189 Visa Invitation Round 15 October 2026: Results, Cut-off Points and Who Missed Out

1. The 15 October 2026 round at a glance

The Department of Home Affairs held its first SkillSelect invitation round of the 2026–27 program year on 15 October 2026. There was no departmental 189 round in July, August or September, so this round was the first since 4 June 2026, and it was twice as large.

Source: Department of Home Affairs, SkillSelect invitation rounds, 15 October 2026 round results.

You can search every occupation, with its minimum points and tie-break date, in our free SkillSelect Invitation Rounds tool, which now includes this round alongside every round since 2020.

2. Which occupations were invited, and at what points

The round was heavily weighted towards health and construction. Most people invited held between 70 and 80 points. The table shows the occupations that received the most invitations, with the official minimum points score and tie-break date for each.

Minimum points and tie-break dates: Department of Home Affairs. Invitation counts: Outlook Immigration analysis of SkillSelect EOI data to 31 October 2026 (approximate). Cleared: invited down to 65 points with a recent tie-break. Moving: a 2026 tie-break below 85 points. Backlog: tie-break in 2025, so people at the cut-off have waited 10+ months. High bar: 85+ points needed.

3. Occupations that cleared at 65 points

The best news of the round: 31 occupations were invited at 65 points, the minimum allowed, with tie-break dates in September or October 2026. In practice, nearly everyone with an eligible EOI at 65+ in these occupations was invited.

Also cleared at 65: Electronic Instrument Trades Worker (General), Primary Health Organisation Manager, Solid Plasterer, Airconditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic, Arts Administrator or Manager, Environmental Scientists nec, Airconditioning and Mechanical Services Plumber, Panelbeater, Musician (Instrumental), Locksmith, Welfare Centre Manager, Roof Plumber, Stonemason, Horse Trainer and Educational Psychologist.

If you work in one of these occupations and are not in SkillSelect yet, the gap is a positive skills assessment and an English test. For trades, a 65-point profile is often achievable with a positive TRA or VETASSESS outcome plus age and work experience points. Check your points in two minutes.

4. Nurses and health: invited at 70, but a 2025 backlog

Nursing was the biggest winner by volume, with around 7,000 invitations across all specialisations. But every nursing occupation, and most allied health and medical occupations, was cut at 70 points with a tie-break date in 2025. That means people at 70 points who lodged their EOI after late 2025 are still waiting.

Minimum points and tie-break dates: Department of Home Affairs. Waiting counts: Outlook Immigration analysis of SkillSelect EOI data to 31 October 2026.

5. High-bar occupations: 85 to 100 points

Some occupations were invited, but only at high scores. Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher and University Lecturer needed 90 points, Electronics Engineer 95, and ICT Security Specialist and Urologist 100. Chemical Engineer, Architect, Statistician, Actuary and the Telecommunications occupations needed 85. Early Childhood Teacher is the clearest example of a crowded field: around 13,700 people are waiting in that occupation.

If your occupation is in this group and you are below the cut-off, pair your 189 EOI with a 190 or 491 state nomination strategy rather than waiting on 189 alone.

6. Who missed out: ICT, accounting, engineering and chefs

The most important finding for many applicants: several of the largest occupations in SkillSelect received no 189 invitations in this round, despite thousands of people waiting.

None of these occupations appeared on the Home Affairs results table for 15 October 2026. Waiting counts: Outlook Immigration analysis of SkillSelect EOI data to 31 October 2026.

If you are in one of these occupations, do not rely on a 189 invitation. Your realistic pathways are state nomination through the subclass 190 or subclass 491, or employer sponsorship through the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) or Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186). In October, Civil Engineer and Chef were the most nominated occupations by states, and Accountant (General) was also among the most nominated, so these occupations are still being selected.

7. Where the 189 queue sits now, by points

After the round, about 167,000 EOIs were still waiting for a 189 invitation at the end of October, down from about 181,600 at the end of September. The round took the most people from the 75 and 80-point bands.

Outlook Immigration analysis of SkillSelect EOI data, 30 September and 31 October 2026. Figures are approximate.

About 57,600 people are still waiting at 80 points or more, but most of them are in occupations that were not in this round, such as ICT, accounting and engineering. In SkillSelect, your occupation matters as much as your points: an 80-point Software Engineer is in a very different position from an 80-point nurse.

8. 190 and 491 state nominations in 2026–27

State and territory nominations do not depend on the departmental 189 round. Each state selects from SkillSelect on its own timetable. From 1 July to 30 September 2026, Home Affairs reports:

Source: Department of Home Affairs, state and territory nominations, 1 July to 30 September 2026.

Tasmania and the Northern Territory account for most nominations so far, with Western Australia active on the 491. Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia were close to zero in the first quarter, which usually means their 2026–27 programs or allocations were not yet open. In October, around 526 subclass 190 and 254 subclass 491 nominations were made across Australia. Programs tend to fill quickly once they open, so prepare now. If you are interested in Victoria, read our guide to Victoria skilled nomination for 2026–27.

9. Invited? What to do before 14 December 2026

An invitation from the 15 October 2026 round gives you 60 days to lodge your visa application. The last day is 14 December 2026, and it cannot be extended. Your application must match the claims in your EOI at the time you were invited, so do not wait until the last week.

• Check every claim in your EOI: age, English score, skills assessment, work experience and partner points must all be true and provable at the invitation date.
• Gather evidence early: identity documents, skills assessment outcome, English test result, employment references, payslips and tax records.
• Arrange police certificates for every country where you lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years, and plan your health examinations.
• Include family members correctly, with evidence of each relationship.
• Budget for the visa application charge. See our visa pricing estimator.

10. Not invited? How to improve your chances

Your EOI stays in SkillSelect for two years, and you are automatically considered in future rounds. These are the steps that most often make the difference:

• Raise your points: Superior English (+20 compared with Competent), NAATI CCL (+5), Professional Year (+5), regional study (+5), specialist STEM education (+10), partner points (+5 or +10), or reaching the next skilled employment threshold.
• Protect your date of effect: ties are broken by when your EOI reached its score, so lodge as soon as your skills assessment and English result are ready, and avoid edits that do not change your score.
• Watch for points going down: age points change at 25, 33, 40 and 45, and English results and skills assessments usually last three years.
• Select every visa you qualify for: one EOI can cover 189, 190 and 491, with the states you are interested in.
• Have a plan B: if your occupation was not invited, state nomination or employer sponsorship is usually the faster route.

Points rules can change, so confirm your score with our points calculator and against the current points test before relying on it. Our EOI Explorer shows how many people are waiting in your occupation at each score.

11. When is the next 189 invitation round?

Home Affairs has not announced the date of the next Skilled Independent (subclass 189) round. Rounds are held periodically during the program year, and their size and occupations depend on the needs of the economy and on applications already on hand. Past results are a guide only: no one can guarantee the cut-off in a future round. We will update our invitation rounds tool as soon as the next results are published.

Sources: Department of Home Affairs, SkillSelect invitation rounds (15 October 2026 round results, and state and territory nominations to 30 September 2026). Invitation counts, waiting numbers and October state nomination counts are Outlook Immigration analysis of SkillSelect EOI data to 31 October 2026 and are approximate. This article is general information, not legal advice. Your situation should be assessed by a registered migration agent.