Australia’s 2025-26 occupation ceilings decide how many people can be invited to apply for a Subclass 189 skilled independent visa in your occupation this program year. What most applicants never see is the tier system behind those numbers: a four-band priority structure, obtained through Home Affairs FOI release FA 26/01/00545, that sorts all 87 ANZSCO unit groups from highest priority (health) down to the groups that are already used up. This article publishes the complete list, explains how each ceiling is built, and shows you which occupations still have real Subclass 189 headroom left.
Below you will find plain definitions, the exact calculation method from the FOI document, all four tiers with every occupation and its remaining 189 places, and a read on what the numbers actually mean for your chances.
Last updated: July 2026
What Is an Occupation Ceiling?
An occupation ceiling is a cap on how many invitations Home Affairs can issue for one occupation group in a single program year. It stops any one occupation from swallowing a disproportionate share of the skilled migration intake, so places are spread across the economy rather than concentrated in a handful of popular fields.
Two details matter for your planning. First, these ceilings apply only to the Subclass 189 and the 491 Family-Sponsored stream. State-nominated Subclass 190, employer-sponsored Subclass 482 and Subclass 186, and regional Subclass 494 invitations are not counted against them. Second, ceilings are set at the ANZSCO four-digit unit group level, not the individual occupation. The group ANZSCO 2544 “Registered Nurses” covers many specific nursing roles under one shared ceiling. So your exact job title shares its cap with everyone else in the same unit group.
How the 2025-26 Ceilings Are Calculated
Here is the part the public SkillSelect page does not spell out. According to FOI release FA 26/01/00545, each 2025-26 ceiling is built in three steps.
Step 1: Take the employment stock. Home Affairs uses the average ABS Labour Force employment figure for the unit group, averaged across four quarters to November 2025.
Step 2: Apply the tier multiplier. The stock is multiplied by a tier rate: 4% for Tier 1, 2% for Tier 2, 1% for Tier 3, and 0.5% for Tier 4. If the result falls below 500, a floor of 500 places applies. This is why so many smaller occupations sit at exactly 500.
Step 3: Subtract other-stream grants. The “Remaining 189 Places” figure is the ceiling minus the 2024-25 grants already made under the Subclass 190, 186, 491 and 494 programs. A dash (“-“) means those grants already met or exceeded the ceiling, so there is effectively no dedicated Subclass 189 headroom left for that group this year.
That third step is the number worth chasing. A high ceiling means little if other visa streams have already consumed it.
Thinking about your own occupation? Before you lock in a pathway, it helps to know whether your points score is even competitive for the places that remain. Book a consultation with RACC Indonesia and we will map your occupation group against the tier list below.
The Four Tiers Explained
The tier a group sits in tells you how generously Home Affairs sized its ceiling, and by extension how it reads the national shortage signal.
- Tier 1 (4% multiplier): health. Registered nurses, GPs, allied health, and medical specialists. These groups get the largest ceilings relative to their workforce and carry the most remaining 189 places.
- Tier 2 (2% multiplier): education and social care. Teachers, psychologists, social workers, and childcare managers. Still generous, still with meaningful headroom.
- Tier 3 (1% multiplier): trades, engineering, science, law. The largest tier by far at 58 groups. Ceilings are modest, and many groups sit on the 500 floor, but most still show remaining places.
- Tier 4 (0.5% multiplier): ICT, accounting, finance, chefs. The lowest priority. Several of these groups are already exhausted by other visa streams, which is why you will see dashes in the Tier 4 table.
The pattern is blunt: the further down the tiers you go, the more likely your group has been drained by state nomination and employer-sponsored grants before a single 189 invitation is issued.
The Full 87-Group Tier List
This is the complete list of all 87 ANZSCO unit groups from FOI FA 26/01/00545, with the 2025-26 occupation ceiling and the remaining Subclass 189 places for each. A dash means the group’s ceiling was already met by other visa streams.
