PR and Migration Pathways in Australia

Last Updated - Oct 08, 2026

Skilled migration: 189, 190, 491, and the Skills in Demand visa

For 2026-27 the Government moved permanent places toward employer-sponsored (58,040) and state-nominated (35,500) visas, raised Skilled Independent (189) places to 21,090, and cut Regional (491) places from 33,000 to 14,110 - so the 491 should no longer be treated as the default route; weigh employer sponsorship, state nomination and the 189 against your occupation (Home Affairs planning levels).

2026-27 permanent Migration Program (skill stream)

Category	2025-26	2026-27	Change
Employer Sponsored (186 etc.)	44,000	58,040	+14,040
State/Territory Nominated (190)	33,000	35,500	+2,500
Skilled Independent (189)	16,900	21,090	+4,190
Regional (491/494)	33,000	14,110	−18,890
Talent and Innovation	-	3,500	-
Skill stream total	-	132,240	of 185,000 total places

About 129,590 of the 185,000 places are expected to go to applicants already in Australia (Home Affairs planning levels).

Rules as at September 2026. Planning levels and thresholds change each 1 July; confirm on Home Affairs and state migration sites.

Australia's occupation lists: four lists, different purposes

List	Main use
MLTSSL (Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List)	189, 190, family-sponsored 491, 485 VET stream
STSOL (Short-term Skilled Occupation List)	190 and state-nominated 491; not 189
ROL (Regional Occupation List)	State-nominated 491 and regional employer visas
CSOL (Core Skills Occupation List)	Launched 7 December 2024 with about 456 occupations; used for the 482 Core Skills stream and 186 Direct Entry (Home Affairs)

The CSOL did not replace the MLTSSL, STSOL or ROL for points-tested visas. Use the Home Affairs skilled occupation list tool for your exact code.

The 189 visa in 2026-27

Who gets invited: the 189 is not limited to particular sectors. The 2026-27 allocation rose to 21,090, and the 4 June 2026 round issued 10,000 invitations across more than 100 occupations, with minimum invited scores from 65 (several construction trades) to 100 (some medical specialties) and most professional occupations at 80 or above (Home Affairs SkillSelect rounds).
Home Affairs indicated the next 189 round was expected by 30 September 2026.
Practical implication: whether the 189 is realistic depends on your occupation's recent cut-off and your points; check published round results for your occupation rather than assuming it is open or closed to your field.

The points test: minimum vs realistic

The legal minimum to lodge an Expression of Interest in SkillSelect is 65 points (unchanged as of September 2026; Home Affairs points calculator).
Realistic scores are set by competition within each occupation; in recent rounds professional occupations commonly needed 80-95+ (Home Affairs SkillSelect rounds).
Nomination points: +5 for a 190 state nomination, +15 for a 491 regional nomination or family sponsorship. Australian study in a regional area gives 5 points; completing a Professional Year gives 5 points (Home Affairs points calculator).
Points-test reform status: announced, not legislated. The May 2026 Budget committed to rewriting the points test to select "better educated, higher-skilled and younger" migrants. As of September 2026 no new weightings, start date or legislation have been published. The minimum to lodge an EOI remains 65 points. Background: Home Affairs Review of the Points Test discussion paper.

The Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)

Replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa on 7 December 2024. Thresholds for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027: (Home Affairs)

Stream	Requirement from 1 Jul 2026
Core Skills	Occupation on CSOL; salary at least AUD 79,423 (CSIT, up from 76,515) and the annual market salary rate (Home Affairs)
Specialist Skills	Salary at least AUD 146,576 (SSIT, up from 141,210); no occupation list, but trades, machinery operators and labourers are excluded (Home Affairs)
Labour Agreement	Terms set in the employer's agreement with Government

Thresholds: for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026, Home Affairs confirmed AUD 79,423 and AUD 146,576. Processing times are not guaranteed; check the current Home Affairs figures.

Applicants generally need at least one year of relevant work experience. Employers pay the nomination fee and the Skilling Australians Fund levy.

Related routes worth knowing about include work visas in Australia more broadly, as well as the subclass 476 Skilled - Recognised Graduate visa for recent engineering graduates from select institutions.

From 482 to permanent residency: the Employer Nomination Scheme

Temporary Residence Transition stream: generally after two years working for the sponsoring employer on a 482, with the employer nominating you (Home Affairs).
Direct Entry stream: occupation on the relevant list, a positive skills assessment and three years' relevant experience, among other criteria.
Both lead to permanent residency. The salary must meet the CSIT and market rate. Employer Sponsored has the largest 2026-27 allocation (58,040 places) (Home Affairs).

