Overview
Invitation rounds for Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) and Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) – Family Sponsored visas will be run cyclically during the program year.
Invitation numbers in each round may vary depending on the number of applications being processed by the Department.
State or territory government nominations for skilled visas will not be impacted by the departmental invitation rounds.
Occupation ceilings for invitation rounds
An ‘occupation ceiling’ may be applied to invitations issued under the independent, and skilled regional (provisional) visas. This means there will be a reasonable upper limit on how many Expressions of Interest can be invited for skilled migration from an occupation group. This ensures that the skilled migration program remains balanced and continues to invite intending migrants across a variety of skilled occupations.
Occupation ceiling values are based on a percentage of stock employment figures for each occupation. Employment figures are provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and represent the number of people employed in Australia in each occupation.
Occupation ceilings do not apply to State or Territory Nominated or Business Innovation and Investment visa subclasses.
Current round
Invitations issued on 25 May 2023
The table below shows the number of invitations issued in the SkillSelect invitation round on 25 May 2023.
| Visa subclass | Number |
|---|---|
| Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) | 7,353 |
| Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) – Family Sponsored | 74 |
Invitation process and cut offs
The highest ranked individuals by points score are invited to apply for the relevant visa. Those who have equal points scores, the time at which they reached their points score for that subclass (referred to as the date of effect) determines their order of invitation. Expressions of Interest with earlier dates of effect are invited before later dates.
| Visa subclass | Minimum points score | Latest date of effect month |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) | 65 | 05/2023 |
| Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) – Family Sponsored) | 65 | 04/2023 |
Occupations included in 25 May 2023 Invitation Round
| 189 | 491 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Occupation | Offshore** | Onshore** | Offshore** | Onshore** |
| Audiologist | 65 | 65 | 65 | N/A* |
| Cardiothoracic Surgeon | N/A* | 75 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Child Care Centre Manager | 65 | 65 | N/A* | 90 |
| Chiropractor | 70 | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Clinical Psychologist | 65 | 80 | 90 | N/A* |
| Diagnostic and Interventional Radiologist | 65 | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher | 65 | 65 | 65 | 70 |
| Educational Psychologist | N/A* | 70 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Emergency Medicine Specialist | 75 | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Gastroenterologist | 65 | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| General Practitioner | 65 | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Intensive Care Specialist | 70 | 70 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Medical Diagnostic Radiographer | 65 | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Medical Laboratory Scientist | 65 | 65 | 70 | 90 |
| Medical Practitioners nec | 65 | 65 | 85 | 75 |
| Medical Radiation Therapist | 85 | 80 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Midwife | 65 | 65 | 70 | N/A* |
| Neurosurgeon | 80 | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologist | 65 | 80 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Nurse Practitioner | 65 | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* |
| Obstetrician and Gynaecologist | N/A* | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Occupational Therapist | 65 | 65 | 85 | N/A* |
| Optometrist | 70 | 70 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Organisational Psychologist | N/A* | 90 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Orthotist or Prosthetist | N/A* | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Osteopath | N/A* | 75 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Paediatrician | 75 | 70 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Patho | N/A* | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Physiotherapist | 65 | 65 | 70 | 75 |
| Podiatrist | 65 | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Psychiatrist | 65 | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Psychologists nec | 65 | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Radiation Oncologist | 85 | 85 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Registered Nurse (Aged Care) | 65 | 65 | N/A* | 85 |
| Registered Nurse (Child and Family Health) | 65 | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Registered Nurse (Community Health) | 65 | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Registered Nurse (Critical Care and Emergency) | 65 | 65 | 75 | N/A* |
| Registered Nurse (Developmental Disability) | N/A* | 85 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Registered Nurse (Disability and Rehabilitation) | 65 | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Registered Nurse (Medical Practice) | 65 | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Registered Nurse (Medical) | 65 | 65 | 65 | N/A* |
| Registered Nurse (Mental Health) | 65 | 65 | 75 | N/A* |
| Registered Nurse (Paediatrics) | 65 | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Registered Nurse (Perioperative) | 65 | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Registered Nurse (Surgical) | 65 | 65 | N/A* | 85 |
| Registered Nurses nec | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 |
| Rheumatologist | 75 | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* |
| Secondary School Teacher | 65 | 65 | 70 | 100 |
| Sonographer | 65 | 70 | 65 | N/A* |
| Special Needs Teacher | 65 | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Specialist Physician (General Medicine) | 90 | 70 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Specialist Physicians nec | 65 | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Speech Pathologist | 65 | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Surgeon (General) | 90 | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Teacher of the Hearing Impaired | 65 | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* |
| Thoracic Medicine Specialist | N/A* | 75 | N/A* | N/A* |
| Vascular Surgeon | N/A* | 65 | N/A* | N/A* |
* Results could indicate that no candidates were available to be invited, or did not meet parameters to receive an invite.
** Onshore/Offshore location as indicated in SkillSelect system at the time invites were issued.
Invitations issued during 2022-23 program year
| Visa subclass | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) | 12,200 | 11,982 | 35,000 | 7,353 | ||||||||
| Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) – Family Sponsored | 466 | 847 | 120 | 74 |
The above figures do not include invitations issued for State and Territory Government nominated visa subclasses. State and Territory Governments nominate throughout the month for specific points tested skilled migration and business innovation and investment visas.
State and Territory nominations
State and Territory nominations 2022-23 program year
Nominations by State and Territory Governments – 2022-23 total activity
The number of intending migrants who received nominations from State and Territory Governments from 1 July 2022 to 30 April 2023 is shown in the following table:
| Visa subclass | ACT | NSW | NT | Qld | SA | Tas. | Vic. | WA |
| Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) | 1,309 | 9,015 | 553 | 1,848 | 2,597 | 1,643 | 11,193 | 3,419 |
| Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) State and Territory Nominated | 1,481 | 3,733 | 648 | 1,159 | 4,986 | 1,614 | 1,926 | 2,034 |
| Business Innovation and Investment (provisional) visa (subclass 188) | <20 | 260 | <20 | 235 | 59 | <20 | 163 | 40 |
