South Australia May 2026 Invitation Round: 509 Invitations Issued for the 190 and 491 Visa

South Australia ran one of its biggest invitation rounds of the 2025-26 program year on 1 May 2026, issuing 509 invitations across the subclass 190 and subclass 491 visa programs. This is the second-largest single round of the year so far, and it pushes year-to-date invitations past the original 2,250-place allocation that Skilled and Business Migration confirmed back in November 2025.

If you have a Registration of Interest sitting in the SA portal or an active SkillSelect EOI with South Australia as your preferred state, this is the round you have been waiting for. Here is what the May data tells us about who is being invited, where the program stands, and what to expect from the final weeks of the program year.

What the May 2026 Round Actually Delivered

509 invitations went out on 1 May 2026: 295 for the subclass 190 (permanent) and 214 for the subclass 491 (regional provisional). For comparison, the March 2026 round issued 406 invitations. May was 25 per cent larger.

Taken together with rounds earlier in the year, South Australia has now issued 2,615 invitations across the 2025-26 program. This is 365 invitations above the originally announced allocation of 2,250 places, and it includes a further round scheduled for later this month.

For applicants, the practical takeaway is that South Australia has continued inviting at a higher pace than the headline allocation suggested in November 2025. Invitations do not always convert one-for-one into nominations granted, since some invited applicants do not lodge or do not meet documentation requirements at the application stage. Skilled and Business Migration appears to be operating on that assumption and inviting accordingly.

Where the Invitations Went, by Occupation Group

The May round followed the same broad pattern that has held throughout 2025-26, with health, engineering and education absorbing the bulk of 190 invitations, while ICT, construction trades and engineering technicians dominated the 491 stream.

Health Professionals (ANZSCO sub-major group 25) received 141 invitations in May, by far the largest single category. 128 of those were 190 invitations, reflecting South Australia's continued prioritisation of registered nurses, medical practitioners, allied health, and aged care roles for permanent nomination. Year-to-date health professionals have received 573 invitations, accounting for nearly 22 per cent of all SA invitations issued in 2025-26.

Design, Engineering, Science and Transport Professionals (group 23) received 72 invitations, including 57 through the 190. Year-to-date this group has received 427 invitations.

Education Professionals (group 24) received 49 invitations, with 32 through the 190 and 17 through the 491. South Australia continues to invite secondary teachers, early childhood educators, and special needs teachers in line with state workforce gaps.

Construction Trades Workers (group 33) received 44 invitations, weighted toward the 491 (30 of 44). This reflects SA's policy of using the regional pathway to direct construction trades into outer regional South Australia.

Engineering, ICT and Science Technicians (group 31) received 38 invitations, with 34 of those through the 491. Technicians have been one of the strongest year-to-date categories on the regional stream.

ICT Professionals (group 26) received 28 invitations in May, all through the 491 stream. Across the entire 2025-26 program, ICT professionals have received 230 invitations through the 491 versus just 7 through the 190. The pattern is unmistakable. South Australia is using the 491 to place tech talent in regional areas rather than the Adelaide CBD. If you are an ICT professional in Adelaide hoping for a 190 invitation, the data strongly suggests planning around the 491 instead.

Health and Welfare Support Workers (group 41) received 22 invitations, weighted toward the 491. This is consistent with SA prioritising aged care and disability support roles in regional areas.

Notable categories that received zero or very few invitations in May include Hospitality, Retail and Service Managers, Food Trades Workers, and Skilled Animal, Agricultural and Horticultural Workers. These groups have received minimal SA invitations across the full year, and applicants in these occupations may need to look at the Designated Area Migration Agreement or other employer-sponsored options rather than the standard 190 and 491 streams.

What 2,615 Invitations Means for the Final Weeks

The 2025-26 program year closes on 30 June 2026. Skilled and Business Migration has confirmed that a further invitation round will be conducted in mid to late May 2026. Whether there will be a sixth and final round in June is not confirmed at the time of writing.

With 2,615 invitations already issued against an original allocation of 2,250, South Australia has demonstrated that it has the operational room to keep inviting in May. Whether that pace continues through to 30 June will depend on remaining capacity and Department of Home Affairs program-wide settings. If you are sitting in the pool, the prudent assumption is that one more round in May is firm and a June round is possible but not guaranteed.

For applicants with an active ROI, this is the time to make sure all supporting evidence is current and ready to lodge within the 14-day post-invitation window. South Australia does not extend that window. An invitation that you cannot accept on time becomes a wasted opportunity for the rest of the program year.

Strategy Implications for Adelaide Applicants

If you are in Adelaide and your occupation falls into one of the high-volume invitation groups (health, engineering, education, construction trades, technicians), the May round confirms that SA is still actively building toward 190 and 491 nominations in your field.

For 485 visa holders working in Adelaide who studied at the University of Adelaide, UniSA, or Flinders, the South Australian Graduates stream remains the fastest realistic pathway to permanent residency through the 190. Health and education graduates working in their field are in a particularly strong position based on the 2025-26 invitation pattern.

For ICT professionals in Adelaide, the May data continues a clear pattern: SA is overwhelmingly inviting ICT applicants through the 491 regional pathway. The 491 still gives you 15 points, still lets you live in Adelaide (which counts as regional for migration purposes), and converts to permanent residency through the 191 visa after three years. If you have been holding out for a 190 invitation, the year-to-date numbers (7 invitations across the entire 2025-26 program for ICT) tell a clear story.

For offshore applicants with SA listed as their preferred state on a SkillSelect EOI, the May round is a reminder that SA does select offshore candidates directly from the EOI pool without an ROI. Make sure your EOI is up to date with current English test results, work experience, and points claims before the next round.

How the May Numbers Compare With Other States

For context: ACT held its final 2025-26 round on 5 May 2026 (data still being released at the time of writing), and other states have largely wound down their programs as the program year approaches its final eight weeks. South Australia is one of a small number of state programs still actively inviting at scale in May.

This matters for applicants who have been considering multiple states. If your occupation is on both the SA and another state's list, the SA program is currently the most active option for the May to June window. The next opportunity to apply through other states will not come until the new program year opens in July 2026, with new allocations and potentially new policy settings.

How Studynash Can Help

Studynash works with applicants on SA state nomination every week from our office at 28 Leigh Street, Adelaide. We assess where you stand against the current invitation patterns, prepare your ROI documentation, and manage the full nomination application within the 14-day post-invitation window.

If you have an active EOI and ROI in the SA system and you are not sure whether your current points and occupation make the upcoming May round a realistic prospect, book a free profile assessment. We will give you a direct read based on the published invitation data and your specific circumstances. With one round confirmed for later this month and the program year closing on 30 June, the time to get your file ready is now.