ACT Invitation Round June 2026: Canberra Matrix Results & What’s Next

The ACT invitation round on 11 June 2026 is just days away — and for skilled migrants targeting Australian permanent residency through Subclass 190, this is one of the most important dates on the migration calendar this year. It is the final scheduled invitation round for the 2025–26 program year, and it is open exclusively to Subclass 190 applicants.

Whether you are living and working in Canberra, tracking your Canberra Matrix score from overseas, or still deciding whether ACT nomination is right for your situation, this article covers everything you need to know: how the ACT invitation system works, a full history of every 2025–26 round, and what to expect on 11 June.

At Magpie Consultants, Registered Migration Agent Umar Ashraf (MARN 2619222) has helped clients navigate ACT state nomination across multiple program years. Here is our expert breakdown of the latest round.

What Is the ACT Invitation Round and How Does It Work?

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) uses a unique system to select its skilled migration nominees — the Canberra Matrix. Unlike every other Australian state and territory, the ACT does not use your SkillSelect Expression of Interest (EOI) score or ranking to determine whether you receive a nomination. Your Canberra Matrix score is what matters.

The ACT Government conducts periodic invitation rounds — typically every six to eight weeks throughout the program year (1 July to 30 June). In each round, the ACT selects the highest-ranked Matrix applicants within each occupation and sends them a formal invitation to lodge a nomination application. Once invited, you have 14 days to submit your full application.

ACT state nomination is available for two visa pathways:

• Subclass 190 — Skilled Nominated Visa: A permanent residency visa. Requires 5 years of living and working in the ACT after grant. Adds 5 points to your SkillSelect points score.
• Subclass 491 — Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa: A provisional 5-year visa. Requires 3 years of living and working in a regional area before you can apply for permanent residency through Subclass 191. Adds 15 points to your SkillSelect points score.

The ACT is classified as a regional area under the 491 program, meaning Canberra qualifies as a regional location for this pathway — a significant advantage for applicants who want to live in a capital city while holding a regional visa.

Understanding the Canberra Matrix: How Points Are Scored

The Canberra Matrix awards points based on your connection to Canberra and your capacity to contribute to the ACT’s economy and community. It is separate from — and more locally focused than — the federal SkillSelect points test.

The key scoring categories include:

• ACT Employment: The highest-value factor. Applicants currently working in the ACT in their nominated occupation receive significant points, with additional weighting for salary level, employment hours, and duration of ACT employment. Income must be at least $31 per hour (before casual loading) to claim ACT employment points for 2025–26.
• Education and Qualifications: Australian qualifications — especially those completed in the ACT — attract higher points. Doctoral degrees receive the maximum points in this category.
• English Language Proficiency: Superior English (equivalent to IELTS 8+ across all bands) attracts the maximum points. Strong English proficiency is important for all occupations.
• Commitment to Canberra: A scored personal statement outlining your genuine, specific intention to live and work in the ACT long-term. This is often underestimated — a well-evidenced, specific statement makes a material difference.
• Family Ties: Having close family members (spouse, parent, sibling, adult child) who are Australian citizens or permanent residents living in the ACT adds points to your application.
• ACT Study: Completing a qualification in the ACT adds significant points, particularly for recent graduates of ACT universities or TAFE institutions.

The cut-off score — the minimum Canberra Matrix score required to receive an invitation — is not fixed. It changes each round based on remaining places, occupation demand, and whether an occupation cap has been reached. The ACT publishes minimum Matrix scores per ANZSCO unit group after each round.

As a general guide from recent 2025–26 rounds:

• Healthcare occupations (nursing, allied health, medicine): Cut-offs of 60–75 for ACT residents
• Engineering and construction occupations: Cut-offs of 90–110 for ACT residents
• ICT occupations (software engineers, analysts): Cut-offs of 115–130
• Accounting occupations: Cut-offs of 125–135 — the most competitive category

Overseas applicants (not currently living in the ACT) face significantly higher cut-offs across all occupation groups, as ACT residency and employment factors cannot be claimed.

