Change log · 2026 · Checked 3 October 2026
Australian migration changes in 2026 — the dated timeline
Migration rules moved repeatedly in 2026 — salary thresholds, application charges, the 407 process, review fees and state programs. This page logs every significant change with its effective date and links each one to the detailed figures, and it is updated as changes land (last checked 3 October 2026).
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 3 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - CSIT from 1 Jul 2026
- A$79,423
- 482 charge
- A$4,015
- Partner visa charge
- A$11,710
- 407 sequential since
- 11 Mar 2026
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About the CPD →Still to come from the 17 September package: visitor No Further Stay, 485 family exclusion, Working Holiday ballot
Three measures announced on 17 September 2026 have no commencement date yet and need regulations or policy instruments before they apply. (1) Condition 8503 (No Further Stay) is to be imposed on all new Visitor visa grants, which will stop visitor-visa holders applying onshore for most other visas; the Department has said ETA settings will be updated by the end of 2026. (2) New Temporary Graduate (485) applications are to exclude family members, on the model already applied to student visas from 2 October. (3) Second- and third-year Working Holiday (417/462) grants are to move to a ballot capped at 45,000 and 5,000 places a year, with the regional-work requirement retained; UK passport holders, who have no regional-work requirement under the Australia–UK FTA, are reported to sit outside it. Until each instrument is made, the current rules apply — which is the reason to lodge an eligible 485 with family, or a second-year WHV, now rather than later. This entry is updated when a date is set.
Ministerial Directions 121 and 122 replace Direction 119: new skilled-visa processing priorities
Direction 119 was revoked and replaced by two directions, applying to new and undecided applications. Direction 121 (482 Skills in Demand and other temporary skilled visas) ranks: (1) priority sectors — healthcare, construction, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, resources, law enforcement and defence, onshore or offshore; (2) Specialist Skills stream applications; (3) onshore applicants; (4) offshore applicants without family; (5) everything else. Direction 122 (186, 189, 190, 191, 491, 494, 887 and related permanent and provisional visas) ranks priority-sector occupations first, then onshore primary applicants, then offshore applicants without family, then the rest. Nothing about eligibility changed; the effect is on queue position, which for an offshore family in a non-priority occupation can mean months.
Migration reform package announced at the National Press Club
The Minister for Home Affairs announced the next stage of migration settings, tied to Budget forecasts of net overseas migration of 245,000 in 2026–27 and 225,000 in 2027–28: tougher compliance to ensure people without a valid visa leave; the skilled processing priorities that became Directions 121 and 122 two days later; the student visa integrity package that commenced on 2 October; a No Further Stay condition on all visitor visas; a ballot for second- and third-year Working Holiday visas with a regional-work requirement, and a three-month processing target for WHM applications; an update to Direction 110 (character) to better protect child victims of crime and victims of family violence; and action against migration agents who lodge applications without merit. Measures with a commencement date have their own entries on this page.
Student visa reform: onshore applications closed for most, no family additions after grant
The Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 commenced for applications lodged on or after 2 October 2026. Most temporary visa holders in Australia — including Visitor and Working Holiday visa holders and most current students — can no longer lodge a Student (500) or Student Guardian (590) application onshore; affected applicants must be outside Australia at lodgement and grant. Narrow further-study exemptions remain (same-provider course completion, progression to a higher AQF level, PhD, school studies, DFAT/Defence, provider default). Family members can only be included at application in limited cases (PhD, DFAT/Defence, foreign-government scholarships, eligible Pacific/ASEAN students) — and subsequent-entrant additions after grant have ended, with no exemptions. Applications lodged before 2 October 2026 are assessed under the old rules.
Processing times refreshed (September figures)
The Department's global processing times were re-stamped: 482 nominations 50% within 57 days / 90% within 9 months; 186 Direct Entry 13 / 21 months. Tracked monthly on our processing-times pages.
NSW exhausts 2025-26 state nomination allocation
New South Wales closed 190 and 491 invitations after allocating all 3,600 places (2,100 × 190, 1,500 × 491); 2026-27 invitations resume once the new allocation is confirmed. Other states opened progressively from July–August.
Income thresholds indexed: CSIT A$79,423, SSIT A$146,576
For nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 the Core Skills Income Threshold rose from A$76,515 to A$79,423 and the Specialist Skills Income Threshold from A$141,210 to A$146,576. Note: some advisory summaries circulated different figures — the Department's salary page states A$79,423 / A$146,576, re-verified by us on 17 September 2026.
Visa application charges increased
Headline rises for the primary applicant: 482 to A$4,015 (from A$3,210); Partner (820/801 and 309/100) to A$11,710 (from A$9,365); Student (500) to A$2,500. Charges for additional applicants rose in step.
ART migration review fee increased to A$3,727
The Administrative Review Tribunal's standard fee for most migration decision reviews was indexed; a 50% reduction remains available on financial-hardship grounds. Review deadlines are unchanged and remain decision-specific — read the refusal letter.
Public register of approved work sponsors legislated
Parliament passed amendments requiring a public register of standard business and accredited sponsors who nominate skilled workers. The Department indicated publication on its website from around early September 2026; as at 17 September 2026 the register had not yet appeared. Until it does, sponsor status is verified per employer.
New CPD framework for migration agents (LIN 26/001)
For registered migration agents: the 10-point annual CPD requirement continues, with a mandatory Ethical Standards activity and a mandatory Code of Conduct activity, a 6-point cap on online CPD in any 24-hour period, and 12-month completion windows for private-study activities.
407 Training visa becomes strictly sequential
From 11 March 2026 a 407 visa application is generally valid only after the sponsorship AND the training nomination are approved — the three stages can no longer be lodged together. Approvals can take months, so onshore applicants must plan against their current visa's expiry.
General information only, not migration advice. Effective dates and figures are the relevant authority's; always confirm against the current instrument before acting. Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536 · WIDEN — Migration Experts.
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Questions we get asked first
What changed for Australian skilled visas in 2026?
The headline changes: student visa reform from 2 October 2026 (onshore 500/590 applications closed for most temporary visa holders; no family additions after grant); income thresholds indexed on 1 July 2026 (CSIT A$79,423, SSIT A$146,576); visa application charges rose sharply on the same date (482 to A$4,015, partner visas to A$11,710); the 407 Training visa became strictly sequential from 11 March 2026; the ART review fee rose to A$3,727; a public register of approved sponsors was legislated in April; and state nomination programs reset for 2026-27 with NSW's allocation exhausted early. Each entry on this page links to the detailed, dated figures.
How current is this page?
Entries are added as changes take effect and the page was last checked on 3 October 2026. Every figure links to the underlying dated data page, which carries its own source stamp from the Department of Home Affairs or the relevant authority.
Will the 482 salary threshold change again?
Yes — the CSIT and SSIT are indexed at least every 1 July, and the government can change settings in the Budget. The figure that applies to a nomination is the one in force on the day the nomination is lodged, which is why timing around 30 June matters.
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