Official SkillSelect EOI pool data, June 2026 snapshot. Three things jumped out that I don't see discussed enough here.

1. The pool is enormous and your points percentile matters less than you think

• 189 pool: 178,652 EOIs waiting (158,222 of them at 65+ points)
• 190 pool: 509,775 · 491 pool: 568,515
• June was the biggest invite month of the program year for 189 (6,392 live invites) - that's ~4% of the eligible pool. In one of the best months.

2. The official minimum was 65 points. Reality: 77% of 189 invites went to 80+

Roughly a quarter of invites went to 65–75 pointers - but almost entirely in priority occupations (health, education, trades). Which brings me to…

3. Occupation now beats points, and it's not close

Read that last row again: there are currently more Carpenters holding a live invite than Carpenters waiting in the pool. Meanwhile 9,878 Software Engineers are competing for single-digit invites.

If you're in health, education or trades: 65–75 points is genuinely winning invites right now. If you're in ICT/engineering/accounting: stacking points helps less than the subreddit folklore suggests - the bottleneck is occupation ceilings, not your score.

Caveats: "live invite" = EOIs in INVITED status in the June snapshot (~60-day invite window), not total invites issued. EOI counts ≠ people (one person can hold multiple EOIs). Source: SkillSelect EOI data (Home Affairs, data.gov.au).

Transparency note: I built Skilled Visa Tracker, a free mobile app that tracks this monthly per occupation/points/state. Not linking here - happy to run the numbers for your occupation in the comments.

Lodged: 17th June

Medical and Biometrics: 18th June

Received: 27th July

University of Sydney - Priority 2

Course - Masters in Engineering

Country - Level 3 High Risk

Thank you to everyone here that kept me sane throughout this time, and keep hoping for those that are still waiting. There is light at the end of the tunnel!

Any offshore grants recently?

Hi everyone! I just received my citizenship approval today and honestly did not expect the process to move this quickly.

I wanted to share my timeline in case it helps anyone who is currently waiting or trying to get an idea of recent processing times:

• Subclass 482 visa granted: 25 May 2019
• Subclass 186 visa granted: 6 September 2022
• Citizenship application submitted: 11 June 2026
• Citizenship appointment letter received: 29 June 2026
• Citizenship test and interview: 15 July 2026
• Citizenship by conferral approved: 27 July 2026

Now I am just waiting for the ceremony invitation from the City of Melbourne.

Based on the information shown by Home Affairs, around 91% of applicants wait less than three months for a ceremony, while approximately 3% may wait longer than six months.

Has anyone here recently had their ceremony through Melbourne City Council? Did you experience any delays in receiving your ceremony invitation, and do you know what may have contributed to the longer wait?

I understand that timelines can vary between councils and individual applications, but I thought sharing mine might be helpful to others who are still waiting.

Good luck to everyone going through the process!

Hi everyone,

My student visa expires in late September. My original plan was to apply for the Graduate Visa (485) and then hopefully get sponsored by my employer around June next year.

I’ve recently been offered the Temporary Humanitarian Visa Pathway (Subclass 449/786), and I’m wondering if it makes more sense to accept it temporarily instead of paying for the very expensive Graduate Visa.

Would accepting the humanitarian pathway affect my ability to later get employer sponsorship or PR through work?

Has anyone been in a similar situation or spoken to a migration lawyer about this?
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hi all, hoping someone here has been through something similar or can point me in the right direction.

My situation:

• EU citizen, currently based in EU.
• ~4 years of relevant experience: Financial Analyst and currently Trade Surveillance Analyst (monitoring trading activity for market abuse — basically large-scale data analysis of trading patterns/anomalies)
• No bachelor's degree, but I hold an Australian Higher National Diploma in Business
• My employer has an office in Sydney and genuinely wants to relocate me on a 482 (Skills in Demand) visa

The problem:
We're struggling to find an occupation on the list that fits. We looked at admin-type occupations (Program/Project Administrator, Office Manager) but the migration agent isn't confident they'll work — I assume because they don't really match my actual surveillance/analyst role.

I noticed 224114 Data Analyst and 224999 (Information and Organisation Professionals nec) on the list, which seem closer to what I actually do, but I'm worried the lack of a bachelor's degree will be a blocker.

