https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/ Every significant Australian migration rule change, with its effective date, who it hits and what to do now. From a registered migration agent (MARN 1576536). en-au https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#still-to-come-17-september-package https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#still-to-come-17-september-package What changed: Three measures announced on 17 September 2026 have no commencement date 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. Who it hits: Anyone planning to enter on a visitor visa and apply for something else onshore; 485 applicants with a partner or children; working holiday makers counting on a second or third year. What to do now: Until each instrument is made, the current rules apply. Lodge an eligible 485 with family, or a second-year Working Holiday application, now rather than later. This entry is updated when a date is set. Thu, 08 Oct 2026 02:00:00 GMT https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#student-visa-reform-2-october-2026 https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#student-visa-reform-2-october-2026 What changed: 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. Who it hits: Visitor and Working Holiday visa holders hoping to switch to study onshore; current students planning a lower or sideways course; student visa holders who meant to add a partner or child later. What to do now: Applications lodged before 2 October 2026 are assessed under the old rules. If you hold a visa that cannot convert onshore, the choice is to apply from outside Australia or to look at the routes that remain open (407, 482, 485, partner). Fri, 02 Oct 2026 02:00:00 GMT https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#directions-121-122-processing-priorities https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#directions-121-122-processing-priorities What changed: 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, being 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. Who it hits: Every undecided skilled application. Offshore families in non-priority occupations sit at the back of the queue; onshore applicants and priority-sector nominations move forward. What to do now: Nothing about eligibility changed, only queue position. If you are offshore with family in a non-priority occupation, plan for months, not weeks, and consider whether the primary applicant should lodge alone and add family later. Sat, 19 Sep 2026 02:00:00 GMT https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#migration-reform-package-17-september-2026 https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#migration-reform-package-17-september-2026 What changed: 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. Who it hits: Temporary visa holders most of all: students, graduates, working holiday makers and visitors. Employer-sponsored and permanent skilled settings were left alone, apart from queue order. What to do now: Measures with a commencement date have their own entries on this page. For the reasoning behind the package, read the net overseas migration explainer. Thu, 17 Sep 2026 02:00:00 GMT https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#processing-times-september-2026 https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#processing-times-september-2026 What changed: The Department's global processing times were re-stamped: 482 nominations 50% within 57 days and 90% within 9 months; 186 Direct Entry 13 and 21 months. Who it hits: Anyone with a lodged application, and employers timing a start date against a nomination decision. What to do now: Check the figure for your subclass before promising a start date. Tracked monthly on our processing-times pages. Tue, 08 Sep 2026 02:00:00 GMT https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#nsw-state-nomination-exhausted-2025-26 https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#nsw-state-nomination-exhausted-2025-26 What changed: New South Wales closed 190 and 491 invitations after allocating all 3,600 places (2,100 for the 190, 1,500 for the 491). 2026-27 invitations resume once the new allocation is confirmed. Other states opened progressively from July and August. Who it hits: Skilled applicants relying on a NSW nomination, and anyone choosing which state to target for 2026-27. What to do now: Have the expression of interest and skills assessment ready before the state reopens; the allocation goes to those who are ready on the day. Sat, 01 Aug 2026 02:00:00 GMT https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#income-thresholds-1-july-2026 https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#income-thresholds-1-july-2026 What changed: 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. Some advisory summaries circulated different figures; the Department's salary page states A$79,423 and A$146,576, re-verified by us on 17 September 2026. Who it hits: Employers lodging a 482 or 186 nomination, and workers whose offered salary sits near the old threshold. What to do now: The figure that applies is the one in force on the day the nomination is lodged. Check the annual market salary rate as well; the threshold is a floor, not a target. Wed, 01 Jul 2026 02:00:00 GMT https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#visa-application-charges-1-july-2026 https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#visa-application-charges-1-july-2026 What changed: 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. Who it hits: Everyone lodging after 1 July 2026. A refused application forfeits the charge. What to do now: Get the pathway right before paying; the charge is not refunded on refusal. Wed, 01 Jul 2026 02:00:00 GMT https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#art-review-fee-1-july-2026 https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#art-review-fee-1-july-2026 What changed: The Administrative Review Tribunal's standard fee for most migration decision reviews was indexed. A 50% reduction remains available on financial-hardship grounds. Who it hits: Anyone refused or cancelled who wants merits review. What to do now: Review deadlines are unchanged and remain decision-specific. Read the refusal letter for the date and count from the day it was received. Wed, 01 Jul 2026 02:00:00 GMT https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#public-sponsor-register-legislated https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#public-sponsor-register-legislated What changed: 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 15 October 2026 the register had not yet appeared. Who it hits: Workers checking whether an employer can actually sponsor them, and employers who will become visible once it is published. What to do now: Until the register appears, verify sponsor status per employer. Ask for the sponsorship approval letter and its expiry. Wed, 01 Apr 2026 02:00:00 GMT https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#cpd-framework-lin-26-001 https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#cpd-framework-lin-26-001 What changed: 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. Who it hits: Registered migration agents only. What to do now: Plan the year so the two mandatory activities are done early and online points are spread across more than one day. Wed, 01 Apr 2026 02:00:00 GMT https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#407-training-visa-sequential https://www.widen.com.au/migration-changes-2026/#407-training-visa-sequential What changed: 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. Who it hits: Onshore applicants whose current visa expires before two approvals can land, and employers offering structured training. What to do now: Approvals can take months. Start the sponsorship and nomination well before the current visa's expiry, and have a bridging plan if the visa will run out first. Wed, 11 Mar 2026 02:00:00 GMT