189Federal
65- Est. Invitations
- 125–135
- Salary
- —
- DOE / EOI
- 6 Oct 2026
Environmental Research Scientist 234313
As at November 2026, Environmental Research Scientist (ANZSCO 234313) is still invited through the subclass 189: the 15 October 2026 round invited it at 65 points, for EOIs with a date of effect up to 6 October 2026 (an estimated 125–135 invitations, 100% of its 125 EOIs at 65+). The October 2026 189 pool holds 30 EOIs (1 at 85+ points), with 163 in 190 and 154 in 491. Latest state cut-offs: 491 at 80 points (6 December 2024), community reported. Three states list the occupation for 190 or 491. The 189 cut-off ranged 65–95 over the last 6 rounds, easing.
An EOI is ranked by points, then date of effect. 190 and 491 cut-offs (state nomination) are community reported.
189Skilled Independent
Every round65pts
15 Oct · DOE 6 Oct 2026
33–39 visas 2025-26*
190State nominated
2 states list it–pts
no round recorded
8–32 visas 2025-26*
491Regional, state or family
3 states list it80pts
6 Dec 2024
4–16 visas 2025-26*
186Employer sponsored
EmployerNo points test
485 → work → 482 or 186
10 visas 2024-25
Every pathway at a glance
October 2026 EOI pool. State rows count the 190 and 491 queues together, and one person can hold several EOIs. State scores are community reported.
| Pathway | In queue | At 85+ | Last invited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 189Eligible | 30 | 1 | 65 · 15 Oct 2026 |
| NSWclosed | 106 | 29 | – |
| WAopen | 82 | 31 | – |
| VICopen | 62 | 13 | – |
| SANot listed | 57 | 11 | – |
| ACTNot listed | 48 | 11 | – |
| QLDNot listed | 37 | 9 | – |
| NTNot listed | 27 | 8 | 491 · 80 · 6 Dec 2024 |
| TASNot listed | 18 | 4 | – |
See who gets nominated → community-reported 190 and 491 invitations
Checking your access…
Where do you sit in the 189 queue?
What this means at your score and date of effect
- 65 or more306 EOIs at that score or higher.
- 60Your date of effect decides within the score.
- Below 60Below the recent 189 cut-offs. Check the state lists for nomination.
Subclass 189 wait estimates · October 2026 EOI pool
| 80 | 85 | |
|---|---|---|
| Ahead | 2 | 1 |
| Met the cut-off | 2/6 | 3/6 |
How these figures are worked outmethod and limits
Subclass 189 invitation rounds have paused since 15 October 2026, so a wait estimate can't be reliably projected while rounds are paused. The queue figures above are current; the wait will depend on when rounds resume.
"Met the cut-off" counts how many of the last 6 subclass-189 rounds your points would have been at or above the round's minimum.
Figures describe observed invitation rounds and the current EOI pool — indicative only, not migration advice.
189 rank can be estimated from points and DOE; 190 and state/territory-nominated 491 are selected by each jurisdiction under its own policy and priorities, so a national EOI queue rank doesn't apply.
Will I get a 189 invitation as an Environmental Research Scientist?
Likely at 65 points or more. Invited in 6 recent 189 rounds.
Last 189 round · 15 October 2026
- Cut-off
- 65 pts
- June: 80, so 15 lower
- Date of effect
- invited at 65 up to here
- Est. invited
- 125–135
- Environmental Scientists: 572–612
- Queue invited
- 100%
- 125 of 125 at 65+
Cut-off and date of effect: Home Affairs. Invited and queue share: ImmiTrend estimates from the 1 Oct 2026 pool (queue = EOIs at 65+).
