On 15 January, Victoria issued its fourth round of state nomination invitations for the 2025–2026 financial year. This round carried a large amount of information and revealed several very clear trends.Below, I’ve broken it down into Key Conclusions + Target Groups (Priority / General / Non-priority) + Strategy Advice.
I. The Core Conclusion
There is only one key message from this round:Victoria wants: People working in Victoria + high income + full-points partner (IELTS 6+ and skills assessment) + strong long-term settlement potential.
- Onshore
- Holding a long-term, stable job in Victoria
- High-income.
- Able to include a full-points partner
II. Priority Group: The “Big Three” Occupations — Still Dominant
Education
- Early Childhood Teacher
- Secondary School Teacher
Medical & Health 健康
- Registered Nurses (multiple streams)
- Physiotherapists
Social Work
- Community Worker
III. General Group: Engineering / Construction
Engineering — Not Impossible, but Highly Filtered
Invited engineering occupations included:
- Civil Engineer
- Engineering Technologist
- Electronics Engineer
- Environmental Engineer
- Geotechnical Engineer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Chemical Engineer
Very important observations:
- Most invitations were onshore
- Clear additional conditions applied:
- Victorian employment
- High annual salary
- Full-points partnerFull-points partner
- EOI points from work experience
Conclusion: Engineering is not a low-score rescue pool, but a strict condition-based selection pool.Architecture / Design / Planning — Systematic Intake Has Started.One of the most notable highlights of this round:
- Architectural Draftsperson）
- Urban and Regional Planner
- Interior Designer
- Construction Project Manager
And importantly:
- No longer requires extremely high scores
- Greater emphasis on:
- Onshore
- Onshore status
- Length of work experience
Strong alignment between job and nominated occupation
This is a genuine positive signal for candidates with architecture, design, or planning backgrounds.
Non-Priority Group: Business, Consulting, IT, Accounting — Very Clear Signals, Business & Consulting Invitations Included:
- Marketing Specialist
- Marketing Specialist (offshore)
- Advertising Specialist
- Management Consultant
- Accountant
One keyword only: “Real job + sustainable employment + high points.”Business backgrounds are not impossible, but:Fake experience,No genuine role,➡️ Direct elimination.
IT Occupations Invited Included:
- ICT Business Analyst
- Systems Analyst
- Developer / Programmer
- Software Engineer
- Cyber Security Specialist
- Systems Administrator
- Computer Network Engineer
- Clear requirements:
- Victorian employment
- High income
- Partner included = additional advantage
V. The “Unwritten Rules” of This Round
Summarised directly:
- Onshore ＞ Offshore
- Victorian employment ＞ No employment
- Partner with points is essential
- High income ＞ Low income
VI. One Final Honest Statement
If you are:
- Onshore
- Based in Victoria
- Occupation on the list
- Holding a genuine job with a clear pathway
Then what you should be doing right now is not panicking — but preparing your case so it is “ready to be picked at any time.”If you want me to:
- Check whether your occupation is on the list
- Assess your probability for the next round
- Or directly plan a 190 / 491 pathway