190 Visa State Program Updates 2026: Victoria Closed, QLD Surge, Tasmania Gold Pass, NT MINT

The 2025–26 state nomination landscape looks very different from the previous year. Several states made headline changes — some that expanded opportunities, others that closed doors earlier than expected. If you're mid-application or planning to apply before the end of the financial year, these updates directly affect your strategy.

Victoria: Program Closed for New ROIs

Victoria announced on 14 April 2026 that it would close its skilled visa nomination program to new Registrations of Interest on 28 April 2026.

For applicants who hadn't submitted an ROI by that date, Victoria is effectively inaccessible until the 2026–27 program year opens — typically in July or August of each year, subject to the new year's allocation announcement.

Victoria's 2025–26 allocation was 2,700 subclass 190 places (down 10% from 3,000 in 2024–25). The closure before the end of the financial year indicates that eligible ROIs either met or exceeded what the state could process within the quota.

Key points for applicants targeting Victoria in the next cycle:

• Victoria enforces a six-month waiting period before a previously refused applicant can lodge a new nomination application. If you were declined in 2025–26, plan your 2026–27 ROI timing accordingly.
• Victoria will likely re-open its ROI portal in July or August 2026. Watch the Live in Melbourne government portal for the official opening date and updated eligibility criteria.
• Victoria's salary-weighting mechanism for onshore applicants tends to favor those earning in the $80,000–$120,000+ range. Use the intervening months to improve your salary position or accrue additional employment time.

Queensland: 208% Quota Increase — the Strategic Standout

Queensland's subclass 190 allocation jumped from 600 places in 2024–25 to 1,850 places in 2025–26. This is a 208% increase and the single most significant quota shift across all states.

The reason: Queensland has significant infrastructure investment tied to global sporting events planned for the early 2030s, alongside energy sector expansion. The state actively positioned its migration program to bring in skilled workers aligned with these industrial priorities.

What changed for applicants:

Queensland overhauled its selection methodology at the start of 2025–26. It replaced its previous queue-based system with a merit-based ROI ranking system. It also introduced two critical pathway modifications:

1. Building and Construction Workforce Pathway — Applicants in 46 specific construction-related ANZSCO codes need only three months of onshore Queensland work experience to apply, down from nine months for the standard pathway. This makes Queensland significantly more accessible for tradespeople who can relocate.

2. Standard Skilled Workers Pathway — Requires nine continuous months of living and working in Queensland at a minimum of 20 hours per week in the nominated occupation. Casual employment now qualifies.

3. Small Business Owner (SBO) Pathway closed — The SBO pathway under the 491 subclass was closed for any business purchased or established after 19 September 2025.

For applicants currently in other Australian states: relocating to Queensland and accumulating the nine-month work history is a legitimate strategic move, given Queensland's quota size. At 1,850 190-visa places serving a state of around 5.5 million, the per-capita quota is the most favorable in the country outside Tasmania.

South Australia: Offshore Stream Active, but Allocation Cut

SA's 190 allocation was cut 55% from 3,000 to 1,350 places — the steepest reduction of any state. Despite this, SA remains relevant for a specific reason: it actively issues nominations to offshore applicants.

SA's offshore stream covers more than 400 eligible occupations and has different experience thresholds depending on occupation. The general rule is three years of skilled employment within the past five years, though critical construction trades (bricklayers, plumbers, electricians) are reduced to one year within the previous three years.

What offshore applicants need to check:

• Does your ANZSCO code appear on the SA Offshore Occupation List?
• What is the specific work experience requirement attached to your occupation code? SA publishes occupation-level requirements, and they vary dramatically.
• Is your English level at Proficient (IELTS 7.0 / PTE 65) or above? SA's offshore stream often requires Proficient English, above the federal Competent minimum.

SA also offers its South Australian Graduates stream for international students who completed a CRICOS-registered course in SA — at least 46 weeks' duration, with at least 75% of the qualification completed while physically in SA.

For offshore applicants who don't have study ties to SA, the offshore skilled stream is the main entry point. Given the allocation cut, demand relative to available places is intense. Starting with a clean, complete nomination application that fully satisfies SA's occupation-specific requirements — rather than a borderline submission — is more important than ever.

Tasmania: Gold Pass, Green Pass, and Why the Threshold Matters

Tasmania's 1,200 subclass 190 places are managed through a tiered priority system that awards "Gold Pass" or "Green Pass" status to ROIs based on economic utility.

Gold Pass is the fast-track tier. To qualify:

• Skills assessment in health, allied health, or teaching
• At least six months of related Tasmanian work experience
• Base salary of at least $57,000 per annum (or $28.85 per hour)
• Salary calculation strictly excludes overtime, penalty rates, and casual loading

Gold Pass applications are processed within days. Non-priority roles fall into the TSE pathway, which requires 9–15 months of Tasmanian employment depending on whether the occupation is on the TSE Priority Occupation list.

What this means practically:

A registered nurse working in Tasmania, earning $62,000 base with six months of local employment, qualifies for Gold Pass. A software developer in Tasmania earning $75,000 does not qualify for Gold Pass — their occupation isn't in health, allied health, or teaching — and would need 9–15 months on the TSE pathway regardless of salary.

Tasmania's program is most compelling for healthcare workers specifically. Allied health professionals, nurses, midwives, and teachers who can meet the salary threshold and the six-month local work requirement have the fastest 190 nomination pathway of any state in the country, given the Gold Pass processing speed.

For anyone outside those sectors, Tasmania's effective requirement is 9–15 months of Tasmanian residence and work — a substantial commitment to a state with a population under 600,000 and a limited employment market for many professional occupations.

Northern Territory: MINT Program and Early Quota Exhaustion

The NT received 850 places for 2025–26 — one of the smaller allocations — but managed to exhaust that quota by early March 2026, months ahead of the end of the financial year. This early closure is a recurring pattern for the NT.

For standard onshore applicants:

The NT's standard 190 pathway requires two consecutive years of physical NT residency combined with two years of full-time employment in an eligible occupation. This is the strictest onshore residency requirement of any Australian state. It's designed to ensure genuine commitment to the territory before nomination, given the NT's persistent challenges with population retention.

For applicants who already have two years of NT history, the pathway is well-established. For applicants starting fresh, the NT is effectively a 2+ year commitment before a nomination becomes available.

The MINT Program:

The Migration Innovation Northern Territory (MINT) program is an alternative for high-net-worth applicants. It requires:

• Investment of AUD $515,000 into the Paspalis Innovation Investment Fund (PIIF)
• The fund allocates 80% to NT government bonds and 20% to local venture capital
• Applicants must still meet baseline federal criteria (65 points minimum, Competent English, valid skills assessment)

MINT bypasses the two-year residency queue, but it's explicitly for investors with liquidity at that level. For the vast majority of skilled migrants, it's not relevant — but knowing it exists prevents applicants from assuming the NT is completely inaccessible before their two-year mark.

For 2026–27:

Given the NT's consistent early quota exhaustion, applicants who become eligible (i.e., who reach their two-year NT residency and employment threshold) in mid-2026 should prepare their applications before the new program year opens, not after, to avoid missing the first invitation rounds.

The Australia Skilled Nominated Visa (190) Guide includes detailed eligibility tables for each state program, a state-comparison decision matrix, and up-to-date information on which programs are currently accepting applications.