2025–26 Program Allocation: How Many Places Are Available?

For the 2025–26 migration program year, the ACT received a total allocation of 1,600 nomination places from the Department of Home Affairs:

• 800 places for Subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated Visa)
• 800 places for Subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional Visa)

This total is spread across all invitation rounds throughout the year. Once an occupation’s individual cap is reached, no further invitations in that occupation are issued until the next program year. With the 2025–26 year ending on 30 June 2026, most of the allocation has now been distributed — making the June 11 round critically important for those who have not yet received an invitation.

You can monitor the current status of the ACT migration program on the ACT Government’s official migration homepage.

ACT Invitation Round 2025–26: Complete History of Every Round

Here is a complete record of every ACT invitation round held in the 2025–26 program year up to the date of publication:

Round 1 — Late 2025 (October/November 2025)

The first round of the 2025–26 year launched the new program after the annual allocation was confirmed. This round distributed invitations across both Subclass 190 and Subclass 491, with priority given to critical skill occupations — particularly healthcare, education, and construction. ACT residents working in their nominated occupations dominated, as has been the consistent pattern across all rounds.

Round 2 — 29 January 2026

One of the larger rounds of the year, the January round issued 483 invitations across both Subclass 190 and 491. ICT and engineering applicants in the ACT saw cut-off scores in the 115–130 range, while healthcare continued to be invited at significantly lower thresholds. This round confirmed the ongoing pattern: ACT residents accounted for approximately 90% of all invitations, with a small proportion going to overseas applicants in critical shortage occupations.

Round 3 — 12 March 2026

The March round was the largest of the 2025–26 year, issuing a total of 495 invitations:

• 223 invitations for Subclass 190
• 272 invitations for Subclass 491

The higher number of 491 invitations in March reflected the remaining regional allocation. After this round, 639 places remained across both streams going into April and beyond.

Round 4 — 6 May 2026

The May round issued 306 invitations in total:

• 172 invitations for Subclass 190
• 134 invitations for Subclass 491

The official minimum Matrix scores by ANZSCO unit group for this round are available in the ACT Government’s official rankings PDF. Accounting occupations continued to face the stiffest competition, with cut-offs at 125 (Subclass 491, CBR residents) to 135 (Subclass 190, CBR residents). Nursing and allied health remained the most accessible at 60–75 for Canberra residents.

After this round, as of 7 May 2026, the remaining 2025–26 allocation stood at:

• 185 places remaining for Subclass 190
• 127 places remaining for Subclass 491

Expert Commentary: Why Are People With Lower Scores Getting Invited?

This is the question we hear most often from frustrated applicants — and it is completely understandable. You have been told the Canberra Matrix is a points system. You have a score of 120. You have been waiting months. Then you see someone in another occupation receive an invitation with a score of 65. How does that happen?

The answer reveals something fundamental about how the ACT invitation system actually works — and understanding it changes everything about how you should approach your strategy.

The ACT Does Not Rank Everyone Together

This is the most important thing to understand: your Matrix score is not ranked against all other applicants. The ACT ranks applicants within their own ANZSCO unit group. A registered nurse with 65 points is ranked against other registered nurses — not against accountants, software engineers, or teachers.

This means a nurse with a Matrix score of 65 can receive an invitation in the same round that an accountant with 135 points does not. They are not in the same competition. They never were.

The practical implication: your score only matters relative to others in your specific occupation. If you are an accountant in a field with 400 registered Matrix submissions and only 15 invitation slots, you need a very high score. If you are a midwife in a field with 12 registered submissions and 10 slots, a comparatively modest score gets you through.

