Two programmes are open for 2026-27. Tasmania reopened to Registrations of Interest on 17 August 2026 and has run weekly invitation rounds every Thursday since 20 August. The Northern Territory reopened to nomination applications on 21 August 2026. The other six jurisdictions remain closed.
Here is where each of the eight sits today, what the federal numbers mean for your subclass choice, and what is worth doing about it.
The short answer
Tasmania is still the only jurisdiction to have published its actual 2026-27 numbers: 2,050 places, being 1,250 for the Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) and 800 for the Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491).
The Northern Territory says it has received its full 2026-27 allocation and has reopened, but has not published any figures.
The Department of Home Affairs page that carries the national state-by-state split still shows only the 2025-26 table. Its date stamp changed to 21 September 2026, but the content did not. So two jurisdictions are telling you they have their allocations while the Commonwealth page that would confirm the numbers has not moved. We have set both positions out rather than picking the more convenient one.
Why most states are still waiting
State and territory governments do not set their own nomination numbers. The Commonwealth allocates places out of the national programme, and until that allocation arrives a state has nothing to hand out.
The timing catches people out every year. For 2025-26, the Commonwealth did not set the state and territory allocations until 4 November 2025. Western Australia did not open until December 2025, and South Australia and Queensland ran on interim allocations before that. South Australia published its 2025-26 allocation on 24 November 2025. A quiet September is normal, and it is not evidence that anything has gone wrong with your file.
What the federal numbers tell you about the 190 and the 491
The 2026-27 Migration Program planning levels were announced on 12 May 2026. The programme sits at 185,000 places for the second year running, split roughly 70:30 between the Skilled and Family streams.
Two lines matter here:
- State/Territory Nominated is up: 35,500 places, against 33,000 in 2025-26.
- Regional is down hard: 14,110 places, against 33,000 in 2025-26.
When it first published the 2026-27 levels in May, the Department of Home Affairs attributed that movement specifically to increases in the Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) and decreases in the Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491). The department revised that wording to something more neutral on 12 August 2026 without publishing an explanation, so treat the attribution as the department’s own May statement rather than its current position.
Two cautions before anyone reads that as an 18,890 place cut to the 491. The Regional category has never been the 491 alone. Home Affairs groups several regional subclasses together, including the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (subclass 494) and the Regional Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 187), so the fall is spread across a category rather than landing on one visa. And 491 lodgements had already collapsed on their own, from 19,598 across 2024-25 to 5,843 in the first half of 2025-26, which is a more likely driver of a smaller planning level than a policy decision to shut the door.
The direction of travel is still clear enough: towards the permanent metropolitan nomination, away from the provisional regional one. If your plan rests on the 491 and its 15 nomination points, it is worth a second look.
For the full federal breakdown, see our note on the 2026-27 Migration Program planning levels.
Where each state and territory stands
All figures below were checked against government sources on 24 September 2026.
| Jurisdiction | 2026-27 allocation | Status | 2025-26 allocation, for comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tasmania | 1,250 (190) and 800 (491) | OPEN. Registrations of Interest since 17 August, weekly invitation rounds every Thursday since 20 August | 1,200 and 650 |
| Northern Territory | Received, figures not published | OPEN to nomination applications since 21 August. Offshore NT Priority Occupation stream stays closed | 850 and 800 |
| New South Wales | Not published | Closed. Both visa pages edited again on 4 September, see below | 2,100 and 1,500 |
| Victoria | Not published | Not yet open. Closed to new Registrations of Interest since 28 April 2026 | 2,700 and 700 |
| Queensland | Not published | Closed. Nomination fees withdrawn on 19 August and still shown as to be advised | 1,850 and 750 |
| South Australia | Not published | Closed since 2 June 2026. Occupation list still withdrawn from the site | 1,350 and 900 |
| Western Australia | Not published | No 2026-27 criteria, lists or opening date. Site still shows 2025-26 settings | 2,000 and 1,400 |
| Australian Capital Territory | Not published | Closed. No 2026-27 Canberra Matrix round has run. Last round was 11 June 2026 | 800 and 800 |
The 2025-26 column is there for scale, not prediction. Nothing in the “not published” column is a forecast, and if a website is quoting you a 2026-27 number for any jurisdiction other than Tasmania, it is not coming from a government source.
Tasmania: open, and it has changed how it ranks you
Migration Tasmania reopened on 17 August 2026 with 2,050 places, up from 1,850 delivered last year. Invitation rounds run weekly on Thursdays. The application gateway has moved to a new address, so old bookmarks will not work.
