Rules as of 26 October 2026

What changed in Australian migration for 2026-27

2026-27 changes and announcements from official sources, by date: program size, fees, student rules, skilled processing, thresholds and working holiday.

Verified Written 26 October 2026

Migration program: how many places for 2026-27?

The permanent Migration Program for 2026-27 is set at 185,000 places, announced on 2026-05-12, with roughly a 70:30 split between skilled and family migration. Both the total and the split are unchanged from 2025-26.

Within the 185,000 places the Skilled Migration Program gets 132,240 (about 71 per cent), the Australian Family Program 52,460 (about 28 per cent) and Special Eligibility 300. Budget Paper No. 2 says the 55,110 places left for offshore applicants will mainly go to high-skilled migrants meeting long-term skill needs.

Skilled Independent rises from 16,900 to 21,090 places and permanent Employer Sponsored from 44,000 to 58,040. In the state and territory program, the Regional category (which includes the 491) is cut from 33,000 to 14,110, while State/Territory Nominated (which includes the 190) rises from 33,000 to 35,500.

Fees and charges: what changed

A 25 per cent rise in the first instalment of the visa application charge took effect on 2026-07-01 for most visas in Schedule 1. For Working Holiday (417) and Work and Holiday (462) visas, a flat $330 was added to second and third applications instead. Resident Return (155, 157) and Bridging B (020) charges rose 200 per cent.

From 2026-03-01 the Temporary Graduate (485) first instalment for applicants who are not subsequent 485 applicants and hold no eligible Pacific or Timor-Leste passport rose to $4,600 for the main applicant, $2,300 for an additional adult and $1,160 for an additional child. From 2026-07-01 the standard main applicant charge is $5,750.

The Passenger Movement Charge for people leaving Australia by air or sea will rise by $10, from $70 to $80, from 2027-01-01.

Student visa rules from 2026-10-02

From 2026-10-02 new rules for the Student (500) and Student Guardian (590) visas change who can apply and be granted a visa while in Australia, and whether family members can be included. Most temporary visa holders must now be outside Australia both when they lodge a Student or Student Guardian application and when the visa is granted.

A current Student visa holder who wants another must lodge from outside Australia unless a limited exemption applies, for example needing up to 12 more months to finish the same main course with the same provider.

Student visa applicants can no longer include a partner or dependent children unless an exemption applies, and family cannot be added after the visa is granted. Family can still be included for PhD students, DFAT or Defence sponsored students, foreign government scholarship recipients, and eligible students from Pacific countries and ASEAN member countries.

Skilled visa processing, income thresholds and sponsors

Ministerial Direction 121 (temporary skilled visas) and Direction 122 (provisional and permanent skilled visas) took effect on 2026-09-19 and replaced all processing priorities under Direction 119. Under Direction 121, temporary skilled applications go first to priority sectors including construction, healthcare and teaching, then to the Specialist Skills stream, then to applicants who were in Australia when they lodged.

Income thresholds are indexed every year, and a nomination lodged on or after the 2026-07-01 change date must meet the new year's threshold. For nominations lodged from 2026-07-01 the Core Skills Income Threshold (Skills in Demand Core Skills and ENS 186) is A$79,423, up from A$76,515, and the Specialist Skills threshold is A$146,576, up from A$141,210.

The Migration Amendment (Combatting Migrant Exploitation) Act 2026 commenced on 2026-10-08. It allows the Secretary to publish regulation-prescribed information about approved work sponsors, which the regulations may extend to the sponsor's name, ABN and number of nominations.

Working holiday changes

From 2026-07-01 passport holders from Cyprus, Finland, Germany and the Republic of Korea can apply for a Working Holiday (417) visa up to age 35 inclusive. The annual cap on first Work and Holiday (462) visas for Uruguay rises to 1,500.

In a speech on 2026-09-17 the Home Affairs Minister announced a ballot for second and third Working Holiday visas that keeps a regional work requirement. The minister said the second-year ballot will be limited to 45,000 places, compared with 57,000 people who qualified the previous year, and the third-year ballot to 5,000 places against 31,000 people.

Home Affairs is normalising Working Holiday Maker processing times, with the average expected to be around 3 months, because the number of working holiday makers is at a record level.

What else has the Government announced?

On 2026-09-17 the Government announced it will add a No Further Stay condition to all visitor visas so they are used only by genuine visitors and not to extend a stay in Australia.

The Home Affairs Minister said family members will no longer be able to be attached to international students' visas or graduate visas, with exceptions such as PhD students and students from the Pacific and ASEAN, and that people already onshore with family attached will keep them.

Budget Paper No. 2 says the permanent points test will be reformed to select migrants who are better educated, higher skilled and younger overall. The minister said the redone points test will let particular skills be given an uplift, such as housing trades being treated like a university qualification. This guide lists these as announced, not as rules in force.

For advice on your own case, ask a registered migration agent (MARA) or an Australian legal practitioner. Rules change, so always check the official source.