How the ACT Actually Distributes Its Invitation Places

The ACT splits each invitation round into distinct sub-pools, not one unified ranking. In the May 2026 round, the 172 Subclass 190 invitations were distributed across these separate pathways:

Each category has its own quota and its own ranking. A PhD candidate is not competing with a Canberra-based nurse. A small business owner is not competing with a software engineer. The ACT pre-allocates a slice of every round to each pathway before ranking begins.

The Six Critical Sectors and Why They Drive Low Cut-Offs

The ACT has defined six critical sectors for its migration program — areas where the territory has genuine, documented workforce shortages. These are:

• Care: Nursing, aged care, disability support, allied health, medicine, social work, psychology
• Education: Early childhood, primary, secondary, and special education teachers; TAFE/VET educators
• Construction: Civil engineers, structural engineers, electricians, plumbers, project managers
• Renewables: Roles in clean energy, environmental science, and sustainability sectors
• Advanced Technology: Cybersecurity, data science, AI/ML specialists — though this is also one of the most competitive groups
• Experience (Tourism & Hospitality): Roles supporting Canberra’s visitor economy

When a healthcare occupation has a cut-off of 65, it is not because the ACT has lowered its standards. It is because the ACT genuinely cannot fill its hospitals, aged care facilities, and allied health clinics with the local skilled workforce, and is actively using its migration allocation to address a real shortage. The low score threshold reflects supply and demand in that specific occupation — few applicants, urgent need.

Contrast that with accounting. There is no shortage of accountants trying to migrate to the ACT. The territory receives far more Matrix submissions from accountants than it has places for, so the cut-off climbs until only the very highest scorers — typically those with ACT employment, superior English, and an ACT qualification — receive an invitation. The high cut-off reflects an oversupply of applicants chasing a small number of places.

The Doctorate Pathway: A Separate Fast Track

If you hold a doctorate from an ACT university, you access a completely different track. The Doctorate Streamlined Pathway has no minimum Matrix score requirement in the way competitive occupations do. In May 2026, 30 invitations (22 × SC190, 8 × SC491) went to PhD holders through this pathway — representing nearly 10% of all invitations in the round.

This pathway exists because ACT universities and research institutions are economic anchors for Canberra. The government treats PhD retention as a priority independent of labour market demand in any specific occupation. If you have completed a doctorate at ANU, University of Canberra, or another ACT institution, your pathway to nomination is substantially different from everyone else’s.

ACT Residents vs Overseas Applicants: A Structural Advantage

In the May 2026 round, approximately 89% of all invitations went to Canberra residents — people already living and working in the ACT. Only 11% went to overseas applicants. This is not accidental. The Canberra Matrix is explicitly designed to reward ACT connection:

• Overseas applicants cannot claim ACT employment points — which are the highest-value factor in the Matrix
• Overseas applicants cannot claim ACT study points (unless they previously studied there)
• Overseas applicants cannot claim ACT family ties points unless they have close relatives already living in the ACT
• The ACT allocates a separate, smaller sub-pool for overseas applicants in each round

An overseas applicant with a Matrix score of 100 is ranked against other overseas applicants, not against ACT residents. Their 38 SC190 invitations in May came from a reserved overseas pool — but that pool is intensely competitive, and the effective cut-off for overseas applicants is typically 20–35 points higher than for ACT residents in the same occupation.

The frank message for overseas applicants is this: the ACT migration program is, by design, primarily a program for people already in Canberra. If you are applying from overseas, you are competing in a smaller pool for a smaller number of places, at a higher effective threshold. Moving to Canberra first — on a student visa, working holiday, or employer-sponsored visa — and building ACT employment history before submitting your Matrix is the most effective strategy.

What This Means for You in the June 11 Round

With approximately 185 Subclass 190 places to distribute on 11 June, the dynamics above will play out one more time before the 2025–26 year closes:

• If you are a healthcare or education professional in Canberra with a Matrix score of even 60–80, your chances are real — you are competing in a thin field against genuine labour shortages.
• If you are an accountant or software engineer in Canberra with a score under 120, you are likely to be passed over again — not because your score is poor in absolute terms, but because hundreds of people in your occupation have higher scores.
• If you hold an ACT doctorate, submit immediately — the Doctorate Pathway will again have a dedicated quota in this round.
• If you are an overseas applicant, carefully check whether your occupation’s overseas sub-pool has any realistic remaining capacity. In a smaller end-of-year round, the overseas allocation may be very limited.

