The invitation arrives at 2am Canberra time and the clock starts. From that moment you have 60 days to lodge a complete 189 application, pay $6,135, and attach evidence for every point you claimed. Miss the window and the invitation lapses. Claim a point you cannot prove and the application is refused, with the charge gone. Sixty days sounds generous. For an applicant still waiting on a reference letter from a former employer in another country, it is not.
Short answer: Invitations go to the highest ranked expressions of interest in each occupation. An invited applicant then has 60 days to lodge a $6,135 application. Round dates and cut-off scores change, so check SkillSelect for the current position rather than an earlier round’s results.
This guide explains how a round works and how ranking is decided. It then covers what should be ready before the round, and the trap that catches people who update their profile at the wrong time.
How an invitation round works
- BeforeYou lodge an expression of interest in SkillSelect with your occupation, points claims and the visas you would accept.
- RoundHome Affairs runs a round, selecting the top-ranked expressions of interest in each occupation up to the places available.
- InvitationSelected candidates receive an invitation for the 189 and the 60-day window opens.
- LodgementThe application is lodged with evidence for every claim, and the charge is paid.
- DecisionProcessing follows. Times vary and the Department publishes them monthly.
Rounds are not held on a fixed timetable. The Department publishes results after each one, including the lowest score invited by occupation. Those figures describe the past, and the next round can set a different bar. We therefore do not quote last year’s cut-offs here, because they would mislead more than they inform.
How ranking works
Within each occupation, expressions of interest are ranked by points score. Where scores tie, the earlier date of effect wins. The date of effect is the date your expression of interest last reached its current score, not the date you first lodged it. Consequently, two candidates on 85 points are separated by who reached 85 first.
Occupations are treated separately. A score that draws an invitation for a trades occupation may fall well short for a niche professional one. That is why the question is never whether you have enough points in the abstract. It is whether you have enough for your occupation in the current settings.
A points self-check
Every claim in the expression of interest must be provable on the day you lodge. Tick each item only if the document already exists.
Before the round, after the invitation
Check the expression of interest line by line against the documents. Confirm the occupation code matches the skills assessment and that experience is counted only from the date the assessing authority deemed you skilled. Book any English test far enough ahead that the result is in hand. Then leave the profile alone, because edits can move your date of effect.
Do not celebrate first. Open the invitation, confirm the visa and the points it records, and start the application the same week. Health examinations and police certificates can be arranged in parallel. Every dependant needs their own identity, relationship and character documents. Lodge with the full set rather than relying on a later request, because a refusal for an unsupported claim costs the whole charge.
The date-of-effect trap
Does updating my expression of interest reset my place in the queue?
Only if the update changes your points score. A correction to contact details leaves the date of effect alone. A change that raises or lowers the score sets a new date of effect at the moment of the change. Therefore, a genuine improvement is worth making, but a cosmetic edit that accidentally alters a claim is not.
What if my age band changes before the round?
Points are assessed at the invitation date. A birthday that drops you to a lower age band lowers your score automatically, and your date of effect updates with it. If a birthday is close, the timing of an English test or a skills assessment result matters. It can decide whether you are invited before or after it.
Cost
The charge is payable at lodgement and is not refunded on refusal. Health, police and English test costs are additional. Our fees and process page explains how professional fees are staged around the invitation.
The backup plan
A 189 expression of interest should rarely stand alone. The same expression of interest can name the 190 and the 491. Those add 5 and 15 nomination points and place you in state queues that move on different timetables. If your score is borderline for your occupation, those routes are not a compromise. They are often where the invitation actually comes from.
Frequently asked questions
Can I lodge the application after the 60 days if I have a good reason?
No. The invitation lapses at the end of the period and cannot be extended. Your expression of interest returns to the pool for a further invitation. That is why the evidence should be assembled before the round rather than after the invitation.
What happens if I overclaimed points by mistake?
If the application cannot prove the points the invitation was based on, it is refused and the charge is not refunded. Where the error is discovered before lodgement, the safer course is to let the invitation lapse. Then correct the expression of interest and wait for a fresh invitation.
How do I find the current cut-off for my occupation?
Home Affairs publishes round results on the SkillSelect pages after each round, broken down by occupation. Read the most recent result as an indication only. Rounds are not held on a fixed schedule and the bar moves from one to the next.
Do I need a job offer for a 189 invitation?
No. The 189 is independent and the points test gives no points for a job offer. Australian work experience earns points, and a job may support a state nomination for the 190 or 491. However, the 189 invitation is decided on score and date of effect alone.
Can I be invited for the 189 and a state visa at the same time?
Not from the same expression of interest. Once an invitation issues for one visa, the expression of interest is locked until it is used or lapses. If a state nomination is likely, decide in advance which invitation you would accept if both were on offer.
Figures verified against Home Affairs visa pricing as at 1 July 2026.
This article is general information about Australian migration law as at 2 September 2026. It is not legal advice. Round settings and figures change through the year, so obtain advice on your own profile before acting.