The Department of Home Affairs has finalised its state and territory nomination ceilings for the 2026-26 skilled-migration program, setting the overall cap at 20,350 permanent places across the Subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated) and Subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional) visas. Details leaked on 23 January 2026 show a marked tightening compared with the 32,300 places available in the current year.
New South Wales receives the largest share—4,000 places—followed by Victoria with 3,400 and Western Australia with 3,400. Smaller jurisdictions such as the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory have 1,200 and 1,650 spots respectively. Because the Subclass 190 pathway leads directly to permanent residency, interest is expected to far exceed supply; immigration lawyers are already advising clients to prepare “decision-ready” files and monitor occupation lists daily as each state releases its own nomination criteria over the coming weeks.
VisaHQ can help applicants and employers navigate this tighter environment. Through its dedicated Australia page (https://www.visahq.com/australia/), the service offers up-to-date visa requirement checks, personalised document checklists and automated deadline reminders, allowing candidates and HR teams to lodge state-nomination files quickly and accurately when those narrow windows open.
![Canberra Confirms 20,350 Skilled-Migration Places for 2026–26 Program Year]()
For employers, the lower ceiling translates to fiercer competition for skilled talent. HR teams are being urged to lodge Expressions of Interest early, front-load skills assessments and health checks, and consider the Subclass 491 regional option—now accounting for 7,500 places—as a strategic alternative. Although temporary, the 491 visa offers a pathway to permanent residence after three years of regional employment and income compliance.
Migration think-tank FutureWork Lab says the reduced intake signals the government’s pivot toward “smaller, more targeted” migration to ease rental-market pressure while still supporting critical skills. Sectors flagged for priority processing include health, advanced manufacturing, renewable-energy engineering and cyber-security.
Prospective applicants should expect nomination portals to open progressively from February. Given the compressed numbers, experts recommend engaging state migration agents and tracking weekly occupation-list updates to avoid missing narrow application windows.
New South Wales receives the largest share—4,000 places—followed by Victoria with 3,400 and Western Australia with 3,400. Smaller jurisdictions such as the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory have 1,200 and 1,650 spots respectively. Because the Subclass 190 pathway leads directly to permanent residency, interest is expected to far exceed supply; immigration lawyers are already advising clients to prepare “decision-ready” files and monitor occupation lists daily as each state releases its own nomination criteria over the coming weeks.
VisaHQ can help applicants and employers navigate this tighter environment. Through its dedicated Australia page (https://www.visahq.com/australia/), the service offers up-to-date visa requirement checks, personalised document checklists and automated deadline reminders, allowing candidates and HR teams to lodge state-nomination files quickly and accurately when those narrow windows open.
For employers, the lower ceiling translates to fiercer competition for skilled talent. HR teams are being urged to lodge Expressions of Interest early, front-load skills assessments and health checks, and consider the Subclass 491 regional option—now accounting for 7,500 places—as a strategic alternative. Although temporary, the 491 visa offers a pathway to permanent residence after three years of regional employment and income compliance.
Migration think-tank FutureWork Lab says the reduced intake signals the government’s pivot toward “smaller, more targeted” migration to ease rental-market pressure while still supporting critical skills. Sectors flagged for priority processing include health, advanced manufacturing, renewable-energy engineering and cyber-security.
Prospective applicants should expect nomination portals to open progressively from February. Given the compressed numbers, experts recommend engaging state migration agents and tracking weekly occupation-list updates to avoid missing narrow application windows.