Several things changed with the new programme year:
The nomination fee rose to $387, or $425.70 including GST. Registrations of Interest remain free.
The priority attributes were rescored to reward longer contribution to Tasmania, with more differentiation by how long you have been employed there. The Tasmanian Skilled Employment Gold category now requires at least 30 hours a week in at least one job. Income attributes were re-based against Australian median and average earnings, although the Priority Income Level itself is unchanged at $57,000 a year or $28.85 an hour.
The invitation-only Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) Overseas Skilled Occupation Profiles pathway will issue no invitations at all in 2026-27, because the Commonwealth is prioritising onshore processing. The overseas health and education 190 job-offer pathway continues.
The point most likely to affect you: Migration Tasmania has told candidates who lodged a Registration of Interest in the past six months to consider withdrawing and resubmitting, because the new ranking may materially improve their position. If you have a live Tasmanian ROI, that is worth modelling before the next round rather than after it.
Now the part worth watching week to week. In the round of 24 September 2026, Migration Tasmania invited 38 Registrations of Interest for the Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) and 24 for the Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491). The lowest score invited was 352 points for the 190 and 72 for the 491.
That 190 floor is the number to notice. It was 502 points on 10 September, 375 on 17 September and 352 on 24 September. For two rounds the Gold and Green mix explained the fall: on 10 September the 190 invitations were 6 Gold pass and 34 Green, and on 17 September 7 Gold and 30 Green, after 21 Gold and 13 Green on 3 September. On 24 September Gold rose again, to 20 against 18 Green, and the floor still went down. Migration Tasmania has not explained that, and we would not read much into a single round. The trend over a month is the useful part. If you hold a Green pass and ruled Tasmania out on August scores, it is worth running the numbers again.
On the 491 side, none of the 24 invitations in the 24 September round were Gold pass, the second round running with none, and the floor held at 72 points.
After the round, 992 of the 1,250 subclass 190 places and 712 of the 800 subclass 491 places were still available, with 905 and 593 Registrations of Interest waiting. A further 76 subclass 190 and 63 subclass 491 invitations had been issued but not yet turned into lodged applications, and 41 subclass 190 and 37 subclass 491 nomination applications were lodged and awaiting a decision.
Tasmania also publishes the score you need to actually hold your nomination at assessment, a rolling three-month average which sits higher than the invitation floor: 478 for the 190 and 81 for the 491 as at 24 September, down from 504 and 83 a week earlier. If an attribute you claimed fails verification and your score falls below that figure, the nomination is refused rather than reduced. Scoring optimistically to clear the invitation threshold is a good way to lose the nomination later.
Northern Territory: open, with one stream still shut
MigrationNT reopened to nomination applications on 21 August 2026, stating it has received its full 2026-27 allocation from the Commonwealth. It has not published the figures.
Open: Onshore NT Graduates, Onshore NT Residents, Offshore Job Offer and Offshore Family. Closed: the Offshore NT Priority Occupation stream, because the Territory is still working through applications carried over from last year.
The Northern Territory works differently from every other jurisdiction and it catches people out. There is no Registration of Interest gateway and no points-ranked matrix. You lodge an Expression of Interest in SkillSelect, then lodge a nomination application directly with MigrationNT, and applications are assessed in order of receipt rather than by score. One application covers both subclasses: if you apply for a 190 and are not eligible, the Territory will consider you for a 491. That is the opposite of Tasmania’s position, and it makes the Territory worth a look for applicants whose score will never win a ranked round.
New South Wales keeps editing its criteria while closed
New South Wales is closed, and both of its skilled visa pages were edited again on 4 September 2026. That is the second edit in a week. Neither change was announced.
As the pages read today, the two visas no longer ask the same thing of you.
For the Skilled Nominated (subclass 190), the residency limb is one of: working in New South Wales in your nominated occupation for remuneration for at least 20 hours a week; or having continuously resided in New South Wales for at least six months; or having continuously resided offshore for at least six months.
For the Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) under Pathways 2 and 3, the residency limb is one of: working in New South Wales in your nominated occupation; or having continuously resided in New South Wales for at least three months; or having continuously resided offshore for at least three months. There is no minimum hours figure and no reference to remuneration.
So the 20 hour threshold sits on the permanent visa and not on the regional one, and the residency alternative is six months for the 190 against three for the 491.
