South Australia has become the first state to issue skilled-migration invitations in the 2025-26 programme year, dispatching 344 invites on 6 January and announcing the results today. Of these, 235 are for the permanent Subclass 190 visa and 109 for the provisional regional Subclass 491.
State authorities say the round targeted engineers, teachers, health professionals and agricultural scientists, reflecting persistent labour shortages outside Adelaide. Monthly invitation rounds will continue, with occupation lists adjusted dynamically based on employer demand.
For employers, the early January activity is significant: candidates who receive state nomination now can lodge their federal visa applications before the post-holiday processing surge peaks, improving grant prospects and mobilisation timelines.
![South Australia Kicks Off 2026 Skilled-Migration Year With 344 Invitations]()
At this stage, many applicants turn to third-party facilitation services to avoid documentation pitfalls. VisaHQ, for example, combines live consultancy with an intuitive digital platform to help skilled migrants and sponsoring employers assemble complete Subclass 190 or 491 lodgements, monitor status updates, and stay ahead of changing state occupation lists. You can learn more about their Australian offerings here: https://www.visahq.com/australia/.
South Australia’s generous nomination criteria—lower required points for regional settlement and extra points for offshore applicants—remain in place. Mobility managers should note, however, that English-language and skills-assessment validity rules are being enforced strictly after recent compliance audits.
Applicants unable to secure a 190 invite are being encouraged to accept 491 nominations and transition to permanent residence after three years, a pathway particularly attractive to STEM graduates willing to live in regional hubs such as Mount Gambier or Port Augusta.
State authorities say the round targeted engineers, teachers, health professionals and agricultural scientists, reflecting persistent labour shortages outside Adelaide. Monthly invitation rounds will continue, with occupation lists adjusted dynamically based on employer demand.
For employers, the early January activity is significant: candidates who receive state nomination now can lodge their federal visa applications before the post-holiday processing surge peaks, improving grant prospects and mobilisation timelines.
At this stage, many applicants turn to third-party facilitation services to avoid documentation pitfalls. VisaHQ, for example, combines live consultancy with an intuitive digital platform to help skilled migrants and sponsoring employers assemble complete Subclass 190 or 491 lodgements, monitor status updates, and stay ahead of changing state occupation lists. You can learn more about their Australian offerings here: https://www.visahq.com/australia/.
South Australia’s generous nomination criteria—lower required points for regional settlement and extra points for offshore applicants—remain in place. Mobility managers should note, however, that English-language and skills-assessment validity rules are being enforced strictly after recent compliance audits.
Applicants unable to secure a 190 invite are being encouraged to accept 491 nominations and transition to permanent residence after three years, a pathway particularly attractive to STEM graduates willing to live in regional hubs such as Mount Gambier or Port Augusta.