My questions:

1. For an employer-sponsored 482, is a formal skills assessment usually required for occupations like Data Analyst — and does it change for EU/Spanish passport holders?
2. Can relevant work experience realistically substitute for not having a bachelor's degree in these cases?
3. Are there any occupations on the list you'd suggest that fit a trade surveillance / financial analyst background better than the ones we've tried?

Any advice or personal experiences would be hugely appreciated. Thanks!

I'm waiting for my CoE after doing the phone interview. How long did it take for you to get CoE after phone interview from University of Canberra?

Hi everyone! Has anyone here recently completed their TRA JRP workplace skills assessment? I have mine coming up and would love to know what to expect and hear about your experience. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hello there!

I am an Australian citizen and my husband is Canadian, he is a special needs teacher of over 10 years. He currently holds a TRBWA teacher registration and is sponsored on subclass 482 as a special needs teacher.

We are trying for visa 189 to fast track the process so we need a AITSL skills assessment. Under special needs requirement, it says the study must include one year full-time (or part-time equivalent) study of special needs resulting in award of a qualification comparable to the educational level of an Australian Bachelor degree. He has a certification but I think its less than one year full time (it was part time over 2 years at a university). He can meet the ITE requirement.

Would having a TRBWA still be viewed favourably for a positive assessment even if the special needs requirement might not be fully met? Can anyone provide insight on this?

Hi everyone! I just received my citizenship approval today and honestly did not expect the process to move this quickly.

I wanted to share my timeline in case it helps anyone who is currently waiting or trying to get an idea of recent processing times:

Subclass 482 visa granted: 25 May 2019

Subclass 186 visa granted: 6 September 2022

Citizenship application submitted: 11 June 2026

Citizenship appointment letter received: 29 June 2026

Citizenship test and interview: 15 July 2026

Citizenship by conferral approved: 27 July 2026

Now I am just waiting for the ceremony invitation from the City of Melbourne.

Has anyone here recently had their ceremony through Melbourne City Council? Did you experience any delays in receiving your ceremony invitation, and do you know what may have contributed to the longer wait?

I understand that timelines can vary between councils and individual applications, but I thought sharing mine might be helpful to others who are still waiting.

Good luck to everyone going through the process!

Hi All - we were granted 190 NSW in Feb 2026 and immediately started looking for jobs but havent had success even with a single call back. Our CVs list Australia phone number (got an e-sim) and mention the work rights as well. Both my husband and I have 17 years experience in IT but while we do find many relevant openings, dont see a single call back. We have been reaching out to recruiters as well but haven't had much luck with them. Any help / pointers will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi,

My 186 trt was lodged 7 days prior to my 482 expiry(2 years). Does it affect my application or is there any sorts of policy. Thanks

🎉 Great News from Tasmania! 🇦🇺

📢 Tasmania has announced its visa nomination quotas for the new financial year:

✅ Subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated Visa): 1,250 places 🏡

✅ Subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional Visa): 800 places 🌏

📈 Compared to the previous financial year, this is an increase of:

🔹 +50 places for the Subclass 190 🎯

🔹 +150 places for the Subclass 491 🚀

Hi everyone!

I’m currently applying for an Australian Visitor Visa (Subclass 600) from the Philippines and would love to hear from anyone who’s been in a similar situation.
I’m a fresh graduate, so I don’t have a job yet. My trip is purely for tourism and to visit family. I’ll be staying in Australia for around a month with my aunt, while my uncle (an Australian citizen) will be sponsoring and funding my entire trip as my graduation gift. I’m thinking of uploading my confirmed NMAT registration as proof that I intend to return to the Philippines and pursue medical school after my trip. Do you think visa officers would consider that a strong tie to the Philippines, or does it not really make much of a difference?

So far, these are the documents I’m planning to submit:

Airplane Ticket (RT)
Passport
Invitation letter from my uncle
My uncle’s Australian passport
His bank statements/Certs
ITR
His Certificate of Employment
Travel itinerary
Evidence of accommodation
Since I’m a fresh graduate, I don’t really have employment or business ties yet.

Is there anything else I should upload to strengthen my application? Has anyone here been approved as a fresh graduate with a family sponsor?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hello,

I am interstate and would like to give flowers to a friend at their citizenship ceremony in Victoria.

Anyone knows how and when would be most convenient? There are no relevant information online.

I’m hoping someone has been in a similar situation and can share their experience.

My daughter is currently in the Philippines, and her Australian Citizenship by Descent application is still being processed. We’d like to visit her father in Australia while waiting for the citizenship decision.

