Australia state nomination 2026-27: each state compared for applicants in the UAE

Last reviewed 26 October 2026 against each state and territory’s official migration site.

As at 26 October 2026, two places are clearly taking new interest from offshore skilled applicants for 2026-27: Victoria, for the subclass 190 only, with 900 places, and Tasmania, for both the 190 and 491, with 2,050 places. The ACT has run one 190-only round. NSW selects 190 candidates by invitation and has closed its 491. Queensland and South Australia have not yet opened their 2026-27 programs, Western Australia has published no 2026-27 settings, and the Northern Territory is taking new applications only by exception.

That changes the advice from a month ago. Victoria opened its 190 Registrations of Interest since our last review, which matters for UAE residents because Victoria does not ask offshore 190 applicants for any minimum work experience.

At a glance

A nomination adds 5 points to your Home Affairs points score for the 190 and 15 points for the 491. It does not decide the visa. Home Affairs still assesses your application against the visa’s own requirements.

Victoria: the 190 is open, the 491 is not

Victoria’s 2026-27 skilled visa nomination program is open for subclass 190 Registrations of Interest (ROIs). For 2026-27 the Commonwealth has given Victoria 900 subclass 190 places. Its subclass 491 places have not been finalised, and Victoria is not accepting 491 ROIs.

For the 190, Victoria asks that you:

• live in Victoria or overseas, and commit to living and working in Victoria;
• are under 45;
• have at least Competent English;
• hold a valid skills assessment in an occupation on the Home Affairs list for the 190;
• score at least 65 points, including the 5 nomination points;
• have your ROI selected before you can apply for nomination.

There is no minimum work experience and no hours requirement. That is unusual. A UAE-based applicant who is not currently working in their nominated occupation can still register interest. Onshore applicants must already live in Victoria, so the rule is friendlier to people overseas than to people in other Australian states.

Two practical points. Your skills assessment and English test must each have at least 12 weeks of validity left when you lodge the nomination application, or Victoria cannot nominate you. And fees now apply both to the ROI and to the nomination application; Victoria’s fees page has the current amounts.

Tasmania: open for both visas, but mostly for people already there

Tasmania opened to new ROIs on 17 August 2026 with 2,050 nomination places for 2026-27 and began weekly invitations on 20 August.

Its round on 15 October 2026, the latest published on the day we checked:

These are Tasmania’s own ROI scores, built on its priority attributes. They are not your Home Affairs points.

The catch for applicants in the UAE is the overseas route. Tasmania is not issuing any 2026-27 invitations under its subclass 491 Overseas Skilled Occupation Profiles pathway, citing the Commonwealth’s move to prioritise applicants already in Australia. If you are offshore without a Tasmanian job offer, Tasmania is mainly a state to watch rather than plan on.

ACT: one round so far, 190 only

The ACT ran a Canberra Matrix round on 12 October 2026 for the subclass 190 only. For overseas applicants in critical skill occupations it issued 63 invitations, and no 491 invitations in any stream. Canberra residents received most of the round: 126 critical skill invitations and 18 small business owner invitations, plus 54 through the doctorate pathway.

The ACT’s tentative schedule lists further rounds in the weeks starting 25 January, 22 March and 24 May 2027. Its 2026-27 allocation had not been announced. Last year’s figures show how resident-heavy the program is: of 1,600 nominations approved in 2025-26, 89% went to ACT residents and 11% to overseas residents.

NSW: 190 by invitation, 491 closed

NSW does not accept direct applications for the 190. It invites the highest-ranked SkillSelect Expressions of Interest within each ANZSCO unit group on the NSW Skills List, looking at age, English, education, points and years of skilled work. There are no published round dates. If invited, you have 14 days to apply, and NSW does not extend that window. NSW itself calls selection “exceptionally competitive” and tells applicants not to wait for an invitation.

For the 491, NSW has closed applications “for the current program year, as all available nomination places have been fully allocated”. Pathways 1 and 3 are closed, and NSW says it is reviewing settings for the next program year.

Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia: not open yet

Queensland. ROIs for the 2025-26 program are closed. Migration Queensland is waiting for the Australian Government’s advice on future settings, including allocations, and will publish its eligibility rules and opening date when it has them. Queensland asks for a new ROI each program year, so an old ROI will not carry over.

