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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
| Subclass State | Location Occupation | Lodge → Grant Date | S56 Date Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 189 | ONSHORE Life Scientist nec | 21 Nov 2025 → 11 May 2026 | None |
| 189 | ONSHORE Electrician (General) | Oct 2025 → 13 May 2026 | 13 Apr 2026: All documents |
| 190 NSW | ONSHORE Developer Programmer | 24 Jan 2025 → 13 May 2026 | 13 Apr 2026: Employment evidence |
| 190 NSW | OFFSHORE Architectural Draftsperson | 23 Dec 2024 → 13 May 2026 | 17 Mar 2026: PCC UAE; 15 Apr 2026: Form 80, 1563 |
| 190 QLD | ONSHORE General Fitter | 31 Mar 2026 → 13 May 2026 | 09 Apr 2026: Medicals, Newborn Passport |
| 190 SA | ONSHORE Software Engineer | 18 Dec 2024 → 13 May 2026 | 16 Mar 2026: Employment evidence, Tax returns |
| 190 SA | ONSHORE Systems Administrator | 26 Dec 2024 → 13 May 2026 | None |
| 190 VIC | ONSHORE Information & Organisation Professionals nec | 09 Jan 2025 → 13 May 2026 | 31 Oct 2025: Renewed PCC (Home & Australia) |
| 491 NSW | ONSHORE Civil Engineer | 25 Jan 2025 → 13 May 2026 | 09 Apr 2026: Polio cert, Academic Transcript |
| 491 NT | OFFSHORE Electrical Engineer | 16 Aug 2024 → 13 May 2026 | 02 Mar 2026: PCC, Remedicals |
| 491 SA | ONSHORE AOD Counselor | 04 Jun 2025 → 13 May 2026 | 13 Jan 2026: Child Custody |
| 491 WA | OFFSHORE Retail Pharmacist | 21 Mar 2025 → 13 May 2026 | 24 Feb 2026: UNKNOWN |
S56 Trends
| Subclass State | Location Occupation | Lodge Date | S56 Date Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 491 | ONSHORE Aerospace Engineer | 06 Jan 2025 | 13 Apr 2026: PCC, Polio; 13 May 2026: Form 80, 1221, CV |
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.
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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.