Tier 1: Health (4% multiplier)
| ANZSCO | Occupation (Unit Group) | Ceiling | Remaining 189 Places |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2544 | Registered Nurses | 13,929 | 10,390 |
| 2531 | General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers | 3,623 | 2,963 |
| 2525 | Physiotherapists | 1,911 | 1,553 |
| 2524 | Occupational Therapists | 1,192 | 1,008 |
| 2527 | Audiologists and Speech Pathologists / Therapists | 1,061 | 994 |
| 2541 | Midwives | 913 | 855 |
| 2512 | Medical Imaging Professionals | 896 | 847 |
| 2539 | Other Medical Practitioners | 830 | 647 |
| 2533 | Specialist Physicians | 578 | 473 |
| 2526 | Podiatrists | 500 | 493 |
| 2514 | Optometrists and Orthoptists | 500 | 489 |
| 2535 | Surgeons | 500 | 477 |
| 2534 | Psychiatrists | 500 | 431 |
Tier 2: Education and Social Care (2% multiplier)
| ANZSCO | Occupation (Unit Group) | Ceiling | Remaining 189 Places |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2414 | Secondary School Teachers | 3,219 | 2,837 |
| 2411 | Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teachers | 1,583 | 1,027 |
| 2723 | Psychologists | 1,056 | 992 |
| 2725 | Social Workers | 1,009 | 876 |
| 2415 | Special Education Teachers | 552 | 537 |
| 1341 | Child Care Centre Managers | 500 | 460 |
Tier 3: Trades, Engineering, Science and Law (1% multiplier)
| ANZSCO | Occupation (Unit Group) | Ceiling | Remaining 189 Places |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3411 | Electricians | 1,880 | 1,594 |
| 3312 | Carpenters and Joiners | 1,481 | 908 |
| 3232 | Metal Fitters and Machinists | 1,244 | 873 |
| 3341 | Plumbers | 1,047 | 891 |
| 1331 | Construction Managers | 1,292 | 802 |
| 1399 | Other Specialist Managers | 670 | 533 |
| 4523 | Sports Coaches, Instructors and Officials | 588 | 522 |
| 3223 | Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers | 775 | 486 |
| 2247 | Management and Organisation Analysts | 1,011 | 603 |
| 2713 | Solicitors | 943 | 850 |
| 3611 | Animal Attendants and Trainers | 500 | 465 |
| 1342 | Health and Welfare Services Managers | 500 | 464 |
| 2243 | Economists | 500 | 461 |
| 3421 | Airconditioning and Refrigeration Mechanics | 500 | 457 |
| 3941 | Cabinetmakers | 500 | 456 |
| 2519 | Other Health Diagnostic and Promotion Professionals | 500 | 456 |
| 3332 | Plasterers | 500 | 450 |
| 2349 | Other Natural and Physical Science Professionals | 500 | 441 |
| 2347 | Veterinarians | 500 | 426 |
| 3311 | Bricklayers and Stonemasons | 500 | 399 |
| 2343 | Environmental Scientists | 500 | 397 |
| 3423 | Electronics Trades Workers | 500 | 395 |
| 2241 | Actuaries, Mathematicians and Statisticians | 500 | 394 |
| 3123 | Electrical Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians | 500 | 382 |
| 1332 | Engineering Managers | 500 | 374 |
| 2322 | Surveyors and Spatial Scientists | 500 | 372 |
| 3334 | Wall and Floor Tilers | 500 | 363 |
| 2344 | Geologists, Geophysicists and Hydrogeologists | 500 | 338 |
| 2345 | Life Scientists | 500 | 323 |
| 2341 | Agricultural and Forestry Scientists | 500 | 322 |
| 2342 | Chemists, and Food and Wine Scientists | 500 | 301 |
| 3241 | Panelbeaters | 500 | 472 |
| 3211 | Automotive Electricians | 500 | 466 |
| 3331 | Glaziers | 500 | 479 |
| 3991 | Boat Builders and Shipwrights | 500 | 483 |
| 2245 | Land Economists and Valuers | 500 | 484 |
| 3422 | Electrical Distribution Trades Workers | 500 | 485 |
| 3222 | Sheetmetal Trades Workers | 500 | 486 |
| 2346 | Medical Laboratory Scientists | 500 | 487 |
| 2336 | Mining Engineers | 500 | 275 |
| 2331 | Chemical and Materials Engineers | 500 | 237 |
| 3322 | Painting Trades Workers | 523 | 231 |
| 2321 | Architects and Landscape Architects | 500 | 221 |
| 3122 | Civil Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians | 500 | 130 |
| 2421 | University Lecturers and Tutors | 662 | 89 |
| 2334 | Electronics Engineers | 500 | 25 |
| 2112 | Music Professionals | 500 | <500 |
| 3233 | Precision Metal Trades Workers | 500 | <500 |
| 2521 | Chiropractors and Osteopaths | 500 | <500 |
| 4524 | Sportspersons | 500 | <500 |
| 2711 | Barristers | 500 | <500 |
| 2121 | Artistic Directors, and Media Producers and Presenters | 500 | 500 |
| 2111 | Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers | 500 | 500 |
| 2335 | Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers | 500 | – |
| 2332 | Civil Engineering Professionals | 745 | – |
| 2339 | Other Engineering Professionals | 500 | – |
| 2333 | Electrical Engineers | 500 | – |
| 3212 | Motor Mechanics | 1,097 | – |
Tier 4: ICT, Accounting, Finance and Chefs (0.5% multiplier)
| ANZSCO | Occupation (Unit Group) | Ceiling | Remaining 189 Places |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3132 | Telecommunications Technical Specialists | 500 | 438 |
| 2612 | Multimedia Specialists and Web Developers | 500 | 287 |
| 2633 | Telecommunications Engineering Professionals | 500 | 228 |
| 2211 | Accountants | 1,039 | – |
| 2613 | Software and Applications Programmers | 912 | – |
| 3513 | Chefs | 604 | – |
| 2611 | ICT Business and Systems Analysts | 500 | – |
| 2631 | Computer Network Professionals | 500 | – |
| 2212 | Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers | 500 | – |
| 2621 | Database and Systems Administrators, and ICT Security Specialists | 500 | – |
What the Numbers Tell You
Read the “Remaining 189 Places” column, not the raw ceiling, and the picture sharpens fast.