That split is not new. The only archived capture of either page in this period, taken on 10 August 2026, shows both residency limbs reading exactly as they read now. So while New South Wales did edit both pages on 28 August and again on 4 September, the residency wording itself has not moved. If you were told at any point that the subclass 491 carries a 20 hour minimum, that is worth re-checking against the page.
The practical point stands anyway. New South Wales edits these pages while closed, with no announcement and no transition note, and the occupation lists themselves have not changed since 2 March 2026. If you are building a New South Wales plan around a residency or employment limb, check the page on the day you rely on it and keep a dated copy of what it said.
Queensland has pulled its fee schedule
Queensland remains closed, and on 19 August 2026 it replaced its nomination fees with “to be advised”. Until it republishes, any fee estimate you have been given for a Queensland 190 or 491 nomination is out of date.
Queensland has also confirmed that a 2026-27 Queensland Skilled Occupation List is in development, following a consultation that closed on 7 July 2026. The consultation also canvassed a possible Queensland state-led Designated Area Migration Agreement, including concessions to age and English requirements. Neither the list nor any DAMA decision has been published.
One thing Queensland has committed to: applicants who started an eligible business under Pathway 2 of its Small Business Owner stream before 19 September 2025 may submit a Registration of Interest when the 2026-27 programme opens. That is easy to miss and it is the only forward-looking commitment in the Queensland material.
What to do while the rest catch up
If you are eligible for Tasmania or the Northern Territory, that decision is live now. Both are open, both are taking applications, and neither will stay uncontested once the larger states reopen. This is the window where a smaller programme is genuinely easier to win.
Keep your skills assessment and English results alive. These are the two documents that most often expire mid-queue. Several jurisdictions warn plainly that they cannot guarantee a nomination before a visa expires.
Check your cliff dates. If you turn 45, or drop a points bracket for age or work experience, during the wait, you need that date in front of you now. Our skilled migration points calculator will give you a current score in a couple of minutes.
Do not assume last year’s criteria are this year’s. Tasmania rescored its attributes, New South Wales has edited its residency criteria twice in a fortnight, Queensland withdrew its fees, and South Australia has taken its occupation list off its website entirely. Every jurisdiction that has spoken has said its settings are under review.
Reconsider the 190 against the 491. With State/Territory Nominated rising and Regional falling, a plan built purely on 15 regional nomination points deserves a second look.
Frequently asked questions
Is state nomination open in Australia right now?
Partly. Tasmania has been open to Registrations of Interest since 17 August 2026 and the Northern Territory to nomination applications since 21 August 2026. New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the ACT are closed.
When will the other states open for 2026-27?
None has published a date. They are waiting on Commonwealth allocations, which for 2025-26 were not set until 4 November 2025. On last year’s pattern, Western Australia and South Australia are the next most likely to announce.
Has my state published its 2026-27 allocation?
Only Tasmania has published figures: 1,250 for the 190 and 800 for the 491. The Northern Territory says it has received an allocation but has not said how many places.
Do I need to resubmit my Expression of Interest or Registration of Interest?
This one is worth checking rather than assuming, because the answer differs by jurisdiction and Tasmania has just changed its position. Migration Tasmania is actively suggesting that candidates who lodged in the past six months consider withdrawing and resubmitting under the new ranking. Queensland requires a new Registration of Interest each programme year but keeps Expressions of Interest for up to 715 days. Get advice before you touch a live submission.
What happens to an application I have already lodged?
Most jurisdictions assess lodged applications against the criteria that applied when they were lodged, then finalise them once new places arrive. New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory have each said applicants need take no further action.
How many state nomination places are there nationally for 2026-27?
The national State/Territory Nominated planning level is 35,500 places, up from 33,000. How that divides between the eight jurisdictions has not been published.
Where this leaves you
Four weeks ago every programme in the country was shut. Two are now open, one has edited its eligibility criteria twice without saying so, and another has withdrawn its fees. That is the pace this moves at, and it is why a page saved to your desktop in August is already wrong.
If you are sitting on a Tasmanian Registration of Interest, weighing the Northern Territory against a ranked state, or holding a New South Wales plan built on a residency limb you read a fortnight ago, those are decisions with consequences and the window on some of them is open right now.
We will keep this page current as each jurisdiction announces. Bookmark it, because the table above will change several times before all eight have published.
Book a migration consultation and we will map where you actually stand.
Andrew Heathcote is a Registered Migration Agent, MARN 0850840, and the principal of MigrationBuro. This article is general information current at 24 September 2026 and is not migration advice for your circumstances. State nomination settings change without notice. Verify current requirements with the relevant state or territory before acting.