What changed for employers in 2026, and what is coming

Employer changes tracker, 2026

Updated 10 November 2026. Each change with its effective date and status, from our dated migration change log, verified against the Home Affairs or legislation source on the date shown.

Salary thresholds, 1 July 2026

For nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, the Core Skills Income Threshold is A$79,423 (from A$76,515), which also applies to the 186 and, as the TSMIT, to the 494; the Specialist Skills Income Threshold is A$146,576 (from A$141,210). Both apply together with the annual market salary rate, and both exclude superannuation and non-monetary benefits. The new figures apply to new nominations, not existing ones, but your obligation to keep paying the nominated salary on equivalent terms continues. See CSIT indexation for employers.

Charges

The employer charges on the Home Affairs cost page are unchanged in structure: A$420 for standard business sponsorship, A$330 for a 482 nomination, A$540 for a 186 (nil for a regional Transition or Labour Agreement position; no fee for a 494 nomination), and the Skilling Australians Fund levy of A$1,200 or A$1,800 a year for a 482, or a one-off A$3,000 or A$5,000 for a 186 or 494. Visa charges rose from 1 July: the 482 to A$4,015 for the worker (from A$3,210) and the 186 to A$6,140. The Tribunal's review fee for most migration decisions is now A$3,727. See the cost to sponsor a worker.

Processing priorities

From 19 September 2026, Ministerial Direction 121 orders temporary skilled applications, including the 482: first priority sectors (healthcare, construction, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, resources, law enforcement and defence), then Specialist Skills, then onshore applicants, then offshore applicants without family, then everything else. Direction 122 does the same for the 186, 494 and other permanent and provisional skilled visas, with priority-sector occupations first. For an employer outside those sectors, an offshore worker with a family now waits longest. Current Home Affairs figures (updated 2 November 2026): 482 nomination 50% in 36 days, 90% in 9 months; 482 Core Skills visa 50% in 6 months, 90% in 9 months; Specialist Skills 50% in 59 days, 90% in 3 months; 186 Transition 50% in 22 months, 90% in 24 months; 494 50% in 10 months, 90% in 20 months.

The 407 Training visa

From 11 March 2026 the 407 became strictly sequential: sponsorship, then nomination, then the visa application. From 12 November 2026 the trainee must also be outside Australia when applying and when the visa is granted, and an application made in Australia is invalid. See the 407 for sponsors.

Compliance and the sponsor register

Parliament has legislated for a public register of approved work sponsors, so a sponsor's name and details can be published by Home Affairs; check Home Affairs for whether and where it is live. The employer compliance offences from the 2024 Act continue to apply, with penalties of up to 2 years' imprisonment and/or 360 penalty units for coercing a visa holder over work, and the prohibited employer list. See the employer exploitation laws and run the compliance self-check.

Workers you hire from inside Australia

The student visa reform of 2 October 2026 closed most onshore student visa applications, so fewer people in Australia can extend their stay as students, and the pool of students available for part-time work will change over time. If you plan to sponsor a student or graduate already working for you, check their visa timing early; see sponsoring an existing employee.

Still to come

Announced on 17 September 2026 but without a start date when we last checked: a No Further Stay condition on all new visitor visas, which would stop most visitors applying onshore for other visas, including a 482; excluding family members from new 485 applications; and a ballot for second and third-year working holiday visas, which may affect seasonal staffing. Each needs regulations or policy before it applies, and we add them to the change log when they do. For seasonal staffing options see seasonal and peak staff.

Check what the changes mean for your workers

In an employer consultation Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536, registered since 2015) goes through your current and planned sponsored workers against the 2026 settings: salaries, timing, priorities and the routes still open. A$330 inc. GST for 30 minutes or A$550 for 60 minutes, credited in full if you engage the practice.

Book an employer consultation →

In other currencies: A$330 is about US$225, €205 or £170; A$550 is about US$380, €340 or £285 (approximate, November 2026).

General information, not migration advice. No visa outcome can be promised.