Docket
The rules that shape most migration plans in 2026, newest first. Each entry gives the date it took effect, whether it is in force, and the official source. This is general information; check the official page before you rely on a figure.
The Migration Amendment (Combatting Migrant Exploitation) Act 2026 lets the Department publish prescribed information about approved work sponsors, such as the kind of sponsor, name and ABN. Only information prescribed by regulations can be published, and never a personal identifier.
Employer sponsoredSource: Federal Register of LegislationMost temporary visa holders, including most Student visa holders, can no longer apply for a Student or Student Guardian visa while in Australia. Exemptions include up to 12 more months with the same provider, DFAT or Defence sponsored students, PhD study, school students, moving up an AQF level and provider default. Most applicants can no longer include family members, and family cannot be added after grant. Applications lodged before 2 October 2026 are assessed under the old rules.
Students, FamilySource: Department of Home AffairsNew Ministerial Directions set the order in which Skills in Demand and permanent and provisional skilled visas are processed. Construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, resources, law enforcement and defence occupations come first, then onshore applicants. For Skills in Demand, the Specialist Skills stream sits second.
Skilled, Employer sponsoredSource: Department of Home AffairsThe Government has announced a redesigned points test. No new points table, pass mark or start date has been published. The current points table and 65-point pass mark still apply. Reported figures are not law.
SkilledSource: Department of Home AffairsA new Ministerial Direction for family visas gives highest priority to applications made in Australia for visas that can be granted in Australia. Paper parent visa applications must now be lodged online through ImmiAccount.
FamilySource: Department of Home AffairsMost visa application charges rose by about a quarter: Student A$2,500; Skills in Demand A$4,015; Employer Nomination Scheme and Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional A$6,140; Temporary Graduate A$5,750 (primary applicant). Core Skills Income Threshold A$79,423 and Specialist Skills Income Threshold A$146,576, for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026.
Students, Skilled, Employer sponsoredSource: Department of Home Affairs Visa Pricing EstimatorWith the penalty unit now A$364, the infringement notice for giving immigration assistance while not registered is 12 penalty units, A$4,368, for offences from 1 July 2026. Prosecution remains possible, and charging a fee while unregistered can lead to up to 10 years' imprisonment.
Migration agentsSource: OMARAThe permanent program stays at 185,000 places. Regional places fall from 33,000 to 14,110; State and Territory Nominated rises to 35,500, Skilled Independent to 21,090 and Employer Sponsored to 58,040. Partner 41,500, Child 3,500, Parent 7,060 and Other Family 400.
General, Skilled, FamilySource: Department of Home AffairsThe Migration Agents Regulations 2026 replaced the 1998 Regulations. An agent's website address is now shown on the OMARA register, and every agent's yearly training must include points in both Ethics and the Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct itself was only updated to refer to the new Regulations.
Migration agentsSource: OMARAEducation agents can no longer be paid commissions for moving students already in Australia from one provider to another.
StudentsSource: TEQSAThe Minister can, with the written agreement of the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, stop specified groups of offshore temporary visa holders from arriving for up to 6 months. A granted temporary visa is therefore not a promise of entry.
GeneralSource: Migration Act 1958A new Ministerial Direction sets the processing priority for Student visa applications lodged outside Australia, based on each education provider's share of its allocation.
StudentsSource: Department of Home AffairsC1 Advanced, CELPIP General, IELTS Academic and General Training, LanguageCert Academic, MET, OET, PTE Academic and TOEFL iBT, taken at a secure test centre. At-home tests are not accepted. Tests taken on or before 6 August 2025 can remain usable up to 6 August 2028, depending on the visa.
Students, Skilled, GeneralSource: Department of Home AffairsThe Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) replaced the earlier temporary skilled visa under the same subclass, with Specialist Skills, Core Skills and Labour Agreement streams. The Core Skills stream uses the Core Skills Occupation List.
Employer sponsoredSource: Department of Home AffairsThe Business Innovation and Investment Program closed permanently to new applications. The National Innovation visa is invitation only and very selective.
GeneralSource: Department of Home AffairsThe streams are now Post-Higher Education Work and Post-Vocational Education Work, and the maximum age is 35 for most applicants. Visitor and Temporary Graduate visa holders can no longer apply for a Student visa in Australia.
StudentsSource: Department of Home AffairsIt became a criminal and civil offence to coerce or pressure a temporary visa holder into breaching their work conditions. Employers can be prohibited from employing more temporary visa holders.
Employer sponsoredSource: Department of Home AffairsImmi Worldwide does not give immigration assistance and does not charge for it. We give general information and settlement support, and refer visa matters to Sukh Sandhu, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 1384130, of The Immigration Worldwide Pty Ltd. The registration is personal, with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA).
No one has a special relationship with the Department of Home Affairs, and no one can promise a visa outcome. Client stories appear only with written consent.