Australia’s Department of Home Affairs quietly published the final state-nomination allocations for the 2025-26 programme year on Saturday, 22 November, locking in just 20,350 skilled-migration places—down almost 25 percent on the previous cycle. The allocation includes 12,850 permanent Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated visas and 7,500 Subclass 491 Skilled Work (Regional) visas.
New South Wales secured the largest share (4,000) followed by Victoria and Western Australia (3,400 each). Queensland received 2,600 places—thanks to an extra 1,250 Subclass 190 slots—while South Australia obtained 2,250. The Australian Capital Territory received just 1,200 nominations, the smallest of any jurisdiction, raising concerns among Canberra’s technology employers.
![Government Confirms 20,350 State-Nominated Skilled-Migration Places for 2025-26]()
The tighter quota comes amid warnings from the Future Skills Organisation that Australia could face a 250,000-worker shortfall in finance, technology and professional services by 2030. Employers say the reduced numbers will intensify competition for overseas talent and lengthen lead times for critical hires. Migration agents expect Expression-of-Interest points thresholds to rise by 5-to-10 points in popular occupations such as software engineering and nursing.
For corporate mobility teams, the message is clear: lodging well-documented EOIs early in the programme year—and considering regional pathways—will be essential. Waiting lists for skills assessments are also lengthening; some engineering bodies report eight-week queues. Companies are advised to budget extra time and to explore employer-sponsored alternatives such as the Temporary Skill Shortage (Subclass 482) visa for priority hires.
States have until 30 June 2026 to use their allocations, but several, including Victoria and the ACT, have hinted they may close invitation rounds early if quotas fill quickly. Mobility managers should monitor each state’s occupation list updates, which are expected in January, and adjust recruitment pipelines accordingly.
New South Wales secured the largest share (4,000) followed by Victoria and Western Australia (3,400 each). Queensland received 2,600 places—thanks to an extra 1,250 Subclass 190 slots—while South Australia obtained 2,250. The Australian Capital Territory received just 1,200 nominations, the smallest of any jurisdiction, raising concerns among Canberra’s technology employers.
The tighter quota comes amid warnings from the Future Skills Organisation that Australia could face a 250,000-worker shortfall in finance, technology and professional services by 2030. Employers say the reduced numbers will intensify competition for overseas talent and lengthen lead times for critical hires. Migration agents expect Expression-of-Interest points thresholds to rise by 5-to-10 points in popular occupations such as software engineering and nursing.
For corporate mobility teams, the message is clear: lodging well-documented EOIs early in the programme year—and considering regional pathways—will be essential. Waiting lists for skills assessments are also lengthening; some engineering bodies report eight-week queues. Companies are advised to budget extra time and to explore employer-sponsored alternatives such as the Temporary Skill Shortage (Subclass 482) visa for priority hires.
States have until 30 June 2026 to use their allocations, but several, including Victoria and the ACT, have hinted they may close invitation rounds early if quotas fill quickly. Mobility managers should monitor each state’s occupation list updates, which are expected in January, and adjust recruitment pipelines accordingly.
