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📙 Daily Activity Report: 13 May 2026

This report summarises visa grants, S56 requests, and invitation activity for skilled migration visas (subclasses 189, 190, and 491) based on community-shared data for 13 May 2026.

Visa Grants

S56 Trends

Trends and Patterns in S56 Requests

S56 requests continue to focus on standard documentation verification. Common requests include:

Employment Evidence: Multiple cases required employment verification through contracts, references, and tax returns, particularly for Australian work experience claims (SA190 Software Engineer, NSW190 Developer Programmer).

Police Clearance Certificates: PCC requests remain frequent across all visa subclasses, with some applicants needing to renew expired certificates (VIC190, NSW190, NT491).

Medical Documentation: Remedicals and polio certificates were requested in several cases (NSW491, NT491, QLD190), with one case noting medicals were delayed due to peak season.

Forms 80 and 1221: These detailed personal history forms continue to be requested, particularly for offshore applicants (NSW190 Architectural Draftsperson, 491 Aerospace Engineer).

Priority Occupation Processing: The WA491 Retail Pharmacist (priority occupation) received a grant despite expired PCC and medicals, demonstrating expedited processing for health-related occupations under Ministerial Direction 105.

Processing Times by Category: - Priority Occupations (Health): WA491 Retail Pharmacist processed in approximately 13 months - Non-Priority Occupations: Processing times varied significantly from 1 month (QLD190 General Fitter) to 17 months (SA190 Software Engineer, VIC190 Information Professionals) - Subclass 189: Both grants showed processing times of 5-7 months

📊 This data represents crowdsourced information and is a subset of total visa activity. Only the Department of Home Affairs has complete grant data.

🔴 DISCLAIMER: This blog post is an AI summary of community comments and may be refreshed as more data becomes available. Due to the nature of crowdsourced and AI-generated content, mistakes and discrepancies are possible. This information should be consumed with caution.

Useful Links

👨🏻‍🏫 Book IELTS 💾 FOI 🧮 Calculator 🗳️ FY2025-26 Guide to Australian PR

📗 FY2025-26 Migration Planning Levels 🔖 Frequently Asked Questions 📞 Useful phone numbers and emails 📋 Visa Application Document List 🏘️ Guide to Housing, Jobs and Community 📲 Whatsapp Groups ☎️ Book Consultation to explore your 189/190/491 Skilled Visa Options

I lodged an EOI under ANZSCO 234111 Agricultural Consultant and selected 189, 190 and 491 (State/Territory nominated). My base score is 70.

A consultant told me that 491 is not really possible unless a state first nominates me, because only then the additional 15 points are granted. However, while filing the EOI, SkillSelect itself showed my 491 points as 85 automatically.

So I am confused about how the system actually works. Before nomination, is my EOI already considered in the pool at 85 points for 491 selection? Or does the EOI remain at 70 until a state decides to nominate, after which the 15 points and invitation come together? The consultant says-applicaiton would be lying there in the pool till state or family nominates- else there is no way for getting invitation at all. He says 491 is not practical or possible for me at all. I am totally confused

Would appreciate clarification from people familiar with the process.

Federal Budget Update

The Government will set the 2026–27 permanent Migration Program planning level at 185,000 places and allocate 132,240 places (over 70 per cent) to the Skill stream. Across both the Skill and Family streams of the permanent Migration Program, the Government will prioritise applications from onshore migrants, allocating 129,590 places to migrants already living in Australia, with an additional 300 places allocated to Special Eligibility. The remaining 55,110 offshore places will predominately be allocated to high‑skilled migrants that help address Australia’s long‑term skill needs. This measure will place downward pressure on net overseas migration. The Government will reform the permanent migration points test to better identify migrants who drive productivity and Australia’s long‑term prosperity. Almost two‑thirds of permanent skilled migrants are currently selected through points tested visas. The points test will be optimised to select better educated, higher‑skilled and younger migrants overall. The Government will reform the Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program to better control numbers, reduce barriers to work, provide a fairer allocation of WHM visas, and support Australia’s national interests. This includes expanding the use of ballots in the WHM program to support better management of the program. The Government will provide $85.2 million over four years from 2026–27 to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations for better recognition of migrant skills through faster, more flexible skills assessments including: $75.1 million over four years from 2026–27 for a new, modern skills assessment system for Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) to facilitate the integration of occupational licensing. This includes working with states and territories to pilot streamlined assessment‑to‑licensing pathways for priority trades such as electricians and plumbers. Costs will be fully recovered over the medium term through existing charging arrangements $5.6 million over three years from 2026–27 for TRA to deliver a new program of skills assessments for onshore visa holders, ensuring their existing qualifications and practical trade experience is recognised for the purposes of gaining employment and meeting workforce shortages. Costs will be fully recovered over the medium term through new cost recovery arrangements. $4.5 million over four years from 2026–27 to strengthen the regulatory oversight of Assessing Authorities to drive better performance, greater transparency and clearer accountability, including by requiring every Assessing Authority to publish an annual Assessing Authority Performance Report from 2027.

Canberra Matrix Invitation Round: 6 May 2026

Matrix nominating Doctorate Streamlined Pathway 190 nominations: 22 invitations 491 nominations: 8 invitations

Canberra residents Matrix nominating Small Business Owners 190 nominations: 3 invitations 190 minimum matrix score: 105 491 nominations: 14 invitations 491 minimum matrix score: 100

Matrix nominating 457 / 482 visa holders 190 nominations: 1 invitation 491 nominations: 0 invitations

Matrix nominating Critical Skill Occupations 190 nominations: 130 invitations 491 nominations: 87 invitations

Overseas applicants Matrix nominating Critical Skill Occupations: 190 nominations: 38 invitations 491 nominations: 33 invitations

Application Count @ 7 May 2026 Total approvals: 1288 approvals 190 Nominations: 615 approvals 491 Nominations: 673 approvals

Total refusals: 195 applications 190 Nominations: 91 refusals (12.9%) 491 Nominations: 104 refusals (13.4%)

Approvals by residency status since the last invitation round ACT Resident: 1131 approvals (87.8%) Overseas Resident: 157 approvals (12.2%)

Remaining Allocation 2025-2026 Total allocation remaining: 312 nomination places 190 Nominations: 185 491 Nominations: 127

Full Round Data PDF available here