November 2025 SkillSelect round recap: 80–95 points the cut-off for most occupations
The November 2025 invitation round — the largest 189/491 allocation of FY25–26 to date — confirmed that most professional occupations now cut at 80–95 points, with trades clearing at 65–70.
The 13 November 2025 invitation round was the largest single SkillSelect allocation of FY25–26 to date. Confirmed cut-off behaviour by occupation group:
- Medicine, engineering, telecommunications — 80–95 points predominant; nephrologists, anaesthetists, and electronics engineers cleared at 95
- Allied health — nurses, psychologists, physiotherapists, radiographers, occupational therapists cleared in the 75–85 range across multiple ANZSCO units
- Construction and electrical trades — most ANZSCO 33 / 34 codes received invitations at 65–70 points, reflecting persistent labour-market shortage signals
- ICT — 2611 ICT business analysts and 2613 software/applications programmers cleared at 85–90; cyber security specialists (2613–88) at 80
Strategic reading
The gap between trades (65–70) and most professional categories (85+) has widened, not narrowed, through FY25–26. For PR candidates in non-shortage white-collar occupations, the practical implication is that points engineering — NAATI CCL, partner skills, English to Superior — has more leverage than waiting for invitation cut-offs to fall.
491 vs 189 invitation behaviour
491 (family-sponsored stream) invitations went to candidates effectively 15 points below the equivalent 189 cut-off in their occupation, consistent with the +15 nomination boost. Trade-occupation 491 candidates were invited at 80–85 gross — meaning their underlying base score was 65–70.