[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":22},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fbT4H7VWG8pEI5J089lWTniSrDW7ZDWZrByF7gC19yd0":3},{"_id":4,"title":5,"slug":6,"description":7,"body":8,"date":9,"category":10,"author":11,"image":12,"tags":13,"featured":19,"isPublished":20,"__v":21},"69e19ca3201a7925d26e85f8","190 and 491 State Nomination in 2025-26: Allocations by State and Victoria's ROI Closure","state-nomination-190-491-australia-2025-2026","See the 2025-26 state nomination allocations for 190 and 491 visas, and what Victoria's April 2026 ROI closure means for skilled migration plans today.","State nomination remains one of the biggest moving parts in Australian skilled migration, and 2026 has already brought an important date for Victoria applicants. \n\nThe national picture started on 4 November 2025, when the Government set the 2025-26 nomination allocations. The most urgent state-level update right now came on 13 April 2026, when Victoria announced that new Registrations of Interest would close at 4pm AEST on Tuesday 28 April 2026.\n\n## What changed\n\nHome Affairs says states and territories receive nomination allocations each program year so they can nominate migrants for:\n\n- Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)\n- Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)\n\nFor 2025-26, the Australian Government set the total state and territory nomination allocation at 20,350 places.\n\nThat total is split between 12,850 places for the 190 visa and 7,500 places for the 491 visa.\n\nJust as important, Home Affairs says these allocations are the number of new primary applicants a state or territory can nominate. They do **not** determine the total number of visas granted in the year.\n\nThe big late-season update came from Victoria. Live in Melbourne announced on 13 April 2026 that Victoria's 2025-26 skilled visa nomination program would close to new ROIs at 4pm AEST on Tuesday 28 April 2026. The same update said the program had received many more ROIs than available places, but Victoria would continue considering already submitted ROIs for remaining places in the 2025-26 year.\n\nHome Affairs also explains why these allocations exist in the first place. The official page says state nomination programs help jurisdictions meet their own workforce and demographic needs and address critical skills shortages. So the state system is not only about applicant demand. It is also about what each jurisdiction says it needs most.\n\n## Who this affects\n\nThis matters most to:\n\n- applicants planning to seek state nomination for the 190 visa\n- applicants planning to seek regional nomination for the 491 visa\n- people comparing states before lodging\n- migrants who were planning to wait and see before filing a Victorian ROI\n\nIt also affects people who assume state nomination stays open for the whole program year. In practice, states can pause or close intake when demand is high.\n\n## Key facts to know\n\nHere are the official 2025-26 allocations from Home Affairs:\n\n| State or Territory | 190 allocation | 491 allocation |\n| --- | ---: | ---: |\n| ACT | 800 | 800 |\n| NSW | 2,100 | 1,500 |\n| NT | 850 | 800 |\n| QLD | 1,850 | 750 |\n| SA | 1,350 | 900 |\n| TAS | 1,200 | 650 |\n| VIC | 2,700 | 700 |\n| WA | 2,000 | 1,400 |\n\nVictoria's total is 3,400 places, made up of 2,700 for the 190 visa and 700 for the 491 visa. That matches both the national Home Affairs allocation table and Victoria's own April 2026 update.\n\n### Every state runs its own criteria\n\nHome Affairs says states and territories assess applicants against criteria unique to their own jurisdiction.\n\nThat means the allocation table tells you how many places exist, but it does not tell you how easy or hard nomination will be. States can focus on different occupations, sectors, income levels, residence rules or evidence requirements.\n\nThis is why two states with similar allocation numbers can still feel very different in practice. One state may target a narrow group of occupations, while another may use wider settings but stronger competition.\n\n### Allocation is not the same as approval\n\nThis point matters a lot. The official Home Affairs page says nomination allocations are not the number of visas granted in the year. They are the number of new primary applicants a state or territory can nominate.\n\nSo even if a state still has places left on paper, your own chance of nomination still depends on that state's rules, your occupation, and how strong your profile is compared with the rest of the pool.\n\n### Victoria is the main time-sensitive story right now\n\nAs of 16 April 2026, Victoria's ROI closure is one of the most important near-term deadlines in skilled migration.\n\nThe state's own update says:\n\n- new ROIs close at 4pm AEST on Tuesday 28 April 2026\n- the program received far more ROIs than available places\n- already submitted ROIs will still be considered for remaining places\n\nThat means people who want Victoria and have not yet lodged an ROI do not have unlimited time.\n\n### 190 and 491 are not the same pathway\n\nThe 190 visa is a permanent visa. The [Skilled Nominated visa](\u002Fvisas\u002Fskilled-nominated-190) is for people nominated by a state or territory to live and work permanently in Australia.\n\nThe 491 visa is provisional. The [Skilled Work Regional visa](\u002Fvisas\u002Fskilled-work-regional-491) is for people nominated by a state or territory, or sponsored by eligible family, to live and work in designated regional areas.\n\nThat difference affects both strategy and expectations. Some applicants prefer the permanent nature of the 190. Others find the regional 491 route more realistic.\n\n## What this means in 2026\n\nThe 2025-26 state nomination picture shows that allocation numbers are only one part of the story.\n\nThe more useful reading is:\n\n- states and territories received clearly different 190 and 491 allocations\n- each jurisdiction still applies its own separate criteria\n- demand can run far ahead of available places\n- intake settings can change quickly late in the program year\n\nVictoria's published closure of new ROIs on 28 April 2026 is a good example of how state nomination works in practice. Even when national allocation figures are public, the real pressure point for applicants is often the live state intake setting rather than the yearly total by itself.\n\n## Frequently asked questions\n\n### How many state nomination places are available in 2025-26?\n\nHome Affairs says the total is 20,350 places across all states and territories.\n\n### Does Victoria close on 28 April 2026?\n\nVictoria says new ROIs close at 4pm AEST on Tuesday 28 April 2026.\n\n### Does an allocation number mean that many visas will be granted?\n\nNo. Home Affairs says allocations are the number of new primary applicants a jurisdiction can nominate, not the number of visas granted.\n\n### Which state has the biggest 190 allocation?\n\nFor 2025-26, Victoria has 2,700 190 places and New South Wales has 2,100. Western Australia has 2,000.\n\n### Is the 491 always easier than the 190?\n\nNot always. The 491 can be more realistic for some applicants, but each state applies its own rules and demand can still be very strong.\n\n### Can states keep assessing old ROIs after closing new ones?\n\nYes. Victoria's April 2026 update says it will continue considering already submitted ROIs for remaining nomination places.","2026-04-16T00:00:00.000Z","Policy Updates","MigrationPages","\u002Farticles\u002Fstate-nomination-190-491-australia-2025-2026.webp",[14,15,16,17,18],"190 visa","491 visa","state nomination","Victoria ROI","Australia migration",false,true,0,1776407294314]