22/08/2026
NORTHERN TERRITORY IS OPEN.
The nomination portal opened 21 August 2026. And there are 200 more places than last year.
Here are the numbers:
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THE ALLOCATION ▸ 1,850 places
Sc 190 Skilled Nominated ........ 850
Sc 491 Skilled Work Regional ... 1,000
Total 2026-27 ........................... 1,850
Total 2025-26 ........................... 1,650
Every extra place went to the 491. It moved from 800 up to 1,000. The 190 did not move at all.
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FIVE THINGS THAT CHANGED. CHECK YOUR FILE AGAINST EACH ONE.
ONE ▸ Offshore NT Priority Occupation stream is CLOSED
Not paused. Closed to new applications. There is a backlog carried over from last year.
TWO ▸ Full time now means 35 hours a week
With a Northern Territory employer. Good news here, you can build it from more than one part time job.
THREE ▸ Remote work generally will NOT count
Working from the NT for an employer based somewhere else does not cut it, unless the duties actually service Northern Territory clients.
FOUR ▸ NT Graduates in the 190 stream, the bar moved
Relying on job search instead of employment? You now need TWELVE months residence after course completion. It used to be six.
Over 35 and not eligible for a 485? You must now show employment or a recent job offer.
There are two new ways out. Three months employment in a regional or remote area outside Greater Darwin. Or employment, or a job offer, in a designated critical sector.
FIVE ▸ NT Family stream, offshore applicants
You now need a written statement or a family tree diagram showing the claimed relationship. Put it in the file from day one.
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Full details are on the NT Government website.
