Invitation rounds are how Australia selects skilled migrants from the SkillSelect pool. Here's how rounds work, when they happen, and what determines whether you get invited.
How Do Australian Immigration Invitation Rounds Work?
Invitation rounds are the mechanism by which the Australian government selects skilled migrants from the SkillSelect pool. Understanding how they work, and what determines whether your EOI gets selected, is critical to managing your expectations and your strategy.
What Is an Invitation Round?
An invitation round is when the Department of Home Affairs reviews the SkillSelect pool and issues invitations to the highest-scoring applicants in each occupation category. Invitations are effectively a notification that you are eligible to lodge a formal visa application.
Rounds happen regularly — typically monthly — though the frequency and number of invitations per occupation varies based on the annual migration programme.
What Determines Who Gets Invited?
The primary factor is your points score relative to other candidates in your occupation. Each invitation round has a "points cutoff" — the minimum score of any applicant who received an invitation. This cutoff varies by occupation and by round.
For competitive occupations like software engineering or accounting, cutoffs can sit at 85 to 95 points or above. For less-applied occupations or specific state nomination streams, cutoffs may be lower.
Are All Occupations in Every Round?
No. Not every occupation receives invitations in every round. Some rounds are "all-skilled" draws that include every occupation on the eligible lists. Others are targeted at specific occupation groups. The government adjusts this based on migration programme priorities and labour market conditions.
What Happens at the Cutoff If Scores Are Tied?
When multiple applicants have the same points score, they are ranked by the date and time they submitted their EOI. The earlier the submission date, the higher the ranking among tied candidates.
This is why submitting your EOI as soon as you are eligible — and have your skills assessment and English results confirmed — is important. Sitting at 85 points with an EOI dated three months ago ranks above someone who just submitted at 85 points.
When Does the Migration Programme Reset?
Australia's migration programme operates on a financial year basis (1 July to 30 June). At the start of each financial year, new occupation quotas are set and invitation rounds begin drawing against them. Invitation activity is typically highest in the second half of the financial year (January to June) as the government works to meet its annual targets.
This means: if you are planning to submit an EOI, doing so in the first half of the financial year maximises the number of invitation rounds your EOI can be considered in before the year resets.
What If You Are Not Invited in a Round?
Your EOI remains active in the pool for up to two years. You are automatically considered in every subsequent round for your occupation without resubmitting. If your circumstances change — you improve your English, gain more work experience, receive a state nomination — you update your EOI and your score is recalculated immediately.
Some applicants wait 12–24 months for an invitation in highly competitive occupations. Others adjust their strategy, pursuing state nomination, improving their score, or pivoting to an employer-sponsored pathway — rather than waiting indefinitely.
New World Immigration monitors invitation round data across all occupations and advises clients in real time on when and whether to adjust their strategy.