State Nomination 2025-26: How Policy Pressures, Demographics and Demand Shaped the New Visa Landscape

The Australian Government’s 2025-26 state and territory nomination allocations for skilled visas (subclass 190 and 491) represent a noticeable rebalancing of places across jurisdictions. The program year’s 20,350 state-nomination places (12,850 for subclass 190 and 7,500 for subclass 491) will shape who gets fast access to extra points and state sponsorship and where those new arrivals are most likely to settle. We will dig down to the main changes, look at state wise allocation and outline how the shift may shape migration patterns and state policy in the in upcoming future.

Several states have had material reallocations compared with 2024-25. One of the largest single increases in allocation went to Queensland (QLD), which moved from 1,200 total nomination places in 2024-25 to 2,600 in 2025-26 (1,850 for 190; 750 for 491). The net effect across Australia was a smaller overall state-nomination program than in the previous year, concentrated in a smaller set of jurisdictions.

State nomination allocations are not arbitrary. The Department of Home Affairs explicitly considers jurisdictional workforce and demographic needs, the number of on-hand applications, and overall Migration Program planning levels when setting allocations. Several factors likely explain the pattern we’re seeing:

1. Workforce needs and sector shortages - states with acute shortages in health, construction, engineering, aged care, agriculture and defence supply chains will lobby for more permanent skilled places. State nomination programs are a tool to direct migrants into identified high-demand occupations. Immigration and citizenship Website

2. Rapid population growth and capacity - jurisdictions with significant population increases driven by net overseas and interstate migration (for example Queensland and Western Australia in recent quarters) have stronger claims to additional places because migrants are already moving there and the labour market requires workers. Queensland’s official statistics show large recent population gains driven primarily by net overseas migration. QLD is the only Australian state with 100,000+ population in 7 or more cities.

3. On-hand applications and processing balance - states with long backlogs of eligible EOIs or many applicants already in-state can justify more nomination slots. Home Affairs uses on-hand numbers when allocating places.

4. Federal-state political negotiation and priorities — allocations are also the result of negotiation. States make the economic and social case for more slots; the Commonwealth balances those asks against national Migration Program settings and political priorities.

   
   

Queensland: large increase, but not the only story

Queensland received a substantial increase for 2025-26 (2,600 places, up from 1,200). That jump likely reflects three combined realities:

1. Strong population growth and sustained net overseas migration into QLD,

2. Specific skills gaps in health, construction, hospitality and other sectors, and

3. Successful state lobbying for a larger share of the (reduced) national allocation

Additionally, Queensland’s political transition; from Annastacia Palaszczuk’s extended premiership, through Steven Miles’ interim leadership, to the current government under Premier David Crisafulli positions the state for a more stable and predictable policy environment over the coming years. With the change of government now settled and Cabinet priorities clearer, the state is likely to pursue more consistent economic and workforce planning settings. In migration terms, this stability could strengthen Queensland’s capacity to argue for sustained or even increased nomination allocations in future years, particularly if its population growth and labour-market pressures remain above the national average. Hence, some states lost places while others, like QLD gained. The allocation is therefore both a political and practical correction, not simply an across-the-board increase.

What other states are doing (official policy sources)

• New South Wales (NSW): NSW continues to prioritise highly skilled occupations on its NSW Skills List and targets migrants who can contribute to the NSW economy and fill critical gaps.

• Victoria (VIC): Victoria runs an explicit 2025-26 Skilled Visa Nomination Program and has signalled policies to support regional and graduate retention (including reserving some regional nominations for state graduates).

• Western Australia (WA): WA uses a State Nominated Migration Program to address workforce shortages (including offering supports such as gap training). WA’s program has been active in recent years to capture workers for mining, construction and defence-related supply chains.

• South Australia (SA): SA’s migration pages emphasise targeted nomination to meet state skills needs and include detailed nomination processes for businesses and individuals. SA often focuses on regional and defence-project aligned skills. Hence, outside of Queensland, SA is the only state which received Y2Y increased allocation for subclass 491 which signals a strong focus in outskirts of Adelaide.

• Tasmania (TAS): Tasmania’s state nomination pathways are widely inclusive of occupations on the national skilled occupation list and emphasise long-term contribution to regional communities. Many applicants misinterpret and sometimes over interprets Tasmanian state migration policies. Whilst being open to migrants, the Tasmanian state migration program heavily prioritises applicants who are working in their skilled nominated occupation.

• Australian Capital Territory (ACT): ACT nominates for both 190 and 491 with a tight focus on workforce fit for the city-region. With Bill Shorten the Vice Chancellor of University of Canberra, it may not surprise us to see some internal lobbying with the department of home affairs in the coming years.

• Northern Territory (NT): the NT pursues targeted DAMA and other employer-led pathways to attract workers for remote industries; media coverage and government notices highlight active measures to expand approved occupations under DAMAs in the Territory. Find the Year to year analysis here:

  

To explore your pathway and explore study/migration route, contact us. Sms/WhatsApp: +61410478759

At Newsted, we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live, and pay our respects to Elders past and present. We extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.