Understanding this structure is the difference between waiting in hope and waiting with a realistic assessment of your chances. If after the June 11 round you remain uninvited, the issue is almost certainly occupation competition — not your score quality. The strategic response is either to consider a different state nomination pathway, explore employer-sponsored options, or build a stronger ACT residency profile before the 2026–27 year opens.

At Magpie Consultants, we help clients understand exactly which sub-pool they are competing in, what their realistic chances are in each round, and what steps — including moving to ACT or changing occupation strategy — would materially improve their outcome. Explore our Subclass 190 services or speak to Umar Ashraf directly.

Upcoming Round: 11 June 2026 — Full Details

The ACT invitation round on 11 June 2026 has been confirmed as an additional round at the close of the 2025–26 program year. This is what we know:

This round is the last realistic chance for skilled migrants to receive ACT state nomination before the 2025–26 program year closes. If you submitted your Canberra Matrix this year and have not yet received an invitation, 11 June is your final window.

Who Is Most Likely to Get an Invitation on 11 June?

Based on the consistent patterns across all 2025–26 rounds, the following profiles have the strongest chance in the June round:

• ACT residents in healthcare occupations — nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, general and specialist practitioners. These have the lowest cut-offs and the ACT actively prioritises healthcare workers.
• ACT residents in education — teachers (particularly early childhood, primary, and secondary), special education, and TAFE/VET educators.
• ACT residents in construction and engineering — civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical engineers filling the ACT’s infrastructure pipeline.
• Doctorate holders from ACT institutions — the Doctorate Streamlined Pathway continues to offer a separate invitation track for PhD graduates.
• Overseas applicants in critical shortage occupations — a reserved proportion of places consistently goes to overseas applicants in high-demand fields.

ICT professionals and accountants — occupations with consistently high competition and high cut-off scores — may find this smaller final round tighter than earlier rounds. If you are in these occupations and have not yet been invited, it is worth consulting a migration agent about your options for the 2026–27 program year.

How to Strengthen Your Position Before 11 June

If your Canberra Matrix is already submitted, the ACT will assess it on the date of the round using the score at time of submission. If you have not yet submitted, act immediately — but ensure your application is as strong as possible before lodging. Here is what matters most:

1. Update your employment evidence: Recent payslips, an employer letter on company letterhead, and tax records confirming ACT employment in your nominated occupation. The more recent the evidence, the better.
2. Write a specific Commitment to Canberra statement: Generic statements score poorly. Reference your ACT accommodation, community involvement, children in ACT schools, professional networks — anything that demonstrates genuine, long-term intent to remain in Canberra.
3. Confirm your occupation is not capped: Check the ACT Migration website to verify your occupation still has places available for 2025–26.
4. Check English proficiency currency: IELTS and PTE scores are valid for 3 years. If your test is approaching expiry, renew it before submitting or before your nomination closes.
5. Get professional advice now: With only a few weeks left in the 2025–26 year and limited places remaining, the cost of a mistake in your nomination is high. A Registered Migration Agent can review your Matrix submission and nomination documentation before you lodge.

If you need an expert review of your Canberra Matrix score or nomination application before 11 June, contact Magpie Consultants today — we offer fast turnaround consultations for urgent end-of-year cases.

Also see our related guide: Subclass 190 Visa: Complete Guide for Skilled Migrants and our overview of Australian Skilled Migration Pathways in 2025–26.

Frequently Asked Questions — ACT Invitation Round June 2026

When is the next ACT invitation round?

