumbers and wall and floor tilers were invited at 65 in both rounds.
Nursing came down. Registered nurses were invited at 70 points in every listed specialty. In June the medical and aged care categories needed 75. Physiotherapists and occupational therapists also went from 75 to 70.
Teaching and social work went up. Secondary school teachers and social workers needed 80 points in October, against 75 in June. Early childhood teachers needed 90.
Some occupations fell a long way. Solicitors, economists, cabinetmakers, panelbeaters and environmental consultants all went from 80 points to 65. Welfare centre managers went from 85 to 65.
Tech and engineering stayed high. Telecommunications engineers needed 85 (it was 95 in June), multimedia specialists 90, electronics engineers 95 and ICT security specialists 100.

Accountant, software engineer and civil engineer are not in the October table at all. They were not in the June table either. The page does not say why, so we won't guess.

How to read the tie break date

Points decide the order. When two people have the same score, Home Affairs looks at the date each EOI reached that score, and the earlier one is invited first. It calls this the tie break date, or date of effect.

So the date beside each occupation matters as much as the score. Take Registered Nurse (Medical). The minimum was 70 points with a tie break date of 19 November 2025. At 70 points, the invitations reached people whose EOI hit that score about eleven months before the round. A nurse who reached 70 points after that date was still waiting when the round finished. For solicitors, the tie break date at 65 points was 15 October 2026, the day of the round itself.

One caution. These are the results of one round. Home Affairs says the number of invitations and the occupations invited change from round to round, depending on what the economy needs and how many applications it already has on hand. A score that was enough in October may not be enough next time.

The basic rules for the 189

These come from the subclass 189 page:

Your occupation must be on the list of eligible skilled occupations for this visa.
You need a suitable skills assessment for that occupation.
You must score at least 65 points. Below 65 you will not be invited.
You must be under 45 when you are invited.
You need at least competent English at the time of invitation.
If your skills were assessed on a qualification you got in Australia on a student visa, the course must be registered on CRICOS.
The visa costs from AUD 6,135.

If you are invited, you have 60 days from the date of the invitation to apply. You can be in or outside Australia when you do. The invitation states the points you have to prove, and you need evidence for every claim you made in your EOI.

Processing order is a separate matter. The same page says Home Affairs is currently working on 189 applications lodged in or before October 2026 for the construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources sectors. For other applicants who were in Australia when they applied, it is up to June 2026. For applicants who were outside Australia, December 2025. It also warns that these dates may move around while new processing priorities settle in.

What to do now

Open the official table and find your own occupation. Don't rely on a screenshot in a Facebook group.
Compare the minimum score and tie break date with your own EOI. If your score is lower, or your date of effect is later, you were out of range this round.
Check that your EOI is accurate and current. Your English result, work experience and age all change your points, and you must be able to prove what you claimed.
If you were invited on 15 October, count 60 days from the date on your invitation. That falls in mid-December. Don't leave the application to the last week.
If you are still studying, check whether your occupation is on the eligible list and what your assessing authority asks for. You have to declare a suitable skills assessment to be invited.
If your Student visa ends before an invitation is realistic, make a separate plan. Our guide on what to do when your student visa is ending covers the money side.

Victoria: no nominations up to the end of September

The same Home Affairs page reports state and territory nominations from 1 July to 30 September 2026. Victoria shows 0 for both the subclass 190 and the subclass 491. That fits with what we already know: Victoria only opened its 2026-27 program on 26 October, and only for the 190. We covered it in Victoria 190 nomination open for 2026-27.

Other places moved earlier. Over the same three months Tasmania nominated 271 people for the 190 and the Northern Territory 188. For the 491, the Northern Territory nominated 208 and Western Australia 120.

State nomination is a separate track from the 189. Home Affairs says its own invitation rounds do not affect state and territory nominations, and each state manages them by its own priorities.

Questions people ask

I have 65 points. Will I get an invitation?

Nobody can tell you that. Home Affairs says plainly that not everyone who lodges an EOI will be invited. In October, 65 points was enough in many trades and a handful of other occupations. It was not enough in nursing, teaching or engineering.

When is the next 189 round?

The page gives no date. It only says rounds are run periodically during the program year. This year's first round came on 15 October, three and a half months in.

My occupation is not in the table. What does that mean?

It means no invitation is listed for that occupation in this round. The page does not explain why for any single occupation. Check that your occupation is on the eligible list for the 189. State nomination (190 or 491) is a different track with its own lists and rules, so look at that too.

Talk it through before you plan around a number

A points table tells you what happened to other people in one round. Your own plan depends on your course, your occupation and your visa dates. OneCall Melbourne can connect you with an education consultant who will go through your study options with you. Start at OneCall Melbourne or call Sarah, OneCall's line, on 0485 057 057. If another course is part of your thinking, read our October 2026 Student visa changes guide first, because applying from inside Australia is now restricted for many people.

Sources

General information only, checked against the official sources above on the day it was written. It is not migration advice: only a registered migration agent or a lawyer can give you that.

189 visa invitation round October 2026: 20,000 invited, points by occupation