South Australia’s Skilled & Business Migration unit has kicked off 2026 by issuing 344 invitations across its Subclass 190 (permanent) and Subclass 491 (regional provisional) visa streams. The 6 January round is the first for the calendar year and confirms that the state will continue monthly invitation cycles through the 2025-26 programme year.
Health professionals again dominated demand, securing 69 invitations, followed by engineers, ICT specialists and educators. Hospitality, trades and social-welfare occupations also featured, underscoring South Australia’s broad labour needs outside the capital. In total, 235 invitations went to on-shore and offshore candidates for the Subclass 190 permanent visa, while 109 invitations were issued for the regional 491 visa.
If you’re gathering documents or looking for expert guidance on any Australian visa, VisaHQ’s online platform can simplify the process with step-by-step checklists, real-time tracking and dedicated customer support. Full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/australia/.
![South Australia issues 344 skilled-migration invitations in first round of 2026]()
The state has now invited 931 applicants since 1 July 2025, already 38 percent of its notional GSM quota. Officials said they intend to keep monthly rounds to give employers and migrants more predictability and to help clear the national visa backlog.
For businesses, the data signal continued access to permanent and regional pathways and a receptive stance toward high-demand skillsets such as health, engineering and ICT. Prospective migrants should ensure skills assessments and English tests remain valid so they can accept invitations quickly; failure to respond within 14 days results in forfeiture.
With competition likely to intensify as other states reopen their programmes after the summer shutdown, early January invitations give South Australia a head-start in attracting talent before larger jurisdictions enter the market next month.
Health professionals again dominated demand, securing 69 invitations, followed by engineers, ICT specialists and educators. Hospitality, trades and social-welfare occupations also featured, underscoring South Australia’s broad labour needs outside the capital. In total, 235 invitations went to on-shore and offshore candidates for the Subclass 190 permanent visa, while 109 invitations were issued for the regional 491 visa.
If you’re gathering documents or looking for expert guidance on any Australian visa, VisaHQ’s online platform can simplify the process with step-by-step checklists, real-time tracking and dedicated customer support. Full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/australia/.
The state has now invited 931 applicants since 1 July 2025, already 38 percent of its notional GSM quota. Officials said they intend to keep monthly rounds to give employers and migrants more predictability and to help clear the national visa backlog.
For businesses, the data signal continued access to permanent and regional pathways and a receptive stance toward high-demand skillsets such as health, engineering and ICT. Prospective migrants should ensure skills assessments and English tests remain valid so they can accept invitations quickly; failure to respond within 14 days results in forfeiture.
With competition likely to intensify as other states reopen their programmes after the summer shutdown, early January invitations give South Australia a head-start in attracting talent before larger jurisdictions enter the market next month.
