Concepts
Visas 189, 190 and 491 in SkillSelect EOI data
The visa filter is the most consequential control in EOI Insights. Subclasses 189, 190 and 491 are counted as three separate pools, with different eligibility rules and different occupation lists, so the same job title can look crowded in one and quiet in another. This guide explains what actually changes when you switch it.
What this view measures
Subclass 189 is Skilled Independent: no nomination, one national pool ranked on points. Subclass 190 is Skilled Nominated, so each EOI also records the state or territory it is aimed at. Subclass 491 is Skilled Work Regional, provisional rather than permanent, nominated by a jurisdiction or sponsored by an eligible relative.
The published statistics keep the three apart at every level of detail, which is why the dashboard never draws two of them on one axis.
Reading the chart
Switching the visa filter does not recolour the same data. It swaps the underlying population: different applicants, different eligibility, often a different occupation list. A 190 line for accountants and a 189 line for accountants describe two different groups of forms.
Nomination also changes the arithmetic. A 190 nomination adds points to the EOI, so the same person can sit in a different band on 190 than on 189 — another reason the two pools are not comparable score for score.
What the figure represents
Because the pools are separate, a short 491 pool does not make 189 easy, and a large 190 pool for an occupation does not mean the 189 pool is large too. The only fair comparison is one occupation at a time, one subclass at a time, over the same months.
Geography only exists on 190 and 491. State Mix, State × Occupation and the Australia Map read the nominated-jurisdiction field, so they have little to say about 189.
In the dashboard
Set the visa filter before anything else, then add occupations. Open 189 first, read the occupation you care about, then switch to 190 and read it again — two charts, one after the other, rather than one chart with mixed lines.
The guest trial covers both 189 and 190, so the whole comparison is available without an account.
The guest trial covers 189 and 190 plus five occupations. Subclass 491 asks you to sign in.
For applicants
Compare only the subclasses you are actually eligible for. Nomination requirements, regional residence conditions and occupation lists rule options in or out long before pool size becomes relevant.
If you hold EOIs on more than one subclass, read each pool separately. Adding them together double-counts you.
For migration professionals
When two clients share an occupation but not a subclass, show two charts. A single image with both lines invites subtraction, and the difference between them means nothing.
Name the subclass out loud in every sentence that contains a number. “The pool is around 4,000” is not a claim until it says which pool.
Limits of this view
The data cannot tell you which subclass is easier, because ease depends on eligibility, nomination programs and invitation volumes that the tables do not contain. It also cannot tell you whether a state will nominate you — only how many EOIs have aimed there.
Common questions
Can I compare 189 and 190 numbers for the same occupation?
You can look at both, one chart at a time, but you cannot add or subtract them. They count different populations under different rules, and one person may appear in both.
Why does the state view look empty on 189?
Because a 189 EOI records no nominated jurisdiction. The state views read that field, so they only carry meaning on 190 and 491.
Which subclass should I choose?
That is an eligibility question, not a data question. Check the Department of Home Affairs criteria and the relevant state program, then use these charts to understand how crowded the pool you qualify for happens to be.