March 2026 SkillSelect Invitation Round: EOI Cutoffs and Occupation Movements

The standout number in the 31 March 2026 SkillSelect snapshot is the 189 INVITED pool — it more than doubled in a single month (1,217 → 3,103). That scale of movement on the 189 is unusual and suggests a large invitation round was run before the snapshot date. At the same time, the 491 contracted sharply, and NT saw its nomination counts halve across both state-sponsored visas.

Headlines

• Subclass 189: 3,103 EOIs sit in the INVITED state, up from 1,217 — more than doubled (+155%). LODGED pool stands at 14,642.
• Subclass 190: 12,402 EOIs sit in the INVITED state, down from 12,776 (-374, -2.9%). LODGED pool stands at 55,550.
• Subclass 491: 10,048 EOIs sit in the INVITED state, down from 11,538 (-1,490, -12.9%). LODGED pool stands at 49,590.

These are point-in-time counts of where EOIs currently sit — not tallies of invitations issued. A month-over-month change can reflect new invitations, EOIs moving forward to LODGED, or entries ageing out of the rolling 24-month window.

Movement in the 190 occupation rankings

Painting Trades Worker MLTSSL made the biggest rank jump, going from rank 13 in February to rank 2 in March (204 → 367, up 80%). Carpenter MLTSSL consolidated at rank 1 (280 → 375). Together they account for 742 of the 12,402 INVITED EOIs on the 190.

Registered Nurse (Medical) — which held rank 1 in the February snapshot with 320 INVITED EOIs — dropped out of the top 10 entirely. Registered Nurses nec MLTSSL moved from rank 3 to rank 5 (280 → 290). Software Engineer MLTSSL climbed from rank 10 to rank 4 (210 → 300).

The full March top 10 on the 190: Carpenter, Painting Trades Worker, Mechanical Engineer MLTSSL, Software Engineer, Registered Nurses nec, Civil Engineer MLTSSL, Construction Project Manager MLTSSL, Electrician (General) MLTSSL, ICT Business Analyst MLTSSL, Secondary School Teacher MLTSSL. All ten sit on the MLTSSL, meaning all are accessible via the 189 as well.

What happened at the state level

NSW recorded the largest absolute drop on the 190, falling from 1,990 to 1,610 (-380). The NT fell harder in percentage terms — from 910 to 550, nearly 40% down. VIC and QLD were the only states with meaningful gains: VIC moved from 2,210 to 2,360 (+150), QLD from 2,370 to 2,410 (+40).

The 491 state picture is dominated by NT, which halved (1,200 → 600). QLD (-270) and VIC (-370) also contracted sharply. NSW was effectively flat (1,930 → 1,920). Only ACT gained ground (1,070 → 1,110).

Once invited on the 190, the median applicant is granted within 10 months — three quarters within 15 months.

Who this affects

If you're a 189 applicant who has been waiting for movement, this snapshot shows the pool is live. The more-than-doubling of INVITED EOIs in a single month is material — worth checking whether your occupation's points cutoff shifted before this round.

Trades applicants on the 190 — particularly Painters and Carpenters — are seeing the strongest invitation counts right now. Painting Trades Worker jumping 11 places in a single month is the kind of movement that's worth watching closely if you're mid-assessment.

NT-nominated 491 applicants should treat this snapshot as a flag. The state's INVITED pool halved. The April data will tell you whether this was a timing artefact or the start of a sustained contraction.

What to watch

NT is the clearest signal to track in April. Both 190 (-40%) and 491 (-50%) collapsed in the same snapshot — that's unusual. If the April numbers recover, it was likely a data timing issue. If NT stays low or falls further, it may indicate quota exhaustion for the program year, which would affect nomination availability through to June.

This post was generated from the latest SkillSelect snapshot. Explore the same data in the dashboard.