SkillSelect invitation rounds
In periodic rounds, the Department of Home Affairs invites the highest-ranked SkillSelect candidates to apply for a skilled visa. This is the round-by-round history since 2022: how many invitations went out, and the lowest points score that got one. Work out your own points first.
Latest round
4 June 2026 · subclass 189 (Points-tested)
- Invitations
- 10,000
- Points floor
- 65
- Program year
- 2025-26
Tie-break date of effect around late April 2026. Trades invited near 65; most professional occupations 80 and above; ICT and accounting 95 and higher.
189 invitation volume by round
Round sizes swing hard with the backlog and each year’s skilled allocation. The monthly 2022-23 rounds cleared a pandemic backlog; 2023-24 had just two.
2026-27 program year
| Round date | Visa | Stream | Invitations | Min points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Sept 2026(projected; official figures not yet published) | 189 | Points-tested | 7,000 | 65Projection based on the quarterly cadence and the 2026-27 skilled allocation. Home Affairs does not announce round dates or cut-offs in advance. |
2025-26 program year
| Round date | Visa | Stream | Invitations | Min points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 June 2026 | 189 | Points-tested | 10,000 | 65Tie-break date of effect around late April 2026. Trades invited near 65; most professional occupations 80 and above; ICT and accounting 95 and higher. |
| 13 Nov 2025 | 491 | Family Sponsored | 300 | 65 |
| 13 Nov 2025 | 189 | Points-tested | 10,000 | 65Trades from 65; health and education from ~80; engineering ~85; ICT and accounting 90 and above |
| 21 Aug 2025 | 491 | Family Sponsored | 150 | 65 |
| 21 Aug 2025 | 189 | Points-tested | 6,887 | 65Trades near 65; most professional occupations 75 and above; ICT and accounting ~90 |
2024-25 program year
| Round date | Visa | Stream | Invitations | Min points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Nov 2024 | 189 | Points-tested | 15,000 | 65Largest single 189 round on record at the time. Trades and several health occupations invited near 65; ICT and accounting still 90 and above. |
2023-24 program year
| Round date | Visa | Stream | Invitations | Min points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 June 2024 | 189 | Points-tested | 5,292 | 65Official occupation table: trades from 65; nursing, teaching and most health from 85; civil, electrical and mechanical engineering 90; ICT, accounting, developer/software roles 100; Shipwright 105. |
| 18 Dec 2023 | 491 | Family Sponsored | 79 | 65 |
| 18 Dec 2023 | 189 | Points-tested | 8,300 | 65 |
2022-23 program year
| Round date | Visa | Stream | Invitations | Min points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Dec 2022 | 491 | Family Sponsored | 120 | 65 |
| 8 Dec 2022 | 189 | Points-tested | 35,000 | 65The largest SkillSelect round ever run, part of clearing the backlog against the expanded 2022-23 permanent Migration Program. |
| 6 Oct 2022 | 189 | Points-tested | 11,714 | 65 |
| 6 Oct 2022 | 491 | Family Sponsored | 818 | 65 |
| 22 Aug 2022 | 189 | Points-tested | 12,200 | 65 |
| 22 Aug 2022 | 491 | Family Sponsored | 466 | 65 |
A note on projected rounds
Rows marked projected are our estimate of a future round’s likely timing and cut-off, based on the pattern of past rounds and published program allocations. They are not official. Home Affairs does not announce round dates or cut-offs in advance. For the reasoning behind each projection, see our What we’re watching posts.
Common questions
- How often are subclass 189 invitation rounds held?
- It has changed. Through the 2022-23 program year rounds ran roughly monthly while the department cleared a backlog. In 2023-24 there were only two 189 rounds, in December 2023 and June 2024. Since the 2025-26 year the department has settled on a roughly quarterly pattern, with rounds in August, November, and June. Dates are never announced in advance.
- What was the minimum points score in the most recent round?
- The pool pass mark is 65 points and every round to date has invited from 65 for the most in-demand occupations, mostly trades. The 4 June 2026 round for the subclass 189 was no different: 65 at the floor, rising through the 80s for health and engineering and to about 100 for ICT and accounting.
- Why do ICT and accounting applicants need 95 or more when the pass mark is 65?
- Each occupation group has an annual ceiling on how many people can be invited. Accounting, ICT, and engineering attract far more high-scoring expressions of interest than their ceilings allow, so the department works down from the top and the effective cut-off for those occupations sits well above the 65-point floor. Trades occupations receive fewer applications, so they clear near the floor.
- How many invitations does a 189 round issue?
- It varies widely with how many applications are on hand and the size of that year's skilled migration allocation. Recent 189 rounds have ranged from about 5,292 invitations up to 35,000. The December 2022 round was the largest ever at around 35,000.
- When is the next subclass 189 round?
- The Department of Home Affairs does not publish a schedule. Based on the recent quarterly pattern the next round is likely around September 2026, but treat any date before it appears on the official SkillSelect page as an estimate.
- Where do these figures come from?
- The 2022-23 and 2023-24 rounds are from the Department of Home Affairs' own invitation-rounds page and its 2022-23 Freedom of Information release. Later rounds are cross-checked against established Australian migration-practice sources because the official SkillSelect page blocks automated access. Every row links its source and carries a last-verified date.
This is general information, not immigration advice, and Where To Apply is not a registered migration agent. Points cut-offs and round timing are historical and estimated data, not a guarantee for any future round — always confirm current SkillSelect rules on the Department of Home Affairs website or with a registered migration agent (check their MARN on the OMARA website) before you apply.