SkillSelect EOI and Invitation Rounds Explained: Cut-offs, Tie-breaks and 2026–27 Outlook

SkillSelect is the online system where you lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) for Australia’s points-tested skilled visas, and invitation rounds are how Home Affairs picks EOIs for the 189 and the family-sponsored 491. The last published round, on 4 June 2026, invited 10,000 people for the 189 with minimum scores from 65 to 100 points. As of 11 October 2026, no 189 invitations had been issued in the 2026–27 program year, and Home Affairs says the next 189 round will be held on 15 October 2026.

Key points

• You cannot apply for a 189, 190 or 491 visa without an invitation through SkillSelect.
• Home Affairs runs rounds for the 189 and the 491 (Family Sponsored). States and territories issue invitations for the 190 and state-nominated 491 by nominating you.
• The highest scores are invited first. Ties are broken by the date and time you reached your score.
• The 4 June 2026 round issued 10,000 invitations with a tie-break date of 24 April 2026.
• The 2026–27 Skilled Independent planning level rose to 21,090 places, up from 16,900.

How SkillSelect works

According to the SkillSelect page, you need to be invited to apply for a skilled visa. The EOI tells Home Affairs and state governments about your occupation, skills assessment, English, work experience and qualifications. You do not upload documents at this stage, but everything you claim must be true and provable later.

The process:

1. Get a skills assessment for your nominated occupation from the relevant assessing authority.
2. Take an approved English test and get the score you plan to claim.
3. Submit your EOI in SkillSelect and select each visa you want to be considered for (189, 190, 491).
4. Wait for an invitation. For the 189 and 491 Family Sponsored, this comes from a Home Affairs round. For the 190 and state-nominated 491, a state or territory nominates you and that triggers the invitation.
5. Lodge your visa application within the time stated in the invitation, with documents proving every claim.

Your points are calculated automatically from what you enter. For how points are worked out, see our Australia points test guide.

How invitations are ranked

The invitation rounds page sets out the rules for the 189 and the 491 Family Sponsored:

• The highest-ranked EOI by points is invited before any EOI with a lower score.
• For EOIs with equal points, Home Affairs looks at the date and time each EOI reached that score for that subclass. This is called the “tie break” or “date of effect”. The earlier date is invited first.

Two practical lessons follow. First, if your points go up, update your EOI promptly because your new date of effect starts when you reach the higher score. Second, if your points go down (for example, you move into an older age band), your date of effect changes too.

Occupation ceilings

An occupation ceiling is an upper limit on how many EOIs Home Affairs can invite from an occupation group. Ceilings help keep the program balanced across occupations. They do not apply to 190 invitations or to the State and Territory Nominated stream of the 491.

The 4 June 2026 round in detail

The 4 June 2026 round invited 10,000 EOIs for the 189, with a tie-break date of 24 April 2026. Minimum scores varied widely by occupation. A selection from the official results:

Minimum points	Examples of occupations
65	Carpenter, Bricklayer, Electrician (General), Plumber (General), Glazier, Stonemason, Wall and Floor Tiler
70	Gasfitter
75	General Practitioner, Midwife, Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist, Secondary School Teacher, several Registered Nurse specialties
80	Solicitor, Veterinarian, Economist, Mining Engineer, Construction Project Manager
85	Architect, Chemist, Sonographer, Surgeon (General)
90	Actuary, Statistician
95	Electronics Engineer, Telecommunications Engineer, Microbiologist, Multimedia Specialist
100	Urologist

Source: Home Affairs invitation rounds, 4 June 2026.

The pattern matches government priorities: construction trades were invited at the minimum 65 points, and health and teaching occupations at 75. Several large occupation groups do not appear in the published list for that round, including common accounting and software roles. If your occupation is missing, check the full table and consider state nomination.

2026–27 so far: no 189 rounds yet

The Home Affairs table of invitations for the 2026–27 program year (July 2026 to June 2027) showed zero invitations for both the 189 and the 491 Family Sponsored as of 11 October 2026. Home Affairs has not published a reason.

However, an alert on the SkillSelect pages says the next invitation round for the 189 will be held on 15 October 2026 and asks candidates to make sure their EOI is up to date and accurate. Results usually appear on the invitation rounds page after the round. We will report the outcome on our updates page.

Why 2026–27 could see more 189 invitations

The 2026–27 planning levels increased Skilled Independent places from 16,900 to 21,090. Home Affairs says this recognises the visa’s “strong record of highly skilled employment and positive fiscal outcomes”. More places do not guarantee lower cut-offs, because the number of EOIs in the pool also matters, and invitations do not translate one-for-one into visa grants.

State nominations in 2026–27

States and territories nominate throughout the year based on their own criteria. Home Affairs publishes running totals. From 1 July to 31 August 2026, nominations were low across most states. For example, South Australia had nominated 206 people for the 190, and Western Australia 120 for the state-nominated 491. Check the live table before relying on any state’s figures.

Note that Regional places (mainly the 491) fell from 33,000 to 14,110 in 2026–27, so 491 nominations are likely to be scarcer. Our comparison of 189 vs 190 vs 491 explains which visa suits which profile.

After an invitation: processing order

Being invited is not the end. Since 19 September 2026, skilled visa applications including the 189, 190 and 491 are processed under Ministerial Direction 122. Applications in priority sectors (construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, resources, and law enforcement and defence interests) come first, then onshore applicants, then offshore applicants applying alone, then everyone else (processing priorities).

Common EOI mistakes to avoid

• Claiming points you cannot prove. The EOI does not ask for documents, but your visa application does. If your evidence does not support the score you were invited on, the application can be refused.
• Letting an English result or skills assessment expire. Check the validity periods of your test result and skills assessment, and update the EOI if they change.
• Forgetting age bands. Your points are assessed at invitation. If you move from the 25–32 band to 33–39, you lose 5 points and your date of effect changes.
• Selecting too few options. If you would accept state nomination, select the 190 and 491 as well as the 189, and indicate the states you are interested in.

What to do next

1. Check your EOI before 15 October 2026. Make sure your English results, experience and skills assessment are current and correct.
2. Compare your score to the 4 June 2026 minimum for your occupation.
3. If your score is below recent cut-offs, look at ways to add points or at state nomination.
4. Never claim points you cannot prove. Incorrect claims can lead to refusal.
5. If you are unsure about a claim, speak to a registered migration agent.

For the full range of options, see our Australia PR pathways guide and the Australia hub.