State nomination 2026–27: a dated planning snapshot across Australia

Understand the visa and nomination separately

Subclass 190 is a permanent visa requiring state or territory nomination. Subclass 491 is a regional provisional visa; nomination is one route, while an eligible family-sponsorship route also exists. A later 191 application is conditional, not automatic conversion to PR.

Meeting the federal visa criteria does not establish nomination eligibility or competitiveness in every jurisdiction. State selection may depend on occupation, employment, residence, ranking and other published conditions.

What the source check showed

Read each item with its program-year qualification. A source page describing a stream does not, by itself, establish that it is accepting applications now.

• NSW: distinguish the selection-based 190 process from regional 491 pathways. The 491 source carries a closure notice and earlier program material; do not assume all listed pathways are open.
• Victoria: the published 2026–27 Victoria Point Test System is a separate ROI ranking system. At the check, the source said opening and further criteria were still to come.
• Queensland: the homepage announced 2025–26 ROI closure and said updated settings and an opening date would follow. Earlier stream descriptions are not verified 2026–27 eligibility.
• Western Australia: the linked detailed source described 2025–26 General and Graduate streams. Check a current-year publication rather than carrying those rules forward.
• South Australia: the published framework distinguishes local graduate, skilled employment, outer-regional and offshore streams. Current availability and stream criteria need separate checks.
• Tasmania: the August announcement scheduled new 2026–27 ROIs from 17 August and confirmed 1,250 places for 190 and 800 for 491. These are nomination allocations, not invitations or visa grants.
• ACT: assess the relevant resident, overseas or other pathway. Canberra Matrix ranking is separate from the federal SkillSelect points test.
• Northern Territory: review the relevant residence, graduate or offshore stream, employment and evidence of genuine NT commitment. Relocation intentions alone are not sufficient.

Prepare before the intended program year

Employment, residence, skills assessment and English requirements may take time to address. Waiting until a program opens can leave little time to establish eligibility.

However, preparation is not a guarantee that future criteria will stay the same. Assess genuine employment prospects, costs, household circumstances and settlement commitments before relocating. No state is universally best for an occupation.

Use published data without treating it as a forecast

Nomination allocations, issued invitations, remaining places and ROIs on hand describe different things. State priority scores and the federal points test are not interchangeable. Historical figures do not establish an individual invitation probability.

Use the state selector for the broader assessment framework, and official announcements for current changes. This article records a dated snapshot rather than duplicating a live eligibility tool.

• Explore the eight-jurisdiction planning tool
• Understand General Skilled Migration