State nomination in Australia: how the six states compare

Cosmos Immigration
State nomination in Australia: how the six states compare

A client in our Dubai office had six browser tabs open last week — one for each Australian state government migration site — trying to work out which one still had room for her occupation. She isn’t alone. Every state and territory runs its own nomination program on its own calendar, and right now, in the same week, one state is fully booked, one hasn’t opened its doors yet, and one just opened with a published allocation of over two thousand places.

At a glance

  • NSW and Queensland have closed their skilled nomination programs for now — all places for the current program year are allocated, and both states are reviewing next year’s settings.
  • Victoria has not yet opened its 2026–27 nomination program for either the subclass 190 or subclass 491 visa.
  • Western Australia’s page carries no “closed” notice and lists live eligibility criteria, but the state has not published a places allocation for the current round on the page we checked.
  • South Australia sets out its four nomination streams and fees clearly, but its official page does not state a current open or closed status — confirm directly before you plan around it.
  • Tasmania is the one state confirmed open right now, with a published 2026–27 allocation of 2,050 nomination places and weekly invitations already under way.

Why state nomination matters for your Australian pathway

State and territory nomination sits alongside the general points-tested skilled migration route: a nomination can add points to your Home Affairs score — Western Australia adds 5 points for the subclass 190 visa and 15 for the subclass 491 visa, South Australia adds 5 points for its subclass 190 stream. It doesn’t automatically lead to a grant, though: South Australia’s own guidance is explicit that Home Affairs still assesses the application on its own requirements. Check where your score sits with our points calculator before comparing states.

State-by-state snapshot, as at 1 September 2026

State Visas covered Current status What sets it apart
New South Wales 190 & 491 Closed — places for the current program year fully allocated Invitation-only; EOIs ranked at ANZSCO unit-group level; 14 days to apply once invited, no extensions
Victoria 190 & 491 2026–27 program not yet open No minimum work-experience requirement for the 190 stream; offshore applicants accepted if they commit to living in Victoria
Queensland 190 & 491 2025–26 ROIs closed, awaiting next year’s allocation Five pathways, including a dedicated Queensland-university-graduate stream and a building and construction stream; EOIs stay valid for two years
Western Australia 190 & 491 Appears open on current criteria; allocation figure not published on the page checked Passport holders from the UK, Canada, New Zealand, the USA or Ireland are exempt from the English-language test
South Australia 190 & 491 Status not stated on the official page — confirm before planning Four streams, including a specific Outer Regional Skilled Employment stream; nomination fee AUD 394
Tasmania 190 & 491 Confirmed open for 2026–27, 2,050 places published Broadest occupation eligibility of the six; weekly invitations; general offshore 491 route paused this year

NSW and Queensland: closed for now, reviewing next year

New South Wales has closed both the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) and the Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491) for the current program year while it reviews settings for next year; applications already submitted will still be assessed once new places are allocated. Nomination is invitation-only: NSW ranks Expressions of Interest within each ANZSCO unit group by age, English proficiency, education, points score and experience, with no published minimum threshold and just 14 days to apply once invited, no extensions. The Skills List works at the broader unit-group level, so eligibility still needs checking against the Home Affairs occupation list.

Queensland’s Registrations of Interest for the 2025–26 State Nominated Migration Program are also closed — all places are filled, and Migration Queensland is waiting on the Australian Government’s advice on next year’s allocation. Queensland nominates for the same two subclasses across five pathways: skilled workers living in Queensland, skilled workers living offshore, building and construction workers, Queensland university graduates, and small business owners in regional Queensland (491 only). An EOI in SkillSelect now stays valid for Queensland consideration for up to two years, so you no longer need a fresh EOI each year or to name Queensland as your only state. Eligibility runs through the Queensland Skilled Occupation List — an occupation not listed means Queensland’s guidance is not to submit an ROI.

Victoria: flexible rules, but the door isn’t open yet

Victoria’s official site states directly that its 2026–27 nomination program — both the subclass 190 and 491 visas — is not yet open, so it’s worth planning around that rather than assuming it resolves quickly. When it reopens, the subclass 190 stream stays relatively flexible: no minimum work-experience or hours requirement, and offshore applicants — most readers in the UAE — can apply too, provided they commit to living in Victoria; onshore Registrations of Interest are only accepted from people already based in Victoria, with case-by-case border exceptions. The subclass 491 stream requires nomination before you apply, covers both offshore and onshore (regional Victoria) applicants, and after three years on a 491 visa, holders may become eligible for the permanent subclass 191 visa.