Health is wide open. Registered Nurses (ANZSCO 2544) carry a ceiling of 13,929 and still have 10,390 places left, the largest pool by a distance. General Practitioners keep 2,963, and every allied health group in Tier 1 retains most of its ceiling. If you are on the PR pathway for nurses and healthcare professionals or in allied health, the ceiling is almost certainly not your constraint. Your points score is.
The trades are healthier than their tier suggests. Electricians hold 1,594 remaining places and Plumbers 891, despite sitting in Tier 3. Their large workforces produce large ceilings even at a 1% rate, and other visa streams have not drained them. That is a genuine, and often overlooked, 189 opening.
Tier 4 is where the door has mostly closed. Accountants (ANZSCO 2211), Software and Applications Programmers (ANZSCO 2613), Chefs, ICT Business Analysts, and most other ICT groups show a dash. Their ceilings were already met or exceeded by 190, 186, 491 and 494 grants in 2024-25. If this is your field, a straight Subclass 189 play is the hard road this year. State nomination or employer sponsorship is usually the more realistic route.
Here is the practitioner note most guides skip: a handful of Tier 3 engineering groups (Civil, Electrical, Industrial and Mechanical, plus Motor Mechanics) also show dashes. Being in a “shortage” trade does not automatically mean 189 headroom. Always check the group, not the reputation.
Why This Isn’t on the SkillSelect Site
Home Affairs publishes headline occupation ceilings, but it does not publish the machinery behind them. The four-tier priority system, the 4-2-1-0.5 percent multipliers, and the remaining-places calculation that nets off other visa streams are not on the public SkillSelect pages. They surface only in FOI release FA 26/01/00545, retrieved through the Home Affairs freedom-of-information process.
Why does that gap matter to you? Because the public ceiling number, on its own, is misleading. An occupation can show a healthy ceiling and still have zero practical 189 headroom once other streams are subtracted. The tier data is what separates “technically eligible” from “realistically invitable.” We dig this out so your pathway decision rests on the real number, not the headline one.
How RACC Indonesia Can Help You
Knowing your occupation’s tier and remaining places is the starting point, not the whole plan. The next questions are whether your points score clears recent invitation cutoffs, and whether state nomination or an employer-sponsored route beats a straight 189 for your group.
Our consultants are MARA-registered migration agents who assess your occupation, points, and visa options against current data before you commit time or money to a pathway. If your group shows a dash in the tables above, we will tell you plainly and map the alternatives. Book a consultation with RACC Indonesia to get a clear read on your situation.
This article is general information current as of July 2026 and is not personal migration advice. Occupation ceilings, invitation rounds, and policy settings change. Seek advice from a registered migration agent for your specific circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is an occupation ceiling in Australia?
An occupation ceiling is the maximum number of Subclass 189 and 491 Family-Sponsored invitations that can be issued for one ANZSCO unit group in a program year. It stops a single occupation from taking a disproportionate share of the skilled intake.
Where can I find the 2025-26 occupation ceilings?
The tiered 2025-26 ceilings, with their 4, 2, 1 and 0.5 percent multipliers, come from Home Affairs FOI release FA 26/01/00545. The public SkillSelect page shows headline ceiling numbers but not the tier logic or the remaining-places calculation behind them.
Do occupation ceilings apply to the 190 or 482 visa?
No. These ceilings apply only to the Subclass 189 and the 491 Family-Sponsored stream. State-nominated 190 and 491, employer-sponsored 482 and 186, and regional 494 visas are not counted against them, though their grants do reduce the 189 headroom.
Why do Accountants and Software Programmers show no remaining 189 places?
Their group ceiling was already met or exceeded by 2024-25 grants under the 190, 186, 491 and 494 streams. The FOI figures mark these groups with a dash, meaning there is effectively no dedicated Subclass 189 headroom left for them this program year.
How is an occupation ceiling calculated?
Home Affairs takes the average ABS employment stock for the ANZSCO unit group, then multiplies it by a tier rate of 4, 2, 1 or 0.5 percent. If the result is under 500, a floor of 500 applies. Grants from other visa streams are then subtracted.
Does a high occupation ceiling mean I will get invited?
No. A ceiling caps invitations but does not guarantee them. You still need a competitive points score and a valid EOI. A large ceiling with high remaining places, like Registered Nurses, simply means the cap is unlikely to be the thing that blocks you.