All 159 occupations in this round →We predicted 85 for this round. See the scorecard →
189 places this financial year
FY2026-27 · estimatedShared by all 3 occupations in Environmental Scientists, not just Environmental Research Scientist
500est. ceiling379est. 189 places0est. left after 15 Oct
151–161%
121 to 186 / 190 / 491572–612 invited by 189open
15 Oct cut-off for the whole group: 65 pts · DOE 1 Oct – 13 Oct 2026
Who shares these places · 3 occupations
| Occupation | Est. invited this FY | EOIs ≥ 65 pts | In pool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Research Scientist234313THIS | 125–135 | 10 | 30 |
| Environmental Consultant234312 | 427–457 | 33 | 75 |
| Environmental Scientists nec234399 | 20 | 1 | 2 |
| 2343 total | 572–612 | 44 | 107 |
ImmiTrend estimate — official figures not yet published. FY2025-26 official: 500 ceiling, 397 remaining · How we estimate · All occupation ceilings →
If a round is heldcut-off by round size, custom number, full prediction row
If 10 invited
65DOE ≤ Oct 26
If 20 invited
60DOE ≤ July 26
If 50 invited
All invited (30)
If 100 invited
All invited (30)
If 200 invited
All invited (30)
If 500 invited
All invited (30)
If 1000 invited
All invited (30)
Or calculate a custom number
189 prediction — full row
| Last round | Cutoff | Oct 26 | Spots left (FY) | If floor invited | If anchored invited | Active EOIs | At/above | Ceiling remaining |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 26 | 65 | 125–135 | 0 | All invited (30) | All invited (30) | 30 | 10 | 397 |
More 189 chartsqueue age, invitations per round, points gauge
Points reality gaugeyour points against those invited
Point Reality Gauge
- Points are easing. The minimum invited score has moved from 85 to 65 over the past 3 rounds — this can reflect round size, occupation allocation or EOI pool changes.
- At or near the EOI minimum. This occupation has recently invited at or near the EOI minimum, but future cut-offs and outcomes can still change.
- 1 round so far in 2026-27. Environmental Research Scientist has been invited in 1 invitation round this financial year. The round count alone doesn't indicate future demand or guarantee invitations.
Which state could nominate an Environmental Research Scientist?
Three states list Environmental Research Scientist for 2026-27: NSW, VIC and WA are open.
Program status 2026-27
OpenOnshore onlyOpeningPaused or closedNot listed
New South WalesOpen
190 · since 15 Oct 2026
- This occupation
- Listed for 491
- 190 + 491 queue
- 106 EOIs · 29 at 85+ · most at 90+
- Last invited
- No Environmental Research Scientist report yet
- Next expected
- Rounds through the year
- Places 2026-27
- 190: – places, 11 used · 491: – places, 0 used
- Grants 2024-25
- 0 × 190 · 2 × 491 · 0 × 186 · 3 × 189
- Note
- NSW Skills List rebuilt to 78 unit groups (16 removed, 15 added). NSW doesn't announce round dates. Allocation not yet published.
Sign in to get an alert when NSW invites an Environmental Research Scientist, with your position, the points distribution and the monthly series.Sign in
Status from state program pages. Queues: SkillSelect, 10/2026. An EOI can nominate several states, so state queues add up to more than the national totals.
All states as a tablestatus, listing, queue, last cut-off, places, grants
| State | Status | Listed | 190 queue | 491 queue | 85+ | Last cut-off | State places 190 / 491 (all occupations) | 190 + 491 grants | State page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| open | 491 | 62 | 44 | 29 | – | – / – | 2 | All NSW data | |
| open | 190, 491 | 38 | 24 | 13 | – | 900 / – | 0 | All VIC data | |
| open | Not listed | 21 | 16 | 9 | – | – / – | 2 | All QLD data | |
| open · onshore only | Not listed | 30 | 27 | 11 | – | – / – | 3 | All SA data | |
| open | 190, 491 | 43 | 39 | 31 | – | – / – | 4 | All WA data | |
| open | Not listed | 9 | 9 | 4 | – | 1,250 / 800 | 2 | All TAS data | |
| closed | Not listed | 11 | 16 | 8 | 491 · 80 · 6 Dec 2024 | – / – | 3 | All NT data | |
| open | Not listed | 29 | 19 | 11 | – | – / – | 2 | All ACT data |
Per-state queue chartspoints distribution, queue trend, invited and lodged
Pick a state above to see its three charts
All eight states · 24 charts
Who gets nominatedcommunity-reported 190 and 491 invitations
From 1 community-reported 190 and 491 invitation for Environmental Research Scientist, the median was 80 points.
