189 Visa, 190 Visa and 491 Visa Updates - June 2023

In this blog, we will talk about the 189 visas and all the updates from each state and territory regarding the 190 and 491 visas.

We will look at the number of intending migrants who received nominations from State and Territory Governments from 1 July 2022 to 8 June 2023. Please note that this number does not include the pre-invitations that the states have recently issued.

The Department of Home Affairs held a small invitation round on 25 May 2023. 7353 invitations were sent out for 189, and 74 invitations were sent out for the 491 Family sponsored visas. The minimum cut-off points were 65, and both onshore and offshore applicants were invited. Only critical occupations relating to health and teaching were invited for this invitation round.

189 Visa, 190 Visa and 491 Visa Updates - June 2023: Total Number of 189 Invitations

NORTHERN TERRITORY

The nomination eligibility criteria for offshore General Skilled Migration applicants have changed. It includes the following:

• reduced work experience requirement (one year down from 3 years for most occupations)

• more occupations added to the Priority Occupations Stream

• expansion of the Family Support Stream to enable regional provisional (subclass 489, 491, and 494) visa holders and those who hold bridging visas after having applied for regional permanent residency (subclass 887 and 191) visas to support family members applying for nomination

As of 8 June 2023, Northern Territory still has 26 seats left for 190 visas and 269 for 491 visas.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

• General Skilled Migration (ROI, 491 and 190 and BIIP) programs closed to new applications as of 8 June 2023. Any applications that have commenced but not lodged before 8 June 2023 will be deleted from the system.

• Existing applications that have been lodged before 8 June 2023 will continue to be assessed.

• Pending an allocation of 190 nominations from the Commonwealth Government for the 2023-24 program year, applicants who are assessed as eligible for 190 state nominations will receive a nomination in the upcoming program year.

South Australia still has 71 seats left for 190 visas and 313 for 491 visas, as per the Department of Home Affairs website data.

TASMANIA

The state nomination program remains open. Tasmania still has 150 seats left for 190 visas and 210 for 491 visas.

VICTORIA

• IC state nomination program is now closed to Registrations of Interest (ROI). Submitted ROI will continue to be assessed and selected for invitations to apply for Victorian visa nomination.

• If an ROI is withdrawn, applications can only submit a new one once the 2023-24 program opens.

• Victoria is still working through the ROIs received until 5 May 2023 and has 120 seats left for 190 visas and 2 seats left for 491 visas.

AUSTRALIA CAPITAL TERRITORY

• The next invitation round will happen before 14 July 2023

• The Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) closed for this financial year.

ACT has 324 places left for 190 visas and 277 for 491 visas.

NEW SOUTH WALES

The state nomination program remains open. New South Wales still has 24 seats left for 190 visas and 314 for 491 visas, as per the Department of Home Affairs website data.

QUEENSLAND

The state nomination program is still open. Migration Queensland has recently invited lawyers and migration agents to register their clients, skilled workers living in Queensland and offshore, with a decision-ready application to be considered for priority processing for a state-nominated visa. They have mentioned on their website that given the limited quota remaining for the financial year, only some people who register will be invited.

As the Applicant you:

• Must be living and working in Queensland (does not include graduates of a Queensland university or 491-SBO applicants) or offshore.

• Must meet all Queensland nomination criteria.

• Skilled workers living in Queensland and Skilled Workers living offshore must provide a decision-ready application (i.e., all documents must be ready to upload immediately upon an invitation being issued). Migration Queensland will not offer extensions.

Migration Queensland continues to process other pathways within our skilled nomination allocation for the 2022-2023 financial year, including graduates of a Queensland university and small business owners operating in regional Queensland.

Migration Queensland still has 772 seats left for 190 visas and 634 seats for 491 visas.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Western Australia still has 645 seats left for 190 visas and 488 for 491 visas.

These were all the updates we had about 189 Visa, 190 Visa and 491 Visa. If you have any questions in regards to Australian Migration, please get in touch with us.

Source of data:

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skillselect/invitation-rounds

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/migration-program-planning-levels