Skilled visa invites reveal Australia’s workforce priorities

Australia’s latest skilled visa invitations reveal which occupations the Government considers most critical to the country’s workforce needs. Dr Abul Rizvi writes.

Ministry of Internal Affairs (DHA) has released its latest round of invitations. Skilled Independent visa.

This is a points-tested visa, where the professions invited and the pass mark used for the professions invited tell us most about which professions the Government has prioritized. Professions on the skill list that are not invited also represent an important signal.

The Government has increased the number of places on the Skilled Independent visa from 16,900 in each of the last two program years to 21,090 in 2026-27 (including secondary visa applicants). Skilled independent migrants do not have a sponsoring employer or nominating state/territory government or territorial authority. They are essentially on their own and need to find work quickly as they have not had access to social support for four years.

According to the Continuing Survey of Immigrants in Australia (CSAM), especially in the relatively strong labor market of recent years, are quite successful in finding well-paying skilled employment, but this may change as the labor market weakens.

The previous round of invitations was held in November 2025 for 10,000 primary applicants, and before that in August 2025 for 6,887 primary applicants. The June 2026 round is also for 10,000 primary applicants.

Note that not all invitations are successful because the claims made in the Expression of Interest (EOI) are not found to be true when tested for evidence. To submit a successful EOI, the applicant must have a minimum (conceptual) score of 65 and meet the threshold criteria for English language skills (at least functional English or higher, depending on the requirements of the profession), age (under 45) and recognized qualifications for the nominated profession.

Also important are the length of relevant skilled work experience and the location where the applicant studied (for example, Australia and particularly regional Australia are preferred).

This invitation round is for 10,000 pre-applicants. A new invitation round will be held on September 30, 2026. The number of professions invited in the June 2026 round dropped to 145 compared to 149 in the November 2025 round.

The newly excluded occupations were:

art director;
biochemist;
botanist;
chemical engineer;
civil engineering draftsman;
civil engineering technician;
early childhood preschool teacher;
materials engineer;
medical oncologist;
motorcycle mechanic;
neurologist;
paint worker;
pathologist;
radiation oncologist;
telecommunications field engineer;
telecommunications network planner;
telecommunications technical officer;
vascular surgeon; And
zoologist.

The dismissal of early childhood teachers is particularly notable given the recent debate over salaries for this profession.

The newly added professions were:

air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics;
endocrinologist;
plumber and turner;
footballer;
gastroenterologist;
lift mechanic;
meteorologist;
music director;
orthotist or prosthetist;
panel beater;
sheet metal trade worker; And
shipbuilder.

The focus of both the November 2025 and June 2026 rounds continued to be the construction industry (top priority), healthcare professionals, mining, engineering and manufacturing professionals, particularly electrical engineering, teachers and environmental scientists.

On the other hand, there are many professions in the skilled professions list that did not receive invitations in either round; These include yoga teachers and goat farmers who are widely praised politically and in the media.

There were also no invitations to financial professionals (such as accountants, auditors, stockbrokers, financial advisors), but actuaries and statisticians were invited. No chefs or cooks were invited, even though these professions are employer-sponsored favorites. No hairdressers were invited. Lawyers and jurists were invited with high marks (in other words, not to high priority professions).

The priority of construction professions is emphasized by the fact that most of them are accepted at the minimum pass park of 65 points (see Table 1). In other words, almost any EOI from a tradesman whose skills have been successfully assessed and who can prove their claims of English and age is accepted.

(Data source: Ministry of Internal Affairs)

Health professions also continue to be a high priority, but not as high as occupations. The passing score for most nurse professions is around 75; This means that most qualified nurses continue to be accepted because nurses must score very high in English. Most other types of healthcare professionals were invited, but passing scores ranged from 75 for general practitioners to 100 for dermatologists.

Teaching professionals are also a high priority, with most requiring a passing score of 75. This will be achieved by almost all teacher candidates, as the skills assessment body for teachers requires a particularly high English language requirement.

Although not as high priority in terms of pass marks, invitations were also extended to a number of professions in the mining, engineering, manufacturing, agriculture and telecommunications industries.

Doctor Abul Rizvi He is an independent Australian columnist and former Deputy Secretary of the Immigration Service. You can follow Abul on Twitter @RizviAbul or Bluesky @abulrizvi.bsky.social.

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