April 2026 SkillSelect Invitation Round: EOI Cutoffs and Occupation Movements

The single sharpest move in the 30 April 2026 SkillSelect snapshot is not at the national level — it's within New South Wales. NSW's 190 INVITED pool nearly doubled (1,610 → 2,180, +570), while its 491 INVITED pool almost halved (1,920 → 1,010, -910). That is a swing of nearly 1,500 EOIs in opposite directions within one state in one month. At the national level, the 491 contracted materially while the 190 ticked up, and the 189 held roughly flat.

Headlines

• Subclass 189: 3,011 EOIs sit in the INVITED state, down from 3,103 (-92, -3%). The LODGED pool stands at 13,504.
• Subclass 190: 12,869 EOIs sit in the INVITED state, up from 12,402 (+467, +4%). The LODGED pool stands at 55,136.
• Subclass 491: 8,241 EOIs sit in the INVITED state, down from 10,048 (-1,807, -18%). The LODGED pool stands at 48,670.

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

Occupation shifts on the 190

Registered Nurses nec MLTSSL and Construction Project Manager MLTSSL made the two biggest climbs. Nursing moved from rank 5 to rank 1 (290 → 370, up 28%), while Construction Project Manager moved from rank 7 to rank 2 (250 → 350, up 40%). Together they account for 720 of the 12,869 INVITED EOIs on the 190.

Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher MLTSSL made the largest rank jump, going from rank 13 to rank 6 (200 → 310, up 55%). Electrical Engineer MLTSSL moved from rank 18 to rank 8 (180 → 210). Both were well outside the previous top 10.

The notable exit is Software Engineer MLTSSL, which held rank 4 last month with 300 INVITED EOIs and dropped out of the top 10 entirely. Carpenter MLTSSL and Painting Trades Worker MLTSSL both fell: Carpenter from rank 1 to rank 3 (375 → 334) and Painting Trades Worker from rank 2 to rank 5 (367 → 315).

Architectural Draftsperson enters the top 10 at rank 10. This occupation sits on the STSOL — it is not accessible via the 189, so its presence in the top 10 is specific to the 190.

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

What happened at the state level

On the 190, NSW recorded the largest absolute gain (1,610 → 2,180, +570). Tasmania also grew meaningfully (760 → 960, +200). QLD and ACT went the other way: QLD shed 440 (2,410 → 1,970) and ACT shed 240 (1,070 → 830). VIC, WA, SA and NT all posted modest gains.

The 491 picture is dominated by NSW. NSW's INVITED pool fell from 1,920 to 1,010 (-910, -47%), the largest state-level drop in this snapshot by a wide margin. QLD and WA also contracted significantly (QLD -530, WA -387). SA and Tasmania are the only states where the 491 INVITED pool grew — SA from 1,390 to 1,590 (+200) and TAS from 570 to 700 (+130).

What to watch

The NSW divergence is the clearest signal to track in May. NSW 190 INVITED rose 35% while NSW 491 fell 47% in the same snapshot — a 1,480 EOI swing in opposite directions within one state. If the May snapshot shows NSW 491 recovering, this month was a timing artefact. If NSW 491 stays low or falls further while 190 holds firm, it points to NSW redirecting allocation toward the 190 as the program year closes. Either outcome is actionable for applicants weighing 190 versus 491 nomination options in NSW.

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