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Subclass 186 Visa Grants 2024-25 by State, Occupation & Country

Australia granted 44,000 subclass 186 places in 2024-25, the most in ten years.

Official Home Affairs data (BP0068), released December 2025. Covers July 2015 to June 2025. Next release expected late 2026.

186 places granted each year

Program years 2015-16 to 2024-25, all states.

44,000places granted
17,784main applicants, up 22%
2.5people per visa, incl. family
82%of main applicants applied from within Australia
  • All places (main applicants + family)
  • Main applicants
Show the numbers for every year
YearPlacesMain applicants
2015-1635,95916,320
2016-1738,03017,429
2017-1829,30713,271
2018-1933,02015,658
2019-2030,28113,626
2020-2124,18510,806
2021-2226,10311,724
2022-2335,00515,128
2023-2436,82714,583
2024-2544,00017,784

186 grants by state

Main applicants by employer location. Select a state on the map to filter the whole page.

Where main applicants were granted

2024-25. Darker means more grants.

Map of Australia shaded by subclass 186 main applicants per state in 2024-25New South Wales — 5,815Victoria — 4,415Queensland — 2,727South Australia — 736Western Australia — 2,986Tasmania — 308Northern Territory — 363Australian Capital Territory — 434NSW5,815VIC4,415QLD2,727SA736WA2,986TAS308NT363ACT434

Change from 2023-24

Northern Territory, South Australia, and Australian Capital Territory grew fastest.

  1. WA+1,001+50%
  2. QLD+537+25%
  3. VIC+535+14%
  4. NSW+381+7%
  5. SA+305+71%
  6. ACT+167+63%
  7. NT+162+81%
  8. TAS+113+58%

186 grants by occupation

Main applicants, 2024-25 compared with 2023-24. 451 occupations were granted an 186.

Share of all 186 grants, change in percentage points. Occupations with at least 50 grants in either year.

Gaining share

  1. 1Software Engineer+1.0 pts
  2. 2Personal Care Assistant+0.8 pts
  3. 3Chef+0.7 pts
  4. 4External Auditor+0.6 pts
  5. 5Computer Network and Systems Engineer+0.6 pts

Losing share

  1. 1Registered Nurse (Medical)−1.7 pts
  2. 2Registered Nurse (Critical Care and Emergency)−1.1 pts
  3. 3Developer Programmer−0.5 pts
  4. 4Registered Nurse (Perioperative)−0.5 pts
  5. 5Carpenter−0.5 pts

Rising and falling occupations across all skilled visas →

OccupationANZSCO2023-242024-25Share change
Chef3513111,3781,894+0.7
Software Engineer2613136841,050+1.0
Registered Nurse (Critical Care and Emergency)254415654639−1.1
Accountant (General)221111497591−0.3
Registered Nurse (Medical)254418669562−1.7
ICT Business Analyst261111309446+0.3
Motor Mechanic (General)321211321432+0.1
Developer Programmer261312404424−0.5
Showing 8 of 498.

Who is granted an 186

Main applicants in 2024-25: 64% men, 36% women.

Country of citizenship

Share of main applicants.

  1. 1India24.8%2023-24: 25.8%
  2. 2United Kingdom12.0%2023-24: 13.7%
  3. 3Philippines8.1%2023-24: 8.3%
  4. 4Sri Lanka4.3%2023-24: 2.7%
  5. 5Ireland4.2%2023-24: 4.1%
  6. 6China4.0%2023-24: 6.6%

Age at grant

47% were aged 25 to 34, down from 61% in 2015-16. 24% were 40 or older.

  • 2024-25
  • 2015-16

Where 186 applicants applied from

82%applied from within Australia in 2024-25, down from 97% in 2020-21.

Share applying from within Australia, by year

Show the numbers for every year
  • 2015-1692%
  • 2016-1792%
  • 2017-1893%
  • 2018-1994%
  • 2019-2094%
  • 2020-2197%
  • 2021-2293%
  • 2022-2387%
  • 2023-2478%
  • 2024-2582%

Subclass 186 grants in 2024-25: summary

In program year 2024-25, Australia granted 44,000 subclass 186 places to 17,784 main applicants and 26,216 family members. New South Wales had the most main applicants (5,815), up 7% on 2023-24. Chef was the most-granted occupation with 1,894 grants. 82% of main applicants applied from within Australia.

Where do you stand for an 186?

Grants show the past. This visa needs an employer to nominate you; there is no points test.

Browse occupationsAsk the AI assistant

How to read this data

A grant is a visa actually issued in a program year (1 July to 30 June). It is counted when granted, not when invited. A nomination in one year is often granted the next, so grants trail the invitation rounds. “Places” counts main applicants and their family members.

Occupation is recorded only for main applicants in the Skill stream. State is where the applicant was employed. Temporary skilled and graduate visas such as 482 and 485 aren't in this data.

Questions about 186 grants

How many subclass 186 visas were granted in 2024-25?
44,000 places: 17,784 main applicants and 26,216 family members.
Which state had the most subclass 186 grants in 2024-25?
New South Wales with 5,815 main applicants, followed by Victoria (4,415).
Which occupations were granted the most subclass 186 visas in 2024-25?
Chef (1,894), Software Engineer (1,050) and Registered Nurse (Critical Care and Emergency) (639).
How many subclass 186 applicants applied from inside Australia in 2024-25?
82% of main applicants applied from within Australia.

Source: Department of Home Affairs, BP0068 (CC BY 4.0). The views expressed are those of ImmiTrend and not necessarily those of the Department.

Last updated 22 December 2025Sources:Official

General information only — not migration advice.