Subclass 491 Visa Grants 2024-25 by State, Occupation & Country

Australia granted 27,862 subclass 491 places in 2024-25, the most since 2019-20.

Official Home Affairs data (BP0068), released December 2025. Covers July 2019 to June 2025. Next release expected late 2026.

491 places granted each year

Program years 2019-20 to 2024-25, all states.

27,862places granted
10,293main applicants, down 10%
2.7people per visa, incl. family
54%of main applicants applied from within Australia
  • All places (main applicants + family)
  • Main applicants
Show the numbers for every year
YearPlacesMain applicants
2019-202,1651,239
2020-218,9144,375
2021-2213,8756,972
2022-2323,06510,843
2023-2426,17811,450
2024-2527,86210,293

Closed subclass 489 grants are counted on their own page.

491 grants by state

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

Where main applicants were granted

2024-25. Darker means more grants.

Western Australia — 1,152Northern Territory — 417South Australia — 2,089Queensland — 598New South Wales — 3,496Victoria — 757Tasmania — 690Australian Capital Territory — 1,092WA1,152NT417SA2,089QLD598NSW3,496VIC757TAS690ACT1,092

Change from 2023-24

Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, and Western Australia grew fastest. Tasmania fell by 1,035.

  1. NSW+1,251+56%
  2. ACT+398+57%
  3. WA+19+2%
  4. NT−46−10%
  5. QLD−286−32%
  6. VIC−600−44%
  7. SA−857−29%
  8. TAS−1,035−60%

491 grants by occupation

Main applicants, 2024-25 compared with 2023-24. 345 occupations were granted a 491.

Share of all 491 grants, change in percentage points. Occupations with at least 50 grants in either year.

Gaining share

  1. 1Motor Mechanic (General)+1.5 pts
  2. 2Software Engineer+1.4 pts
  3. 3Construction Project Manager+1.4 pts
  4. 4Human Resource Adviser+1.0 pts
  5. 5Registered Nurses (nec)+1.0 pts

Losing share

  1. 1Accountant (General)−10.0 pts
  2. 2Chef−3.0 pts
  3. 3Mechanical Engineer−1.3 pts
  4. 4Computer Network and Systems Engineer−1.0 pts
  5. 5Retail Pharmacist−0.8 pts

Rising and falling occupations across all skilled visas →

OccupationANZSCO2023-242024-25Share change
Accountant (General)2211112,140898−10.0
Chef351311899502−3.0
Mechanical Engineer233512705498−1.3
Civil Engineer2332114604160.0
Motor Mechanic (General)321211221351+1.5
Software Engineer261313219340+1.4
Engineering Technologist233914356270−0.5
ICT Business Analyst261111332259−0.4
Showing 8 of 395.

Who is granted a 491

Main applicants in 2024-25: 67% men, 33% women.

Country of citizenship

Share of main applicants.

  1. 1India44.9%2023-24: 46.0%
  2. 2Sri Lanka11.2%2023-24: 4.0%
  3. 3Pakistan9.8%2023-24: 7.2%
  4. 4Nepal8.6%2023-24: 12.7%
  5. 5China3.8%2023-24: 5.1%
  6. 6Iran2.6%2023-24: 1.7%

Age at grant

56% were aged 25 to 34, down from 75% in 2019-20. 19% were 40 or older.

  • 2024-25
  • 2019-20
See how many points your age gives

Where 491 applicants applied from

54%applied from within Australia in 2024-25, down from 89% in 2021-22.

Share applying from within Australia, by year

Show the numbers for every year
  • 2019-2085%
  • 2020-2183%
  • 2021-2289%
  • 2022-2381%
  • 2023-2478%
  • 2024-2554%

Subclass 491 grants in 2024-25: summary

In program year 2024-25, Australia granted 27,862 subclass 491 places to 10,293 main applicants and 17,569 family members. New South Wales nominated the most main applicants (3,496), up 56% on 2023-24. Accountant (General) was the most-granted occupation with 898 grants. 54% of main applicants applied from within Australia.

Where do you stand for a 491?

Grants show the past. Your chances depend on your points and a state's nomination.

Check my chancesCompare statesAsk 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 nominated. Temporary skilled and graduate visas such as 482 and 485 aren't in this data.

Questions about 491 grants

How many subclass 491 visas were granted in 2024-25?
27,862 places: 10,293 main applicants and 17,569 family members.
Which state had the most subclass 491 grants in 2024-25?
New South Wales with 3,496 main applicants, followed by South Australia (2,089).
Which occupations were granted the most subclass 491 visas in 2024-25?
Accountant (General) (898), Chef (502) and Mechanical Engineer (498).
How many subclass 491 applicants applied from inside Australia in 2024-25?
54% 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.

Compiled by ImmiTrend from Department of Home Affairs visa grant data (BP0068).