In the SkillSelect invitation round dated October 2026, the Department of Home Affairs invited 20,000 people to apply for a points-tested skilled visa. A bigger round means more people already in the queue were cleared to apply.
How many people were invited
| Visa | People invited |
|---|---|
| Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent) | 20,000 |
This round was bigger than the previous round on 4 June 2026, which invited 10,000 people. That is 10,000 more invitations this time, so the queue moved faster.
An invitation is the step that lets you lodge a full visa application. Subclass 189 is a permanent visa that needs no employer or state sponsor, so Home Affairs simply invites the highest-scoring people first, and uses the date you submitted your expression of interest to separate people sitting on the same points score.
Source: SkillSelect invitation rounds, Department of Home Affairs.
Minimum points invited, by occupation
The Department of Home Affairs published the lowest points score it actually invited in each of 159 occupations in this round, from 65 to 100 points. This is the real per-occupation cut-off, not a single national number: a lower score means that occupation cleared at a lower points total, so your occupation matters as much as your score.
How the cut-offs were spread
| Minimum points invited | Occupations |
|---|---|
| 65 points | 44 |
| 70 points | 36 |
| 75 points | 9 |
| 80 points | 36 |
| 85 points | 19 |
| 90 points | 10 |
| 95 points | 3 |
| 100 points | 2 |
Every occupation invited, lowest cut-off first
Find your occupation below. The number beside it is the lowest points total Home Affairs invited in that occupation this round. If your own score is at or above that number, you would have been in range. Click any occupation to see its live queue and visa pathways.
Source: SkillSelect invitation round, Department of Home Affairs. Captured 2026-11-10.
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What this means for you
The round size tells you how fast the queue is moving. Whether you would have been invited depends on two things: your occupation and your points score. Put your own numbers in and see exactly where you sit in the live queue.