The 491 regional pathway

Provisional 5-year visa requiring state nomination or family sponsorship to live and work in a designated regional area (Home Affairs).
After 3 years living and working regionally with the required taxable income, you may apply for the permanent Subclass 191 (Home Affairs).
2026-27 outlook: with 491 places cut from 33,000 to 14,110 for 2026-27, expect fewer and more competitive nominations. It remains a route for occupations and states that prioritise regional nomination, but it is no longer the default recommendation (Home Affairs planning levels).

State nomination: no single Australian rulebook

Each state and territory sets its own occupation lists, residency and work-experience requirements, quotas and invitation processes each programme year.
Programmes may open and close during the year.
Compare NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, ACT and Northern Territory separately (State and territory migration authorities).
An occupation favoured in one state may be excluded in another.

A broader list of PR-linked courses in Australia can help with early field selection, though course choice alone never guarantees PR .

The complete EOI-to-PR process

Skills assessment by the assessing authority for your occupation
English test
Points calculation
Expression of Interest in SkillSelect
For a 190 or 491: state or territory nomination
Invitation to apply
Visa application, including health and character checks
Visa grant
For a 491 only: apply for the permanent subclass 191 after 3 years

Every step can be refused or delayed; an EOI stays in SkillSelect for 2 years (Home Affairs).

Skills assessments by occupation

Occupations	Assessing authority
Engineering	Engineers Australia
ICT	Australian Computer Society (ACS)
Many professional and general occupations	VETASSESS
Nursing and midwifery	ANMAC
Accounting	CPA Australia, CA ANZ, IPA
Trades	Trades Recognition Australia and approved providers

Each authority has its own qualification, employment-evidence, English and document rules; read them before choosing a course.

Employer sponsorship: what students need to know

Employers weigh cost, compliance duties and time; sponsorship is competitive and never guaranteed.
The employer must be an approved sponsor, nominate a genuine role, and pay at least the CSIT/SSIT and market rate.
Look for employers that have sponsored before, but do not limit your job search to them too early.

Regional Australia: benefits and trade-offs

Benefits: extra 485 time (The regional study extension), 5 regional-study points, access to 491 nomination.
Trade-offs: smaller employer pools in some fields, transport limits, and - in 2026-27 - far fewer 491 places.
Match regional strategy to your occupation, not to points alone.

Migration strategy by student profile

Profile	Routes to evaluate first
Healthcare and nursing	189 and 190 (check round results), employer sponsorship with state health services
Engineering and resources	190, employer sponsorship (482 → 186), 189 if points clear the cut-off
Software/IT, Data/AI, Cybersecurity	Employer sponsorship, 190 where the state lists the occupation, Specialist Skills if salary ≥ AUD 146,576
Finance/accounting	Check recent cut-offs; employer sponsorship; Professional Year points
Working professionals (older, experienced)	Employer sponsorship; experience points; watch the age dimension of the announced points reform
Aged 35+ at graduation	Not eligible for most 485 streams (unless research graduate); plan employer sponsorship or other visas before the course

PR assumptions and how it actually works

Common belief	How it works
"Australia is PR friendly"	There are several routes (189, 190, 491, employer-sponsored 186), each with its own occupation list, points or salary rules and a capped number of places set each year (Skilled migration: 189, 190, 491, and the Skills in Demand (482) visa). None is automatic.
"People usually get PR after about five years"	PR is granted when you meet a visa's criteria and receive an invitation, nomination or sponsorship, not after a fixed time. Some people qualify during their 485; many do not qualify at all.
"A PR course guarantees PR"	No course guarantees PR. The occupation you can be assessed in, your experience, points, English, age and each year's settings decide (Course versus occupation: do not confuse the two).
"An in-demand field means an employer will sponsor me"	Demand, a job offer and sponsorship are separate; sponsorship is the employer's choice and must meet salary thresholds (Employer sponsorship: what students need to know).
"Regional study guarantees PR"	It adds 485 time and 5 points, but 491 places fell to 14,110 for 2026-27 (The 491 regional pathway).
"If I say I want PR, my student visa will be refused"	Home Affairs states future PR intentions do not count against a genuine student (The Genuine Student (GS) requirement).