Skilled Migration · Published 2026-10-29 · Updated 2026-10-29

State Nomination 2026-27: Which States Are Nominating for the 190 and 491?

Reviewed by a registered migration agent · MARN 1795282
Updated 29 October 2026

If you are weighing up a Skilled Nominated (190) or Skilled Work Regional (491) visa, the question that matters most in late 2026 is not “how many points do I have” but “which state will actually nominate me, and when”. This page tracks the official answer and is refreshed as Home Affairs publishes new figures.

Where nominations are going so far in 2026-27

Home Affairs’ first tally for the 2026-27 program year covers nominations issued between 1 July and 31 August 2026:

State / territory	Subclass 190	Subclass 491
Tasmania	206	55
Northern Territory	91	25
Western Australia	17	120
New South Wales	11	0
Queensland	6	under 5
ACT	under 5	under 5
South Australia	0	0
Victoria	0	0

Source: Home Affairs, SkillSelect invitation rounds page (state and territory nominations, 2026-27 program year), read 29 October 2026.

Three things stand out. Tasmania and the Northern Territory opened early and nominated hard. Western Australia is leaning on the regional 491. And the three biggest programs on paper, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, had barely started, which is about their opening dates rather than their appetite. Expect those numbers to move sharply once allocations are confirmed.

Why the 2026-27 allocations are still unpublished

An allocation is the number of new primary applicants a state or territory may nominate in a program year. As at 29 October 2026 the Home Affairs allocations page still shows only the 2025-26 table, so the states are working from interim arrangements. Last year the Government set the allocations on 4 November 2025, at 20,350 in total. The Government says it sets the numbers by considering each jurisdiction’s workforce and demographic needs, the number of applications already on hand, and the Migration Program planning levels.

For context, the 2026-27 Migration Program itself allocates 35,500 places to the State/Territory Nominated category (up from 33,000) and 14,110 to the Regional category shared by the 491 and the 494. Planning levels are visa grants; allocations are nominations. They are related but not the same number.

Last year’s allocations, state by state

The 2025-26 allocations are the best guide to the shape of this year’s until the new table appears:

State / territory	190 (2025-26)	491 (2025-26)
ACT	800	800
New South Wales	2,100	1,500
Northern Territory	850	800
Queensland	1,850	750
South Australia	1,350	900
Tasmania	1,200	650
Victoria	2,700	700
Western Australia	2,000	1,400
Total	12,850	7,500

Source: Home Affairs, state and territory nomination allocations page, read 29 October 2026.

How to choose a state (and not waste months)

Start with your occupation. Each state publishes its own list. An occupation that is open in Tasmania or the NT may be closed in NSW, and vice versa. The 190 page and 491 page explain which national lists apply before the state list is layered on top.
Check the residence and work rules. Many states prefer or require people already living and working in the state, sometimes for 6 or 12 months, and some streams want a job offer in a skilled occupation.
Weigh 190 against 491. The 190 gives permanent residence directly and 5 points; the 491 gives 15 points and leads to permanent residence through the 191 after three years in a regional area on the required income. Regional states are nominating the 491 far more readily this year.
Lodge the Expression of Interest now. It is free, it is how states find you, and when a state opens the people already in SkillSelect are the ones invited.
Watch the processing order. Under Ministerial Direction 122 priority-sector occupations and onshore applicants are decided first once nominated.

What we will update on this page

Home Affairs publishes the nomination tally monthly and the allocations once a year. We refresh this page when either changes, with the date of the source.

General information only, current as at 29 October 2026 and subject to change. It is not migration advice for your circumstances.

Frequently asked questions

Have the 2026-27 state nomination allocations been announced?

Not as at 29 October 2026. The Home Affairs allocations page still shows only the 2025-26 table. Last year the Government set the allocations on 4 November 2025, so an announcement in November is plausible but not guaranteed. The 2026-27 Migration Program itself sets aside 35,500 State/Territory Nominated places, up from 33,000.

Which state is nominating the most people right now?

Home Affairs' first 2026-27 tally (1 July to 31 August 2026) shows Tasmania with 206 subclass 190 nominations and 55 subclass 491 nominations, the Northern Territory with 91 and 25, and Western Australia with 17 and 120. New South Wales had 11 190s and no 491s, Queensland 6 and under 5, the ACT under 5 in each, and South Australia and Victoria had nominated nobody. These are nominations issued, not visas granted.

Why do the numbers differ so much between states?

Each state and territory runs its own program: it opens and closes on its own dates, sets its own occupation list and criteria (for example, living or working in the state, a job offer, or a minimum period of residence), and spends its allocation in its own order. Some states open early in the program year; others wait for their allocation to be confirmed. A low tally in August says more about timing than about a state's annual intake.

What were last year's allocations by state?

For 2025-26 the Government set 20,350 allocations: subclass 190 ACT 800, NSW 2,100, NT 850, Queensland 1,850, SA 1,350, Tasmania 1,200, Victoria 2,700, WA 2,000 (12,850 in total); subclass 491 ACT 800, NSW 1,500, NT 800, Queensland 750, SA 900, Tasmania 650, Victoria 700, WA 1,400 (7,500 in total). Allocations are the number of new primary applicants a state can nominate, not the number of visas granted.

Should I wait for the allocations before lodging an Expression of Interest?

No. Your Expression of Interest in SkillSelect costs nothing and states can only see you once it is there. Lodge it with your points, skills assessment and English result complete, select the states you would genuinely move to, and register with each state's own portal where one is required. When a state opens, the candidates already in the system get the invitations.

Does the 190 or 491 processing order favour anyone?

Yes. Since 19 September 2026, Ministerial Direction 122 sets the order in which 190 and 491 (and 189, 186, 494 and 191) applications are processed: construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, resources, law-enforcement and defence occupations first, then applicants in Australia, then offshore applicants without family, then everyone else.