The Department of Home Affairs has listed 15 October 2026 as the next SkillSelect invitation round, replacing the 30 October date the same page carried earlier this month. The invitation-rounds page shows a last-updated stamp of 9 October 2026 at 16:20, and it presents the new date without an explanation. The listing is the date the Department's SkillSelect section now shows to skilled workers waiting on an invitation.
What changed on the Department's pages
The change sits on the invitation-rounds page, which the Department uses for invitation round outcomes, rather than on the previous rounds page. The Department describes that page as containing the details from previous SkillSelect invitation rounds, and it carries a last update of 7 October 2026 at 8:45. The SkillSelect overview page, which introduces the system and the visas an expression of interest can cover, is stamped 7 October 2026 at 9:10. The invitation-rounds page carries a section headed invitation round outcomes.
The 15 October listing is the second change to this round. The Department had moved it from 30 September to 30 October, a shift EOI Insights reported on 3 October after the page was refreshed with no published reason. The round now sits earlier in October than the date posted at that point, and the invitation-rounds page does not state why the date changed again.
How a SkillSelect round works
SkillSelect is the Australian Government's online system for skilled workers who want to express their interest in applying for a visa to live and work in Australia, according to the Department. A candidate needs an invitation to apply for a skilled visa, and submitting an expression of interest with work experience and qualifications tells the Department the candidate is interested in being invited. The Department states that an EOI needs some personal information but no document uploads at that stage. One expression of interest can cover three visas, set out side by side in our 189 vs 190 vs 491 comparison:
- Skilled Independent (subclass 189)
- Skilled Nominated (subclass 190)
- Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491)
Our September 2026 SkillSelect tables put the subclass 189 expression of interest pool at 184,235 submissions, up 7,028 over the month, and 37,472 higher than a year earlier, a rise of 25.5 per cent. The September figures can be opened in the EOI Insights dashboard; the August totals for the same pool were reported in our earlier 189 pool story.
The same tables put the median score in the pool at 75 points, with 70 points the most common score and 36 per cent of expressions of interest at 80 points or above, across 85 occupations and 27 months of published rounds. Among occupations, early childhood teachers added the most expressions of interest in September, at 896, ahead of registered nurses at 405 and carpenters at 288, while accountants and auditors recorded small declines.
The Department lists the outcome of each round on the invitation-rounds page and keeps the details from rounds already held on the previous rounds page, which points readers to the SkillSelect Dashboard for further statistical information. The next round is listed for 15 October 2026.
Try these numbers yourself
Open the dashboard to try the live version — change the month, the visa, or the occupation and watch the numbers update.
These figures are example snapshots, not live counts.
