The latest data from DIBP shows 1,750 and 46 invitations have been issued to applicants for subclass 189 and 489 visas on 6 Sept 2017 respectively.
The invitations issued in Sept for subclass 189 visa was a little bit fewer than in previous months, whereas the invitations for subclass 489 visa had dropped significantly. The table below provides the data for the three months from Jul to Sept during 2017-18.
| Visa subclass | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | Total |
| Skilled – Independent (subclass 189) | 2,000 | 2,000 | 1,750 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5,750 |
| Skilled – Regional Provisional (subclass 489) | 210 | 256 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 512 |
| Total | 2,210 | 2,256 | 1,796 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6,262 |
Points score and cut offs
The minimum points scores for subclass 189 and 489 visas have been kept unchanged as 65 and 60 respectively.
| Visa Subclass | Points score | Visa data of effect |
| Skilled – Independent (subclass 189) | 65 | 03/08/2017 3:09 am |
| Skilled – Regional Provisional (subclass 489) | 60 | 05/09/2017 6:17 pm |
Flagged occupations
Due to high levels of demand, and in keeping with previous years, the below occupation groups will be subject to pro rata arrangements to ensure availability of invitations across the programme year.
- Accountants
- Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers
- Electronics Engineers
- Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers
- Other Engineering Professionals
- ICT Business and System Analysts
- Software and Applications Programmers
- Computer Network Professionals.