Sources checked 2 November 2026.
The National Innovation Visa has opened the 2026–27 financial year with more invitations than it issued in the previous quarter. Home Affairs reports 292 invitations and 1,969 Expressions of Interest received for July–September 2026. These are three-month totals, not one invitation event: NIV rounds take place monthly. Official current invitation data.
The useful questions now are where the extra invitations went, whether the mix changed, and what an applicant can reasonably take from the figures.
The headline numbers
| Measure | April–June 2026 | July–September 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| EOIs received | 2,166 | 1,969 | −197 (−9.1%) |
| Invitations issued | 248 | 292 | +44 (+17.7%) |
Sources: Home Affairs current round and previous rounds. Changes are our calculations.
A note on our earlier analysis: Our April–June article expected a slower opening quarter and a holding or rising Tier 1 share; neither occurred. We also used “invitation rate” for invitations divided by EOIs received. That is a period activity ratio, not an applicant success rate: EOIs remain in consideration for two years, so the two counts need not cover the same people. Home Affairs EOI guidance.
Invitations by priority level
| Priority | April–June 2026 | July–September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Priority 1 | <5 | <5 |
| Priority 2 | <20 | <35 |
| Priority 3 | 192 | 216 |
| Priority 4 | 38 | 45 |
“<” means fewer than, not an exact count. The official current and previous-round tables above are the sources. For background on government nominations and sector-based priorities, see our NIV priority pathways guide.
Invitations by sector
| Sector | April–June 2026 | July–September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | ||
| Critical technologies | 122 | 128 |
| Health Industries | 45 | 60 |
| Renewables and low emission technologies | 33 | 41 |
| Tier 2 | ||
| Agri-food and AgTech | 9 | 10 |
| Defence Capabilities and Space | 7 | <5 |
| Education | 6 | <5 |
| Financial Services and FinTech | 14 | 18 |
| Infrastructure and Transport | <5 | 12 |
| Resources | <5 | 7 |
| Other | ||
| Sports, the Arts, and others* | 6 | 10 |
The previous release labelled the last category “Sports and the Arts”. The latest release adds “and others”, so it should not be treated as an unchanged arts-and-sports-only series. Source: the official current and previous-round sector tables linked above.
Where the growth came from
1. Growth was broader than Critical Technologies
Our calculations show Health Industries added 15 invitations and Renewables added eight, compared with six extra in Critical Technologies. Critical Technologies still has the largest count, but it did not account for most of the quarter’s increase.
For someone reviewing their own profile, this is a reason to examine the actual contribution their work makes. It is not a reason to relabel a career around whichever sector has the biggest number.
2. Tier 1 grew, but became a slightly smaller share
Adding the three Tier 1 rows gives 229 invitations, up from 200. Their share of all invitations moved from 80.6% to 78.4%, a decline of 2.2 percentage points. These are our calculations from the tables above.
A category can grow while its share falls because other categories grow too. Keeping those two measures separate avoids overstating the trend.
3. The smaller priority groups contributed more
Subtracting Priority 3 and Priority 4 from the total leaves 31 invitations across Priorities 1 and 2 combined, compared with 18 previously. That is a derived combined total, not a published exact Priority 2 count.
The separate suppressed cells should stay suppressed. Writing “35 government-nominated invitations” would turn an upper bound into a number the Department did not publish.
4. Sector and priority are different views of the same invitations
Do not add the priority and sector tables together. Nor should the 229 Tier 1-sector invitations be described as 229 Priority 3 invitations: the Priority 3 figure is 216. The Department explains that Priorities 1 and 2 can span sectors. Home Affairs table notes.
This also limits what we can infer about individual pathways. A sector’s total does not disclose the exact priority route taken by each person in it.
What this means if you are considering the NIV
Use the tables to understand activity, not to forecast your outcome. These counts do not tell you the achievements of unsuccessful candidates, how long invited people waited, or how comparable their evidence was to yours. One stronger quarter also does not establish the pace for the rest of the financial year.
Prepare the EOI as a finished submission. Home Affairs says information cannot be added after submission. Check the claims, sector fit and supporting documents before submitting. For an expert government-agency nomination, the EOI also needs the completed Form 1000 and the agency’s supporting statement. Official EOI submission guidance.
Do not resubmit simply because a new quarter’s figures look better. The Department says not to submit another EOI unless circumstances have changed significantly or there are new achievement claims strengthening alignment with its indicators. If submitting an updated EOI, it recommends withdrawing previous EOIs too. Official after-submission guidance.
Keep invitations and grants separate. An EOI is not a visa application, and an invitation does not establish eligibility for a grant. The application and its supporting evidence still need assessment. These 292 invitations are not 292 visas granted.
Frequently asked questions
Are 292 invitations the number of NIV visas granted?
No. These are invitations issued during July–September 2026. An EOI is not a visa application, and an invitation does not establish eligibility for a grant.
Can these figures tell me my chance of an invitation?
No. EOIs received and invitations issued in a quarter need not relate to the same people. The figures describe program activity, not an individual success rate.
Should I submit another EOI after a stronger quarter?
Home Affairs says not to resubmit unless circumstances have changed significantly or new achievement claims strengthen alignment with its indicators. If submitting an updated EOI, it recommends withdrawing previous EOIs too.
Preparing your next step
If you are preparing an NIV case, focus on whether each achievement is accurately described, independently supported and relevant to the pathway you are claiming. A quarterly table can help frame the questions. It cannot answer them for your individual circumstances.
If you would like help reviewing your NIV evidence and pathway before submitting, get in touch with WiseKangaroo.
For the background to this update, read our April–June 2026 analysis and NIV priority pathways guide.
General information only, checked on 2 November 2026. This article is not legal advice. Seek advice from a registered migration agent or legal practitioner about your circumstances and verify current information with Home Affairs.
