The Government of South Australia announced that, from 21 February 2026, it has entered the formal caretaker period ahead of the 21 March state election. During this time, the ‘Latest News’ section of the state nomination website Move to South Australia will be inaccessible, and agencies have been instructed to avoid major policy decisions without bipartisan agreement. While the caretaker directive does not automatically suspend processing of skilled-migration nominations, historical precedent suggests that staff avoid publishing invitation round results or occupation-list updates until a new government is sworn in. Prospective applicants for subclass 190 and 491 visas therefore face at least a four-week information blackout. Registered migration agents advise that decision-ready applications lodged before 21 February will continue to progress, but new submissions should factor in potential delays and the risk of post-election policy shifts. Employers planning regional-hiring campaigns may want to lock in labour-agreement requests early or consider neighbouring jurisdictions such as Western Australia and the Northern Territory, which continue to issue invitations. For mobility managers, the practical implication is timing: assignees relying on South Australian nomination for April-June visa lodgements may need contingency plans, including alternative visa pathways or delayed start dates. Once the election result is clear, analysts expect rapid publication of any back-logged invitation data.
Source: Move to South Australia
