2026-27 189 ceilings at a glance

189 ceilings at a glance — frequently asked questions

Which 189 occupation groups have the most places left after the 15 October 2026 round?

After the 15 October 2026 round, the groups with the most 189 places left are Registered Nurses (2,240–4,870), General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers (2,489–2,678) and Secondary School Teachers (2,462–2,487). These are ImmiTrend estimates: each group's estimated 189 places minus community-reported invitations, shown as a range of places left.

Which occupation groups have already passed ImmiTrend's estimate of their 189 places?

5 groups have passed ImmiTrend's estimate of their 189 places after the 15 October 2026 round: University Lecturers and Tutors (over by 206–231), Painting Trades Workers (over by 184–392), Environmental Scientists (over by 78–193), Motor Mechanics (over by 33) and Carpenters and Joiners (over by 24–208). Passing our estimate is not the same as being full: it may mean the estimate is low.

Which occupation groups have the largest 189 ceilings in 2026-27?

In ImmiTrend's 2026-27 estimate, the largest occupation ceilings are Registered Nurses (ceiling 14,528, 11,561 for 189), General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers (ceiling 3,784, 3,171 for 189) and Secondary School Teachers (ceiling 3,354, 2,845 for 189). A ceiling is shared: grants to subclasses 186, 190, 491 and 494 come off it first, and the rest is left for 189.

Which groups have the fewest places for 189 in 2026-27?

Once grants to subclasses 186, 190, 491 and 494 are counted, the groups with the fewest places set aside for 189 in ImmiTrend's 2026-27 estimate are Database and Systems Administrators and ICT Security Specialists (38 of a 500 ceiling), Motor Mechanics (39 of a 1,136 ceiling) and University Lecturers and Tutors (128 of a 616 ceiling). A further 11 groups have no 189 places at all.

Which occupation ceilings increased most from 2025-26?

Comparing ImmiTrend's 2026-27 estimate with the official 2025-26 ceilings, the biggest increases are Registered Nurses (+599, from 13,929), Occupational Therapists (+416, from 1,192) and Medical Imaging Professionals (+293, from 896). The 2026-27 figures stay estimates until Home Affairs publishes them.

Which occupation ceilings decreased most from 2025-26?

Comparing ImmiTrend's 2026-27 estimate with the official 2025-26 ceilings, the biggest decreases are Audiologists and Speech Pathologists (−251, from 1,061), Early Childhood Teachers (−211, from 1,583) and Midwives (−193, from 913). The 2026-27 figures stay estimates until Home Affairs publishes them.

How are these lists ranked, and how often do they update?

Ceilings and 189 places come from ImmiTrend's 2026-27 estimate, made with the Department's method from FOI fa-260100545; the change lists compare it with the official 2025-26 ceilings. Places left subtract community-reported invitations up to the 15 October 2026 round, so they are ranges. The lists update after each 189 round and on the monthly data sync.