The latest SkillSelect invitation round was held on 15 October 2026. It invited 20,000 people to apply for the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189), the largest round in the recent run of results, and the lowest minimum score for an occupation was 65 points. If you have an Expression of Interest (EOI) in the pool, the question is no longer only "what is the cut-off?" but whether your occupation was invited at all. Several of the occupations Indian applicants use most were not.

This guide sets out the SkillSelect invitation rounds 2026 results, what the numbers mean for your EOI, where each state stands on 190 and 491 nomination, and what to do next. Information is current to 5 November 2026.

SkillSelect invitation rounds 2026: key facts

• Latest round: 15 October 2026, the first subclass 189 round of the 2026-27 program year.
• Invitations: 20,000 for subclass 189, across 159 occupations.
• Minimum scores: 65 to 100 points, depending on occupation.
• Family-sponsored 491: no invitations reported in this round.
• Next round: no date has been announced.
• Deadline for people invited on 15 October: 60 days, which runs to 14 December 2026.
• Program size: 21,090 Skilled Independent places in 2026-27, up from 16,900 in 2025-26.
• State nomination: a mixed picture. Queensland opens Registrations of Interest on 6 November 2026.

How SkillSelect invitation rounds work

You cannot apply directly for a 189, 190 or 491 visa. You lodge an EOI in SkillSelect, and you can only apply once invited. Home Affairs states that you do not upload documents at the EOI stage, so nobody checks your claims until you lodge the visa application. That is why an accurate EOI matters more than a high one.

The basic rules are:

• You need at least 65 points to lodge an EOI, and Home Affairs says meeting that threshold does not guarantee an invitation.
• Your EOI stays active for 2 years from the date you submit it.
• You can update it at any time before you are invited, but not after.
• Once invited, you have 60 days from the date of the invitation to lodge your visa application online.

In a federal round, the highest-ranked EOIs in each occupation are invited first. Where two people have the same score, the person who reached that score earlier, known as the date of effect, ranks ahead. Rounds for the 190 and most 491 nominations work differently, because states and territories choose their own candidates. Nationality plays no part in the federal ranking: an applicant from Chennai, Kuala Lumpur or Melbourne is ranked by points and date of effect alone.

SkillSelect invitation round results: 15 October 2026

Home Affairs publishes results on its invitation rounds page, by occupation, with a minimum score and a tie-break date for each. Grouped by minimum score, the 15 October round looked like this:

Lowest score invited	Number of occupations
65	44
70	36
75	9
80	36
85	19
90	10
95	3
100	2
Total	159

More than half of the invited occupations (80 of 159) cleared at 65 or 70 points. That is a real shift. In the 4 June 2026 round, 10,000 invitations went to 140 occupations. Of the 137 occupations invited in both rounds, 78 had a lower minimum in October, 50 stayed the same and 9 went up.

Recent subclass 189 rounds compared

Round date	189 invitations	Median occupation minimum
5 September 2024	7,973	80
7 November 2024	15,000	85
21 August 2025	6,887	85
13 November 2025	10,000	85
4 June 2026	10,000	80
15 October 2026	20,000	70

Two things stand out. Rounds are irregular, with gaps of several months, so do not plan around a monthly rhythm. And a bigger round paired with a wider occupation list pulled the median down by 10 points in a single round.

Minimum points by occupation

These are selected occupations with high interest from Indian and Malaysian applicants. Confirm your own occupation and tie-break date on the official table before relying on any figure here.

Occupation	Lowest score invited, 15 October 2026
Electrician (General)	65
Registered Nurse (specialty listings)	70
Physiotherapist	70
Secondary School Teacher	80
Medical Laboratory Scientist	80
Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher	90
ICT Security Specialist	100

Occupations that were not invited

This is the part most score-focused summaries skip. The occupation list we reviewed did not include these occupations at any score:

• Software Engineer, Developer Programmer, Analyst Programmer
• ICT Business Analyst, Systems Analyst, Computer Network and Systems Engineer
• Accountant (General), Management Accountant, External Auditor
• Civil Engineer
• Chef, Motor Mechanic

So a Software Engineer on 95 points received nothing in this round, while an Electrician on 65 could be invited. For these occupations, a higher score alone may not get you there, and state nomination deserves as much attention as the 189. ICT Security Specialist was reported as the only ICT occupation invited so far this program year.

What do the October numbers mean for your EOI?

A minimum score is not a pass mark. It tells you the lowest score invited in one occupation in one round. It does not predict the next round, and it does not mean 65 will be enough for you. Clinical Psychologist went up from 75 to 90 between June and October, so the direction is not uniform.

Much of the 189 allocation may now be committed. The 2026-27 Migration Program has 185,000 places, with 21,090 for Skilled Independent. One round of 20,000 invitations is close to 95% of that figure. An invitation is not a place, because not everyone invited applies and some applications are refused, so this does not prove the year's rounds are finished. It does mean you should not assume another large round will follow soon. No next date has been published.

