Short answer: as at 17 October 2026, Tasmania is the only one of these four programs that is open to offshore applicants with published places. It has 2,050 nominations for 2026-27 and still had 944 subclass 190 and 682 subclass 491 places unallocated after its 15 October round. The Northern Territory stopped taking new applications on 13 October. The ACT ran a 190-only round on 12 October while it waits for its allocation. New South Wales has closed subclass 491 for the year and invites for 190 only by its own selection, with no dates. If you are in the UAE and your plan rested on a 491, re-plan around 190.
Why state nomination matters more this year
A state or territory nomination adds 5 points for subclass 190 or 15 points for subclass 491, and the nomination itself triggers the invitation. Occupation ceilings in SkillSelect do not apply to nominated visas. With the subclass 189 round of 15 October 2026 still unpublished and the June 2026 round having listed no invitations for accounting, ICT or civil engineering, the state route is where most general offshore profiles will actually land. Our six-state comparison covers the structure; this post is the October 2026 status check.
Tasmania: open, with numbers published every week
Official figures from Migration Tasmania:
- Allocation 2026-27: 2,050 places, split 1,250 for subclass 190 and 800 for subclass 491.
- Opened: Registrations of Interest from 17 August 2026, weekly invitations from 20 August, issued progressively so places last the year.
- 15 October 2026 round: 45 subclass 190 invitations (lowest score 319) and 32 subclass 491 invitations (lowest score 88). After the round, 878 subclass 190 and 612 subclass 491 ROIs were on hand, with 944 and 682 places still available.
- Score needed at assessment (rolling three-month average of lowest scores invited): 427 for 190 and 81 for 491. If an invited ROI’s claimed attributes are not verified and the score falls below that line, the nomination is refused.
- Next invitations: Friday 23 October, because Thursday 22 October is Hobart Show Day.
The catch for UAE readers: Tasmania has stated that its subclass 491 overseas invitation-only pathway will issue no invitations in 2026-27. The overseas route that remains is the subclass 190 job-offer pathway for health and teaching professionals with a Tasmanian employer. A nurse or teacher in Dubai with a signed Tasmanian offer is still in play; a software developer in Dubai without one is not, this year. Program changes also tightened the Gold attribute to at least 30 hours a week in a single job.
Northern Territory: closed to new applications since 13 October 2026
The NT Government’s page, updated 13 October 2026, says it has “received sufficient applications for the 2026-27 program year”. New nominations are accepted only by exception, and only for subclass 491 onshore applicants who meet the NT Graduate or NT Resident criteria and face a visa expiry, 45th birthday or points drop before 30 September 2027. No new subclass 190 applications and no offshore applications of any kind are being taken.
Trackers report the NT’s 2026-27 allocation as 1,850 places (850 subclass 190, 1,000 subclass 491), reopened on 21 August. We did not see those numbers on the NT page itself, so treat them as reported. The practical point is unchanged: an applicant in the UAE cannot lodge for NT nomination today, and NT will not issue release letters to move to another state.
ACT: a 190-only round on 12 October, allocation still unconfirmed
The ACT ran a Canberra Matrix invitation round in the week of 12 October 2026, subclass 190 only. Invitations issued:
| Stream | Subclass 190 | Subclass 491 |
|---|---|---|
| Doctorate streamlined pathway | 54 | 0 |
| Canberra residents, small business owners | 18 (minimum matrix 120) | 0 |
| Canberra residents, critical skill occupations | 126 | 0 |
| Overseas applicants, critical skill occupations | 63 | 0 |
So 63 overseas applicants in critical-skill occupations were invited, which is the one live offshore signal in this group outside Tasmania. The ACT says its 2026-27 allocation “has not yet been confirmed by the Australian Government”. The tentative schedule has further rounds in the weeks of 25 January, 22 March and 24 May 2027. For scale, the 2025-26 allocation was 800 places each for 190 and 491, fully used, with 11 per cent of approvals going to overseas residents. The new ACT Migration Application portal is open for Matrix submissions.
New South Wales: 491 closed, 190 by invitation only
NSW’s subclass 491 page carries a closure notice: applications are closed for the current program year because all nomination places have been allocated, and pathways 1 and 3 are closed to new applications. NSW says it is reviewing settings for the next program year.
For subclass 190, NSW does not take applications; it selects EOIs from SkillSelect in rounds with no published dates and ranks within ANZSCO unit groups on the NSW Skills List by age, English, education, points and experience. Offshore candidates must have lived outside Australia continuously for at least six months. An invitation is valid for 14 days. NSW describes nomination as “exceptionally competitive” and tells applicants not to wait for an invitation.
The other four states, briefly (tracker-reported, not verified by us today)
A tracker checked on 3 October 2026 shows South Australia open since 26 August, Western Australia inviting from mid-September, Victoria closed to new ROIs since 28 April 2026, and Queensland not yet open. The same tracker puts the national state and territory total at 35,500 places. We will verify each state’s page before our next update.
What a UAE applicant should do now
- Stop planning around 491 for this program year unless you already hold an onshore qualifying position. Tasmania, NT and NSW have all shut their offshore 491 doors in different ways. Our 491 regional living post stays relevant for next year, not this one.
- If you are a nurse, midwife, teacher or allied-health professional, Tasmania’s health and education job-offer pathway is the one offshore 190 route with published, weekly numbers. A Tasmanian employer is the gate.
- If you are in an ACT critical-skill occupation, submit a Canberra Matrix now; the next round is pencilled for late January 2027 and 63 overseas applicants were invited this month.
- Keep the SkillSelect EOI accurate and marked for every state you would actually move to. NSW and others select from the pool without warning.
- Model the points without any nomination. If you cannot reach 65 on your own, a nomination will not rescue the EOI. Our guide to 189, 190 and 491 without an employer shows the arithmetic.
FAQs
Which states are open to offshore applicants in October 2026?
Of the four covered here, Tasmania (190 job-offer pathway for health and education, no overseas 491) and the ACT (critical-skill occupations, 190 only in the October round). NT is closed and NSW 491 is closed; NSW 190 is by selection only.
How many places does Tasmania have left?
After the 15 October 2026 round, 944 subclass 190 and 682 subclass 491 places were available, per Migration Tasmania’s weekly data.
Is the NT accepting offshore applications?
No. Since 13 October 2026 the NT accepts new applications only by exception from onshore 491 graduates and residents with deadlines before 30 September 2027.
When is the next ACT round?
Tentatively the week of 25 January 2027, then 22 March and 24 May 2027. Dates can change once the allocation is confirmed.
Has NSW announced its 2026-27 numbers?
No. NSW says its 491 places are fully allocated and its settings for the next year are under review. No 190 round dates are published.
Next step
Send us your occupation, points breakdown and English scores and we will tell you which of these programs is realistically open to you this quarter, and which to park until the next allocation. Book a free profile review.
Last reviewed 17 October 2026. Sources: Migration Tasmania program update (August 2026) and “Processing Times and Invitations Issued” (updated 15 October 2026); Northern Territory Government nomination page (updated 13 October 2026); ACT Migration “Canberra Matrix – Invitation Round” and home page; NSW Government subclass 190 and 491 pages; Home Affairs SkillSelect invitation rounds page. Third-party tracker figures are labelled as such. General information, not advice on an individual case.
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