State Nomination Status — Which Programs Are Open Right Now
Every state and territory runs its own skilled nomination program, opens and closes it on its own calendar, and changes its criteria mid-year. This page tracks all eight in one place, with the date each was last checked against its official source.
Quick Answer
Which state nomination programs are open?
Program status changes through the year as each state uses its allocation. The table below shows the current position for all eight states and territories, with the date each was last checked against its own official source. Status is not the same as eligibility — an open program still selects.
Key facts
- Eight programmes, one page. Each row carries the date it was last checked against that state's own source.
- A date is only changed when that state is re-checked. Dates are never bulk-updated to make the page look current.
- Open does not mean invited. Every state selects from the pool rather than processing a queue.
- Closed is not the end. Your EOI stays in SkillSelect and is considered when the next programme year opens.
- The programme year runs 1 July to 30 June. Allocations reset on 1 July and July to September is the busiest period for change.
- What lapses in between: English test validity and your age bracket. Check both before a new year opens.
- A SkillSelect EOI can be lodged at any time and stays valid for two years, whether or not a state is open.
- No occupation lists are reproduced here. They change without notice — the state's own site governs.
All eight — current status
Each row is checked against that state's own migration site. Where a date is older than the others, that state has not been re-checked since — we do not bulk-update dates to make the page look fresher than it is.
| State / territory | Status | Last checked | What is happening | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Territory NT | Open | 2 Sep 2026 | Full 2026–27 allocation received. Applications opened 21 August 2026 for all onshore and selected offshore streams. Eligibility criteria updated for the new programme year. MigrationNT states it cannot guarantee nominations before visa deadlines. | Official source ↗ |
| Tasmania TAS | Open | 7 Sep 2026 | Weekly invitation rounds running — round of 3 September 2026, with 1,036 (190) and 737 (491) nomination places remaining. Migration Tasmania publishes the lowest attribute score invited each week, and separately the higher score needed to gain nomination at assessment. | Official source ↗ |
| Queensland QLD | Closed — places filled | 2 Sep 2026 | Registrations of Interest for the 2025–26 programme are closed and all available nomination places have been filled. Migration Queensland is awaiting Australian Government advice on future settings including allocations. Applicants already invited who have lodged continue to be assessed and need take no further action. | Official source ↗ |
| Western Australia WA | No 2026–27 announcement | 2 Sep 2026 | The 2025–26 programme page remains current, with the most recent published invitation round in May 2026. No 2026–27 announcement at the date checked. WA anticipates issuing invitations monthly, though the number varies and months pass with none. | Official source ↗ |
| Australian Capital Territory ACT | Portal open — no 2026–27 allocation | 7 Sep 2026 | "The ACT has not yet received its allocation for 2026-27." The Matrix portal accepts submissions ($27.50), but the last invitation round was 11 June 2026 and 0 nomination places have been available since 30 June 2026. The ACT says a tentative round schedule will be published once the allocation is announced. | Official source ↗ |
| New South Wales NSW | Closed — fully allocated | 7 Sep 2026 | On 4 September 2026 NSW published on both the 190 and 491 pages: "Applications are now closed for the current program year, as all available nomination places have been fully allocated." 491 Pathways 1 and 3 were already closed to new applications. | Official source ↗ |
| Victoria VIC | 2026–27 not yet open | 7 Sep 2026 | Live in Melbourne: "Victoria's 2026–27 skilled visa nomination program is not yet open." A 2025–26 ROI remains in the system only "until either withdrawn by you, invited by us or the program year ends" — lodge a new ROI when 2026–27 opens. | Official source ↗ |
| South Australia SA | ROIs closed 2 June 2026 | 7 Sep 2026 | Registrations of Interest closed 9am Tuesday 2 June 2026. SA "will resume accepting ROIs when the 2026-27 program commences"; no opening date published at the date checked. Nomination fee $394 (190 and 491). | Official source ↗ |
What do the statuses mean?
Open
The program is accepting expressions of interest or registrations for this program year, and selection rounds are running or expected.
Limited
The program is running but restricted — a closed occupation list, a specific stream only, or invitation-only with no new registrations accepted.
Closed
No further selection for this program year. Existing EOIs usually stay in SkillSelect and are considered when the next year opens.
A qualified label
Where a state's position does not fit one of the four, the pill carries that state's own wording — for example Open — allocation TBA or No 2026–27 announcement — and is styled as Limited. The wording is the state's, not ours.
Checking
The official source is ambiguous or has not been updated. We say so rather than guess — a wrong status is worse than an honest gap.
Open does not mean easy
Every state selects. An open program with your occupation on its list is an opportunity to be considered, not an entitlement to be invited.
Closed is not the end
Your EOI stays in SkillSelect. What usually lapses in the meantime is your English test validity or your age bracket — both worth checking before the next year opens.
When does the programme year run?
Australian state nomination runs on a program year from 1 July to 30 June. Allocations are set at the start, used through the year, and reset at the end.
| When | What typically happens |
|---|---|
| July – September | New program year opens. Allocations announced. Most states publish updated occupation lists and criteria. The busiest period for changes. |
| October – March | Selection rounds run. Some states exhaust popular occupations early and close them individually while the wider program stays open. |
| April – June | Allocations run low. States begin closing streams. A program marked open in May may take no further candidates before 30 June. |
| 1 July | Everything resets — new allocations, revised lists, sometimes new criteria. Any advice given before this date should be re-checked after it. |
Why this page exists. Nine separate pages each carrying their own status block cannot be kept current through a program year — one of them always goes stale. One page can. If you find a status here that does not match the official source, that is a fault worth telling us about.
Which state page should you read?
This page tracks status. The state pages explain how each program actually selects, who it suits, and what you need before you are considered.
Common questions
Monthly at minimum, and weekly through the July to September period when program years open and criteria change most. Each row carries the date it was last checked, so you can see for yourself how current it is rather than trusting a single page-level date.
Yes. A SkillSelect EOI can be lodged at any time and remains valid for two years. It is considered when the state next runs selection. What lapses in the meantime is usually your English test result or your age bracket, so both are worth checking before a new program year opens.
No. Every state selects from the pool rather than processing a queue. An open program with your occupation on its list means you can be considered. Selection then depends on your points, your occupation, your connection to the state and how many places remain.
Because we only change a date when we have actually re-checked that state's source. Bulk-updating every date at once would make the page look current without being current, which is the failure this page was built to avoid.
Not on its own. Status tells you whether a door is open; it tells you nothing about whether you fit through it. Occupation list coverage, your work or study history in that state, and the residence commitment matter more than timing.
Not sure which state fits your occupation? Find out in five minutes.
Visa Advisor is a MARA-registered migration practice based in Sydney, NSW, working with clients across Australia and offshore.
Sources and last checked dates
- Migration Regulations 1994 — Federal Register of Legislation checked 19 Aug 2026 open ↗
- Department of Home Affairs — Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) checked 19 Aug 2026 open ↗
- Office of the MARA — Register of Migration Agents checked 19 Aug 2026 open ↗
State and territory nomination settings change without notice — confirm the current position on the official source before acting.