South Australia. ROIs for 2025-26 closed at 9am on 2 June 2026. South Australia says it will resume accepting ROIs from all eligible candidates when the 2026-27 program starts, and as at 26 October its news page showed no opening notice. The nomination fee shown on its skilled migrants page is AUD 394 for either the 190 or the 491. Its program includes an offshore stream through SkillSelect.

Western Australia. WA’s State Nominated Migration Program page still sets out the 2025-26 criteria, and we found no 2026-27 opening announcement. Under those criteria, applicants need at least one year of work experience in the nominated or a closely related occupation in the last 10 years (Australian and overseas experience cannot be combined), and the 190 General stream needs a six-month full-time WA employment contract unless the occupation is in building and construction. Treat these as last year’s rules until WA publishes new ones.

Northern Territory: by exception only

The NT Government says it has received sufficient applications for 2026-27 and will accept new nomination applications only by exception. The full NT page did not load for us on 26 October, so we have not repeated the exception criteria here. Read them on the NT nomination page before you plan around the Territory.

From the UAE: what this means for you

Which state should you choose? The one that is open when your file is ready. So get the file ready first.

1. Skills assessment against the right ANZSCO code. Every state needs it, and Victoria needs 12 weeks of validity left at nomination. Match your duties, not your UAE job title, to the code.
2. English test. IELTS, PTE Academic and other accepted tests run centres in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Competent English is the floor; Proficient or Superior adds points.
3. Attestation and translations. Degree certificates and experience letters often need attestation in the issuing country, and that is usually the slowest piece. Start early.
4. EOI in SkillSelect. Keep it accurate and current. Victoria and Tasmania need a separate ROI as well.
5. Points check. Run your numbers on our points calculator before you pick states. Our guide to 189 vs 190 vs 491 explains which visa fits which profile.

If your occupation and points fit Victoria’s 190 rules, that is the clearest offshore opening right now. If you are aiming for a 491, you will most likely be waiting for Victoria, Queensland, South Australia or WA to publish 2026-27 settings. Our separate post on Tasmania, NT, ACT and NSW goes deeper on those four.

Frequently asked questions

Which Australian states are open for state nomination right now?

As at 26 October 2026: Victoria for the 190 (900 places), Tasmania for the 190 and 491 (2,050 places in total), and the ACT, which has held one 190-only round. NSW invites 190 candidates without published dates.

Can I apply for Victorian nomination from Dubai or Abu Dhabi?

Yes, for the 190. Victoria accepts ROIs from people living overseas who commit to living and working in Victoria, with no minimum work experience requirement. Victoria is not accepting 491 ROIs yet.

When will Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia open?

None of them has published a 2026-27 opening date. Queensland and South Australia say they are waiting on the Commonwealth’s allocation and will publish updates on their own sites.

Does state nomination mean my visa will be granted?

No. Nomination adds 5 points (190) or 15 points (491) and lets you be invited, but Home Affairs still decides the visa on its own requirements.

Is a Tasmanian ROI score the same as my points test score?

No. Tasmania ranks ROIs on its own priority-attribute score, which is why its cut-offs run into the hundreds. Your Home Affairs points score is separate.

What to do next

If you would like a clear read on which state fits your occupation and points, start with a free assessment on our Australia skilled migration page or call 04 357 7796. Our team works with MARA-registered advisers. We read the current rules with you and get your documents ready for whichever state opens next. Our skills assessment guide explains how assessments work.

Sources

All accessed 26 October 2026.

• Victoria: 2026-27 skilled visa nomination program (Live in Melbourne, Victorian Government)
• Victoria: Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) (Live in Melbourne)
• Victoria: Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491) (Live in Melbourne)
• Tasmania: Program Update, August 2026, 2026-27 Program Opening (Migration Tasmania)
• Tasmania: Processing Times and Invitations Issued, updated 15 October 2026 (Migration Tasmania)
• ACT: Canberra Matrix Invitation Round (ACT Government)
• NSW: Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) (NSW Government)
• NSW: Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491) (NSW Government)
• Queensland: Registering your interest in Queensland’s migration program (Migration Queensland)
• South Australia: Registrations of Interest closing 2 June 2026 (Move to South Australia)
• South Australia: Skilled migrants (Move to South Australia)
• Western Australia: State Nominated Migration Program (Migration WA)
• Northern Territory: Government visa nomination (Territory Government) (status line read from the official search snippet; the full page did not load for us)

This article is general information, not advice on your individual case.

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