Cut-off history
Where it ranks · 189
#40
of 170 occupations invited
▲ Top 23%▲ Rising
#40
This occupation · most invited →least invited
254 invites last 2 FY · busiest 8,043 · typical 52
Most consistently invited
invited 4 of 4 rounds
oldest → newest · filled = invited
Year over year
119last FY · 3 rounds
135so far · 1 round
▲ +240% per roundRound to round · last 2 FY
21
41
57
135
90858065
▲ Rising · invites per round · number under a bar = 189 cut-off
Minimum points invited, by source
Dashed line = the 65-point pass mark
Round History
Source:
| Date | Subclass | Source | Points | Est. Invitations | Salary | DOE / EOI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Oct 2026 | 189 | Federal | 65 | 125–135 | — | 6 Oct 2026 | |
| 4 Jun 2026 | 189 | Federal | 80 | 49–57 | — | — | |
| 13 Nov 2025 | 189 | Federal | 85 | 35–41 | — | — | |
| 21 Aug 2025 | 189 | Federal | 90 | 18–21 | — | — | |
| 6 Dec 2024 | 491 | NTCommunity | 80 | — | — | — | |
| 7 Nov 2024 | 189 | Federal | 90 | 10–16 | — | — | |
| 5 Nov 2024 | 189 | FederalCommunity | 90 | — | — | — | |
| 5 Sep 2024 | 189 | Federal | 95 | 3–4 | — | — |
- ··
- 189Federal80
- Est. Invitations
- 49–57
- Salary
- —
- DOE / EOI
- —
·· - 189Federal85
- Est. Invitations
- 35–41
- Salary
- —
- DOE / EOI
- —
·· - 189Federal90
- Est. Invitations
- 18–21
- Salary
- —
- DOE / EOI
- —
·· - 491NTCommunity80
- Est. Invitations
- —
- Salary
- —
- DOE / EOI
- —
·· - 189Federal90
- Est. Invitations
- 10–16
- Salary
- —
- DOE / EOI
- —
·· - 189FederalCommunity90
- Est. Invitations
- —
- Salary
- —
- DOE / EOI
- —
·· - 189Federal95
- Est. Invitations
- 3–4
- Salary
- —
- DOE / EOI
- —
··
FederalSkillSelectOfficialState governmentCommunityCrowdsourced
How many Environmental Research Scientist visas are actually granted?
40 skilled visas for Environmental Research Scientist in 2024-25, the 169th most of 581 occupations. 2025-26, provisional: 33–39 × 189, 8–32 × 190, 4–16 × 491 (186 and 494 not yet published).
25-26* is provisional: the full year to June 2026 for 189, 190 and 491 from a Home Affairs data release. The official release with every visa is expected in late 2026.
| Visa | Share of total | 2024-25 | 2025-26* | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | — | +82% | ||
30% | 1233–39* | 33–39 | — | |
25% | 10 | — | — | |
25% | 104–16* | 4–16 | — | |
20% | 88–32* | 8–32 | — | |
0% | 0 | — | — |
491 includes the closed 489 (peak 5 in 2015-16). — means last year had fewer than 20 grants. Tap a colour to show or hide its line. The grey area is the total.
Show the numbers for every year
| Year | Total | 186 | 190 | 491 | 189 | 494 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 33 | 1 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| 2016-17 | 33 | 3 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| 2017-18 | 16 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018-19 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2019-20 | 16 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020-21 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | 22 | 6 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 22 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | 40 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 0 |
| 2025-26* | — | — | 8–32 | 4–16 | 33–39 | — |
Where they were granted
Planned place to live, 2024-25. Coloured by how each state's share of Environmental Research Scientist 189 grants compares with its usual share of all 189 grants.
- 1QLDToo few to saytoo few to compare6
- 2NSWToo few to saytoo few to compare3
- 3WAToo few to saytoo few to compare1
- 4ACTToo few to saytoo few to compare1
- 5VICToo few to saytoo few to compare0
- 6SAToo few to saytoo few to compare0
- 7TASToo few to saytoo few to compare0
- 8NTToo few to saytoo few to compare0
- More than usual (1.3× or more)
- About usual
- Less than usual (under 0.75×)
- Too few to say (under 10)
Who was granted
Country of citizenship, 2022-23 to 2024-25 combined.
