How the pool works
What a SkillSelect Expression of Interest is
An Expression of Interest is a form you lodge in SkillSelect, not a visa application, and the monthly statistics about it are snapshots rather than arrival counts. Those two facts explain most of the confusion about SkillSelect data. This article sets them out, then points you at the view where you can check the numbers for an occupation.
Key terms. SkillSelect is the Australian government’s online system for skilled migration. An Expression of Interest (EOI) is the form you lodge in it, and it is not a visa application. An EOI counted as submitted was still sitting in the pool when the monthly snapshot was taken; one counted as invited was holding an invitation at that moment. ANZSCO is the occupation-code list SkillSelect uses. Every figure on this site counts EOIs rather than people, because one person can lodge more than one.
An EOI is not a visa application
You lodge an Expression of Interest in SkillSelect to say that you would like to be considered for a skilled visa. Lodging one gives you no status and starts no clock in your favour. If the Department, or a state or territory, invites the EOI, you may then apply for the visa itself, which is a separate process with its own fees, evidence and deadlines.
An EOI lapses two years after it is lodged, so the pool empties partly by expiry rather than only by invitation. Because one person can lodge several EOIs, across different subclasses or with updated details, every count on this site is a count of forms rather than of people.
In the EOI statistics
Each published month is a snapshot: it counts the EOIs sitting in the pool on that date, not the EOIs lodged during that month. This is the single most misread feature of the statistics. A line can rise because more EOIs arrived, or because fewer invitations, withdrawals and expiries removed them — the number alone does not distinguish those causes.
The other thing to know is suppression. The government does not publish any count below 20, so detailed splits can have gaps. Where the app fills a gap it labels the point as an estimate, and those points should never be quoted as Department figures.
In the dashboard
Checking EOI data means opening Occupation Trends, choosing a subclass and adding an occupation. The guest trial covers 189 and 190, so you can do all of that without an account. The figure below is a frozen example, not the current SkillSelect month.
The guest trial covers 189 and 190 plus five occupations. Opening 491 asks you to sign in.
Reading these charts
What EOI data is is the longer Guides explainer. Monthly Flows turns the snapshot line into up and down bars, and Methodology records where the data comes from, which months have been revised and how estimates are marked.
For applicants
The pool is context, not a queue position. Nothing in the published snapshot tells you where your own EOI sits, because the tables are aggregates and carry no individual identifiers.
If you want a sense of where a score sits, that is what the points test article and the points views in the dashboard are for — still without promising an outcome.
For migration professionals
Say “submitted EOIs in the published snapshot” rather than “applicants waiting”. The wording matters, because a client who hears the second version will quietly convert the number into a personal wait time.
Quote published totals rather than faint estimated segments, and mention that historical months can be revised so a chart shown twice may not match itself.
Related pages
- The points test and the pool
- Invitation rounds and the invited pool
- 189 vs 190 vs 491
- Guides: what EOI data is
- Guides: methodology and data sources
Common questions
Is an EOI a visa application?
No. An Expression of Interest is a form lodged in SkillSelect that says you would like to be considered. A visa application only becomes possible after the Department invites the EOI, and it is a separate process with its own fees and deadlines.
How do I check submitted EOIs for my occupation?
Open Occupation Trends in EOI Insights, set the visa filter to 189 or 190, and pick the occupation. The line is the number of EOIs sitting in that pool in each published month.
Why did last month’s number change?
SkillSelect sometimes revises earlier tables, and the app follows the published release, so a historical point can move. The Methodology guide records which months have been revised.