The mix of the program has moved. State and Territory Nominated rose to 35,500 places from 33,000, while Regional fell to 14,110 from 33,000. If you were relying on a 491, expect tighter competition.

State nomination: where 190 and 491 stand

State nomination adds 5 points for a 190 and 15 for a 491, and each jurisdiction has its own occupation lists, residence rules and timing. The position as of 5 November 2026:

State or territory	Status for 2026-27
Queensland	ROIs open 6 November 2026. Onshore applicants need their 2025-26 tax return lodged and Notice of Assessment received first. Allocation not published in the sources we checked.
Victoria	190 ROIs reported open from 26 October 2026, with 900 places reported. The 491 is not currently open. No set dates for invitation rounds.
South Australia	ROIs open since 22 October 2026 for people living and working in SA with visas expiring by 31 January 2027. Offshore candidates can lodge an EOI in SkillSelect, and invitations can go to both groups.
Tasmania	Reported allocation of 1,250 subclass 190 and 800 subclass 491 places. ROIs opened 17 August 2026, with weekly rounds since. No invitations this year under the 491 Overseas Skilled Occupation Pathway.
ACT	First round reported 12 October 2026, with 261 subclass 190 invitations and no 491. Further tentative rounds reported for January, March and May 2027.
Western Australia	Program page reports invitations in September and October 2026. Check the current occupation schedules.
Northern Territory	Reported as limited: exception-only for onshore 491 candidates with visa deadlines before 30 September 2027.
New South Wales	190 reported open through a professional-body notice, which we could not confirm on the NSW site. 491 reported closed. Treat as unconfirmed.

State positions change quickly, and several of the reported items above come from migration industry notices, not state pages. Check the state's own site before spending money. Tasmania's ranking scores (317 was the lowest 190 score invited on 23 October) are the state's own scale and cannot be compared with federal points. For eligibility detail, see our guides to the 190 visa and the 491 visa.

What should you do after this round?

1. Find your occupation on the official table. Note whether it was invited, the minimum score and the tie-break date.
2. Recalculate your score honestly. Use our Australia PR points test guide and count only what your documents will prove.
3. Pick the lever that adds points. The usual gains are a better English result, a NAATI Credentialled Community Language credential, a Professional Year, or partner points. A superior English result is worth 20 points against 10 for proficient.
4. Update your EOI the day your score changes. Your position among people with the same score depends on when you reached it.
5. Keep your documents ready. With only 60 days after an invitation, start on police certificates, identity documents and work evidence early. Check the validity dates on your skills assessment and English result.
6. Run a state strategy alongside the 189. If your occupation was not invited, compare which states accept it and what each one requires.

If you were invited on 15 October

Your 60 days run to 14 December 2026. Lodge well before that date, because payment failures and missing documents happen at the last minute. The visa application charge has been A$6,135 for the main applicant since 1 July 2026, with A$3,070 for each additional applicant aged 18 or over. Your claims must be accurate at the date of invitation, and your EOI can no longer be changed. Use the Home Affairs pricing estimator to confirm the amount for your family.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Reading 65 as safe. It is the lowest figure across 44 occupations in one round, not a promise.
• Tracking scores for an occupation that was not invited. A cut-off can only be read if invitations were issued.
• Claiming points you cannot evidence. SkillSelect accepts what you type. The case officer later tests it, and a wrong claim can cost you the visa and the fee. Work experience that your assessing authority did not count is a frequent problem.
• Forgetting birthdays. Moving into a lower age band cuts your score, so recheck your points before each birthday.
• Treating state scores as federal points. Tasmania's figures and SkillSelect points are different systems.
• Waiting for the new points test. On 17 September 2026 the Home Affairs Minister said the test has been redone with Treasury, but no new table or start date has been published. Plan on the current rules until a real change is gazetted.

What Indian and Malaysian applicants should watch

Indian applicants: many are in ICT, accounting and engineering, the groups most affected by this round. If that is you, the practical choice is often between waiting on a 189 that may not come and pursuing a state or employer-sponsored route. Registered Nurses, teachers, trades and allied health look much better placed at present. Applicants with Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam or another NAATI-tested language should check whether a credentialled community language result fits, since it adds 5 points.

Malaysian applicants: SkillSelect gives no advantage or penalty by nationality, so the same occupation logic applies. For Malaysian graduates of Australian universities who are onshore on a 485, the visa expiry date often decides the strategy. South Australia's current ROI window, for example, targets onshore people with visas expiring by 31 January 2027.

How EazyViza can help

EazyViza's migration team, backed by Collins Quarters, works with skilled applicants at every stage of SkillSelect. Our EOI and SkillSelect preparation service checks your occupation, points and evidence before you lodge. We can also review whether your occupation fits a 189, a state nomination or an employer pathway, so you are not waiting on a round that may not help you.

Disclaimer: This article is general information, not legal advice, and it does not create a client relationship. Migration rules, fees and invitation results change, sometimes without notice. Figures are current to 5 November 2026 and should be checked against Home Affairs and state government sources before you act. For advice on your circumstances, speak to a registered migration agent or lawyer.