- 1Vietnam10.7%
- 2United Kingdom8.3%
- 3United States8.3%
- 4India7.1%
- 5South Africa4.8%
Data: July 2015 to June 2025, main applicants only. Occupation is recorded only for main applicants in the Skill stream, so partner, parent, business and 858 visas can't appear here, and temporary visas such as 482 aren't in this data. Source: Department of Home Affairs, BP0068 (CC BY). The views expressed are those of ImmiTrend and not necessarily those of the Department.
Your next step
Before you can submit an EOI you need a positive skills assessment from VETASSESS, an English test result and at least 65 points. Study and graduate (485) time in Australia count.
Questions
What points do you need for Environmental Research Scientist subclass 189?
Environmental Research Scientist last invited (189) 15 October 2026 at 65 points; ranged 65–95 over its last 6 invited rounds. At 65 points, EOIs with a date of effect up to 6 October 2026 were invited.
Was I invited in the 15 October 2026 189 round as Environmental Research Scientist?
In the 15 October 2026 round, Environmental Research Scientist EOIs at 70 points or more were invited; at 65 points, those with a date of effect on or before 6 October 2026; at 60 or less, none. ImmiTrend estimates 125–135 invitations to this occupation (572–612 to unit group 2343), 100% of its 125 EOIs at 65+ points.
Is the Environmental Research Scientist subclass 189 cut-off rising or easing?
Easing: across the last 6 189 rounds the Environmental Research Scientist cut-off ranged 65–95, from 95 (5 September 2024) to 65 (15 October 2026).
Is 85, 90 or 95 points enough to be invited for Environmental Research Scientist (subclass 189)?
Over Environmental Research Scientist's last 6 invited 189 rounds (latest 15 October 2026) cut-offs ranged 65–95. Met: 95: 6 of 6, 90: 5 of 6, 85: 3 of 6, 80: 2 of 6, 75: 1 of 6, 70: 1 of 6. At 65 points, EOIs with a date of effect up to 6 October 2026 were invited.
What are the latest 190 and 491 cut-offs for Environmental Research Scientist?
For Environmental Research Scientist: subclass 491 was last invited at 80 points (6 December 2024).
How do I compare to applicants who got invited for Environmental Research Scientist?
States and territories issue 190 and 491 invitations under their own policies, not national EOI queue order. Check My Score compares your profile with community-reported invited samples for Environmental Research Scientist; samples may be incomplete.
Which states nominate Environmental Research Scientist for 190/491?
Environmental Research Scientist is on the current 190/491 state nomination lists of: NSW, VIC, WA. State lists and quotas change each program year — check each state's official list.
How many subclass 189 places are likely left this FY2026-27 for Environmental Research Scientist?
About 0 subclass 189 places are estimated left in FY2026-27 after the 15 October 2026 round for Environmental Scientists, the unit group's 3 occupations together, Environmental Research Scientist included, of 379 for the year. Home Affairs has not yet published FY2026-27 occupation ceilings, so the places are an ImmiTrend estimate.
How often are Environmental Research Scientist invitation rounds held?
Subclass 189: 1 federal round so far in FY2026-27 (15 October 2026); Environmental Research Scientist received invitations in 1 of them. State nominations in FY2024-25: subclass 190 invitations on no round dates and subclass 491 on 1 round date (NT; 80–80 points).
How many Environmental Research Scientist visas were granted in 2024-25?
40 main applicants: 12 through 189, 10 through 186, 10 through 491 and 8 through 190.
Last updated 2 November 2026Sources:OfficialEstimatedCommunity-reported
EOI snapshot October 2026
Community-reported and estimated figures are indicative and may be incomplete — treat them as a guide, not a guarantee. Official figures come from Home Affairs / SkillSelect.
General information only — not migration advice.
Compiled by ImmiTrend from official SkillSelect data.