Western Australia and South Australia: one looks open, one is unclear

Western Australia’s State Nominated Migration Program page, under its current (2025–26) criteria, requires a SkillSelect EOI naming WA as your nominating jurisdiction, age under 45, a Home Affairs points-test score of at least 65, a valid skills assessment, and an occupation on the WA Skilled Migration Occupation List (Schedule 1 or 2, General stream) or the Graduate Occupation List (Graduate stream); current processing for decision-ready applications is 28 working days. The page carried no “not yet open” notice — unlike Victoria and Tasmania — but we could not confirm a current places allocation on it, so treat WA as apparently open rather than confirmed open until checked directly. Passport holders from the UK, Canada, New Zealand, the USA or Ireland are exempt from the English-language test.

South Australia’s official page sets out its structure clearly but doesn’t state a current open or closed status. The nomination fee is AUD 394 for both the subclass 190 and subclass 491 visas (the Registration of Interest itself is free), across four options: SA Graduates, Skilled Employment in South Australia, Outer Regional Skilled Employment, and an Offshore stream via SkillSelect EOI. Subclass 491 holders who live and work in SA for at least three years may become eligible for the permanent subclass 191 visa. Because current-year status isn’t published, check directly before building a plan around it.

Tasmania: the one state confirmed open right now

Tasmania’s Skilled Migration State Nomination Program opened to new Registrations of Interest on 17 August 2026 for the 2026–27 program year, with a published allocation of 2,050 places: 1,250 for the subclass 190 visa and 800 for the subclass 491 visa. Weekly invitations began on 20 August 2026 — of the six states and territories reviewed here, Tasmania is the only one confirmed open with a published current-year allocation and invitation cadence.

Tasmania also runs the broadest occupation eligibility of the six: every occupation on the Australian Government’s skilled occupation list for the 190 and 491 visas is eligible for at least one Tasmanian pathway, rather than being filtered through a narrower state list. For 2026–27, the Priority Income Level stays at $57,000 a year ($28.85/hour), unchanged, while the nomination application fee has risen to $387 ($425.70 including GST); selection uses priority attributes plus a rolling benchmark based on the lowest scores invited over the past three months. One limit for UAE-based readers without a Tasmanian employer: Tasmania will not issue 2026–27 invitations under the subclass 491 Overseas Skilled Occupation Profiles pathway, following a federal shift to prioritise onshore applicants — though overseas health or education professionals with a Tasmanian job offer remain eligible for a different route into subclass 190 nomination.

From the UAE: what this means for you

Most of our clients in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are tracking two or three states at once, because the honest answer to “which state should I choose” is “whichever one is actually open when your documents are ready.” The practical first move is getting your paperwork state-ready regardless: a skills assessment against the right ANZSCO code, English test results, and attested qualifications, all of which can take weeks once you factor in courier time between attestation departments and the assessing authority. Our credential verification guide sets out what a skills assessment involves.

English testing is straightforward from either emirate — IELTS, PTE Academic and other accepted tests run test centres in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, so that step doesn’t need to wait for a flight home; attestation of degree certificates and experience letters from the issuing country is usually the slower piece, and worth starting early. Because status changes state by state and month by month, we’d rather tell you plainly that Tasmania is open and NSW is not, than smooth six different pictures into one reassuring line. If your occupation and points fit more than one state, keep your file ready to move on whichever one opens first.

Frequently asked questions

Which Australian state is currently open for nomination?

As at 1 September 2026, Tasmania is the only state confirmed open, with a published 2026–27 allocation of 2,050 places. NSW and Queensland are closed for the current program year, Victoria hasn’t opened its 2026–27 program yet, Western Australia shows no closure notice but no published allocation, and South Australia’s page doesn’t state a current status.

Does state nomination mean my visa will definitely be granted?

No. South Australia’s own guidance is explicit that nomination does not automatically result in a visa grant — the Department of Home Affairs still assesses the application against the visa’s own requirements, on top of the state’s nomination decision.

Can I apply for a state that’s currently closed?

Not directly. NSW and Queensland are closed for the current program year because all places have been allocated, and both are reviewing settings before reopening. Watching the official state page for a reopening notice is the only reliable way to know when a closed program becomes available again.

What to do next

If you’d like help working out which of these six states fits your occupation, points and circumstances, our Dubai and Abu Dhabi team offers a free eligibility assessment — call 04 357 7796, book a 20-minute review, or start through our contact page. We don’t promise an outcome on any state’s program; what we can do is help you read the current rules correctly and get your documents ready for whichever door opens next.

Sources

Not sure which route fits you? Speak to a licensed consultant — CICC (Canada) and MARA (Australia) regulated. No obligation.

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