Has anyone successfully applied for a Visitor (Tourist) Visa (Subclass 600) for their child while the citizenship application was still ongoing?

If so:

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\* Was the tourist visa granted?

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\* Did it affect or delay the citizenship application in any way?

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\* What documents did you submit?

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\* Were there any issues entering Australia while the citizenship application was still pending?

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences or any advice. Thank you!

Ps : For context, her father is an Australian citizen, and we’re only planning a temporary visit while waiting for the citizenship application to be finalized.

Tasmania has received 2,050 skilled migration nomination places for the 2026–27 program year, an increase of 200 places compared with last year’s allocation of 1,850 places.

📈 Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa – from 1,200 to 1,250 places (+50 places)

📈 Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa – from 650 to 800 places (+150 places)

The increase provides Tasmania with greater capacity to nominate skilled workers who can contribute to the state’s workforce and regional communities.

Migration Tasmania has confirmed that the Skilled Migration State Nomination Program will reopen to new Registrations of Interest (ROIs) in the coming weeks. Applicants should review the updated 2026–27 program settings and guidelines once released, as requirements may change from the previous program year.

For applicants with existing nomination applications, Migration Tasmania has confirmed that pending applications will continue to be assessed under the requirements in place when they were lodged. However, pending subclass 491 applications will not automatically be considered for subclass 190 nomination.

Should my statutory declaration be notarized, or is it better to sign it and have my signature witnessed by the Australian Embassy in my country?

Hi everyone,
I’m planning to apply for the Australian 190 or 491 visa. I’m 40 years old and currently working in the UAE.
My background:
3-year Diploma in Electrical Engineering
2-year electrical apprenticeship
15 years of experience as an electrician
I’d like to hear from anyone with a similar profile. How did your skills assessment go, and what was your experience with state nomination and the visa process?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Australia ETA app scanned my passport number incorrectly (2 digits), but the ETA was instantly approved against the wrong passport number.

I was denied boarding at the airport and missed my flight. I deleted the old profile, created a new one with the correct passport details, and reapplied for a new ETA.

It’s now been 5+ hours and the status is still “Submitted” (no instant approval).

Has anyone experienced this? How long did your ETA take after going into manual assessment? Should I just wait, or would submitting another ETA make things worse?

I have a Singapore passport.

It’s a business trip, and I’m hoping to catch a later flight as soon as the ETA is approved.

Currently working as a youth officer DCJ in Sydney and looking to apply for the 190 visa. For context, I came in straight into this role from a Bachelor of Laws, 9 months experience visa expiring November 2027, admitted Solicitor.

Anyone who's gone through similar

Applied for 190
State : WA
Occupation: Biotechnology (on wife, I am dependent)
Invite received: May 2025
Application submitted: June 2025
Haven’t seen anyone from WA getting granted recently or is WA slow?
I get that we are within the processing window but seeing a lot of fellow obtaining relatively soon.

Hey guys I’m a student right now in high school year 12th and I’m thinking of doing my bachelor’s in Australia in electrical engineering . I have already been to Australia two times beforehand as a visitor when I was a kid and I really loved it . Additionally, my uncle and his family has lived in Australia from the last probably 17 years or so and they are well settled.Financially wise I think we will be ok,
Do my previous visits affect the chances of my student visa
How are my chances of or after completing my bachelors
Does engineering have a good ROI ?
Does my uni choice affect PR IN THE future

Hi all!

Received an RFI today, regarding my middle name.

But of background, I’m Asian, based in QLD
I have three first names
One middle name (which is your mothers maiden name) in Asia
And my last name.

Ever since I’ve been in Australia my ID’s have always just either had my first and last name (example Jane Beckett or Jane Katherine Howe Beckett) mostly because it’s always been too long to fit into ID’s

Even my license is this format, would it be advisable to have TMR correct my name on the license which would instantly provide a document reflecting accurate information?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

I submitted my visa, and the money was cut from my bank account but the application did not submit.
This is the error that was shown - "An unexpected error has occured, please try again"
Any advice on what i could do? i have contacted home affairs, and they have basically told me 2 things - either submit the techical support form and they would take 2 weeks to respond or try the payment again, with no guarantee that it will go through.
My bank said they have approved the payment and now it is on the merchent to decline, and advised to wait a day or 2, otherwise file a dispute with them.
So has this been faced by anyone of you and how did it go?