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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
📙 Daily Activity Report: 12 May 2026
This report summarises visa grants, S56 requests, and invitation activity for skilled migration visas (subclass 189, 190, and 491) based on crowdsourced data from the community.
Visa Grants
| Subclass State | Location Occupation | Lodge → Grant Date | S56 Date Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 190 NSW | Onshore Construction Project Manager | 28 Jan 2026 → 12 May 2026 | None |
| 190 QLD | Unknown Registered Nurse NEC (Priority) | 26 Mar 2026 → 12 May 2026 | None |
| 190 QLD | Onshore Painting Trades Worker | 12 Apr 2026 → 12 May 2026 | None |
| 190 Unknown | Unknown Civil Engineer | 28 Jan 2026 → 12 May 2026 | None |
| 189 | Onshore Chemical Engineer | 22 Nov 2025 → 12 May 2026 | None |
| 189 | Onshore Actuary | 22 Nov 2025 → 12 May 2026 | None |
| 491 NSW | Offshore Pharmacy Technician (Priority) | 28 Jul 2025 → 12 May 2026 | 02 Feb 2026: Medicals for youngest child (turned 2 in Jan). Cleared 28 Feb 2026 |
S56 Trends
| Subclass State | Location Occupation | Lodge Date | S56 Date Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 491 NSW | Offshore Pharmacy Technician (Priority) | 28 Jul 2025 | 02 Feb 2026: Medicals for youngest child. Submitted 10 Feb 2026, Cleared 28 Feb 2026 |
Invitation Activity
No invitation round data was reported for 12 May 2026.
Trends and Patterns in S56 Requests
Only one S56 request was reported today for a 491 NSW Pharmacy Technician applicant. The request was for additional medicals for a dependent child who turned 2 years old in January 2026. The medicals were completed and cleared within approximately 2 weeks of the S56 request. This highlights the importance of ensuring all family members, including young children, have up-to-date medical examinations.
The majority of grants reported today were direct grants with no S56 requests, particularly for subclass 189 and 190 visas. Priority occupation applicants (Registered Nurse and Pharmacy Technician) showed processing times ranging from 1 month (190 QLD) to 9.5 months (491 NSW), with the longer processing time involving an S56 for remedicals.
Non-priority occupations showed processing times between 3.5 to 5.5 months for subclass 189 and 190 visas, with most being direct grants.
News and Updates
The FY2026-27 Budget was released on 12 May 2026. Updates and analysis are available in the community.
Useful Resources
- FY2026-27 Budget Updates: https://smartvisaguide.com/posts/15526
⚠️ Disclaimer: This blog post is an AI summary of the comments below and may be refreshed as more comments arrive. Due to the nature of crowdsourced and AI-generated content, mistakes and discrepancies are possible. This information should be consumed with caution.
📊 This data is crowdsourced and represents only a subset of total visa activity. Only the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and individual states have access to complete data.
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