The next ACT invitation round is scheduled for 11 June 2026. This is the final round of the 2025–26 program year and is for Subclass 190 only.

Is the June 11 2026 round open for Subclass 491?

No. The 11 June 2026 round is for Subclass 190 only. All Subclass 491 places for the 2025–26 program year were distributed in earlier rounds. If you are seeking 491 nomination, the next opportunity will be in the 2026–27 program year beginning 1 July 2026.

How many ACT nomination places are available in June 2026?

As of 7 May 2026, approximately 185 Subclass 190 places remained in the 2025–26 allocation. These are expected to be distributed in the June 11 round, subject to occupation demand and cap limits.

What Canberra Matrix score do I need to get an invitation?

There is no fixed minimum — the cut-off changes each round. In May 2026, healthcare occupations were invited at Matrix scores of 60–75 for ACT residents. Accounting and ICT occupations required 115–135. Similar ranges are likely in June 2026 given comparable remaining demand.

Can I still submit a Canberra Matrix before 11 June?

Yes. You can submit at any time through the ACT Government portal. Submission date and time is used as a tiebreaker when two applicants have identical scores, so submitting as early as possible is always advantageous.

What happens if I don’t receive an invitation in the June 2026 round?

The 2026–27 migration program year begins on 1 July 2026. A new ACT allocation will be announced and rounds will resume. Check the ACT Migration website for updated occupation lists and any changes to the Matrix for the new program year.

Do I need a Registered Migration Agent to apply for ACT nomination?

You are not legally required to use an agent, but professional guidance significantly improves your chances of a successful outcome. ACT nominations are assessed on the quality of your evidence and personal statement — a Registered Migration Agent can help you present the strongest possible case.

Why do people with lower Canberra Matrix scores get ACT invitations while higher scorers miss out?

The ACT does not rank all applicants in one pool. Each ANZSCO occupation group is ranked separately. A nurse with 65 points competes only against other nurses — not against accountants with 130 points. Healthcare and education occupations face fewer applicants relative to the ACT’s genuine workforce shortages, producing lower cut-offs. Accounting and ICT attract far more applications than available places, pushing cut-offs above 120. The system is designed to fill real labour gaps, not simply reward the globally highest Matrix scores.

What are the ACT critical skill sectors for 2025–26?

The ACT has six critical sectors for 2025–26: Care (healthcare, aged care, allied health, nursing), Education (teachers, early childhood educators, TAFE/VET), Construction (civil and structural engineers, tradespeople), Renewables (clean energy and environmental science), Advanced Technology (cybersecurity, data science, AI/ML specialists), and Experience (tourism and hospitality). Occupations within these sectors are prioritised in every invitation round.

Act Before the Program Year Closes — Get Expert Help Today

The 2025–26 ACT migration program year closes on 30 June 2026. The invitation round on 11 June is the last scheduled opportunity for Subclass 190 state nomination. With only around 185 places remaining and a wide field of competitive applicants, preparation matters enormously.

At Magpie Consultants, our Registered Migration Agent Umar Ashraf (MARN 2619222) provides expert, personalised advice on:

• Canberra Matrix assessment and score optimisation
• ACT nomination application preparation and review
• Subclass 190 and Subclass 491 visa applications
• Strategy for applicants not invited in 2025–26 to position for 2026–27

Do not leave your permanent residency pathway to chance. Book your consultation with Magpie Consultants today.

Reviewed by: Umar Ashraf, Registered Migration Agent — MARN 2619222, Magpie Consultants. Information current as of 10 June 2026. Migration law and program conditions change frequently — always verify current requirements on the Department of Home Affairs website or consult a registered migration agent before making any decisions.

Umar Ashraf

MARA Registered Migration Agent & Education Consultant | MARA #2619222 | Epping, Melbourne VIC

Umar Ashraf is a MARA-registered migration agent specialising in complex cases, visa cancellations, ART tribunal appeals, and employer sponsorship. He provides consultations in English, Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi.

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