September 21, 2026
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Australia is changing its migration settings again.
These Australian Migration Changes are significant and will impact many individuals looking to migrate.
Am I surprised? Not at all.
I have been a Registered Migration Agent since 2016. In that time, I have watched the subclass 457 visa disappear and become the subclass 482. I have seen the subclass 187 replaced by the subclass 494. Perth became regional, then non-regional, then regional again.
The list goes on.
In fact, if there is one thing I have learned in ten years of migration practice, it is this: stay in the industry long enough and today’s common sense becomes tomorrow’s legislative amendment.
Migration law never stands still.
Before we begin, a disclaimer.
I am not an economist. I am not a statistician. I am certainly not a politician.
Every announcement creates anxiety, rumours and panic. That reaction is understandable, but it is rarely useful. The better approach is to understand what has actually been proposed. Separate proposals from laws that are already in force, and plan around the rules that apply to your circumstances.
Eleonora Romanini MARN 1679969
A major part of the current discussion revolves around Net Overseas Migration (NOM). In simple terms, NOM measures the difference between the number of people arriving in Australia and the number of people leaving.
The Government’s position is that NOM has become too high (= too many people end up staying) and that migration settings need adjustment. Whether you agree with that position or not is almost secondary. Governments have always adjusted migration settings when they believed Australia’s economic, social or political interests required it. That is not new.
Historically, Australia has never been the easiest destination to reach. Unlike Europe and the United States, we are literally on the other side of the world for most migrants. Because of this, Australia traditionally needed to compete for migrants.
For decades, migration settings were designed to attract people, retain them and support population growth and economic development. The result was a migration framework that became largely demand-driven. There is no cap on the number of people who can apply for most visas. There is only a cap on how many visas may ultimately be granted.
The upside of that system is obvious; the downside is equally obvious. When demand exceeds processing capacity, queues develop, processing times increase and political pressure follows soon afterwards.
Housing has become one of the main topics in this discussion. Personally, I think housing shortages are far more complicated than simply blaming migrants. Even the Minister himself has acknowledged that migration is not the sole cause of Australia’s housing problems. Nevertheless, immigration has become part of the political discussion and, whether we like it or not, migration is often one of the easiest policy levers for governments around the world to pull.
The most important point: a proposal is not a law
Before analysing any of these measures, let me say something I repeat daily to clients:
An announcement is not legislation.
A speech is not legislation.
A media release is not legislation.
A proposal is not legislation.
A migration change only becomes real once the relevant laws, regulations or legislative instruments are made and commence.
So before cancelling your plans, rushing into an application or listening to self-appointed migration experts on social media, make sure the measure has actually become law.
Migration history is full of announcements that looked revolutionary and ended up being modified, delayed or abandoned altogether.
1. Working Holiday Visas
One of the most discussed proposals is the introduction of a ballot system for second and third Working Holiday visas. Currently, many Working Holiday visa holders can obtain additional visas after completing specified work and meeting the relevant requirements.
That process may become far less predictable. If implemented, a ballot would mean that completing the required work may no longer provide the same level of confidence that another visa will follow.
And that raises a practical question.
If a second or third visa is no longer something people can reasonably expect, how many people will still be willing to spend months picking fruit, working in remote locations or undertaking difficult regional work?
For years, the unspoken understanding was fairly straightforward: complete the specified work and another visa may follow.
A ballot changes that equation. Regional employers may feel the impact first.
Applicants will likely need to treat their first year in Australia as their main opportunity rather than assuming they can stay for two or three years.
The situation is particularly interesting when viewed alongside the concessions granted to United Kingdom citizens under the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement. UK passport holders can now access Working Holiday visas without completing specified work. Looking at the extraordinary increase in UK arrivals since those arrangements were introduced, one cannot help but wonder whether the market reacted exactly as many migration professionals predicted it would. Or as the Government actually wanted it to react.
2. Visitor Visas and the proposed No Further Stay condition
This proposal has probably generated more discussion among migration professionals than any other. The idea is that Visitor visas would generally carry a mandatory No Further Stay condition.
For many people, this sounds technical. In reality, it could significantly affect the way genuine couples navigate the partner visa process. Currently, it is relatively common for the overseas partner of an Australian citizen or permanent resident to enter Australia on a Visitor visa and subsequently lodge an onshore Partner visa application.
If No Further Stay conditions become mandatory, that option may largely disappear. The Government’s position is that this would create a more consistent and controlled system.
However, as someone who spends a considerable amount of time helping genuine couples navigate the migration system, I struggle to ignore one obvious question: If the objective is to encourage offshore partner visa applications, why are onshore partner visas often processed more quickly than their offshore equivalents?
Policy settings work best when incentives and outcomes point in the same direction. Applicants do not always see that happening.
There may also be unintended consequences. Migration history suggests people are remarkably creative when a door closes:
Whether that reduces pressure on the system or merely shifts demand elsewhere (student visas?) remains to be seen.
3. A new skilled migration points test
The Government has also proposed reforms to the skilled migration points test. One of the headline ideas is to place trade qualifications, particularly in construction, on a more equal footing with university qualifications.
At a broad level, that makes sense. Australia genuinely needs skilled tradespeople. Builders, electricians, carpenters, plumbers and other trade professionals play a critical role in the economy. However, migration incentives have a habit of influencing career decisions.
If additional migration points become attached to certain qualifications, I suspect Australia may witness a sudden increase in people discovering a lifelong passion for bricklaying, carpentry and tiling.
Human beings are remarkably adaptable when migration points are involved. Whether the Department shares that enthusiasm when assessing the genuineness of an applicant’s intentions is, of course, a separate question entirely.
There is another issue worth considering. Tradespeople are already being invited with relatively low points in many circumstances.
If everyone receives the same points boost, are we actually changing outcomes, or simply moving everybody slightly higher on the same scale?
The answer will depend on the final structure of the points test and how invitations are ultimately allocated.
4. Students and Temporary Graduate visa holders
In my view, international students and graduates are once again among the groups most affected by recent migration changes.
They have already experienced:
Now further proposals suggest additional restrictions involving family members. This proposal puts me in two minds. On one hand, restricting family members may discourage some of the non-genuine applications that policymakers have become concerned about.On the other hand, I have met many genuine international students whose partners genuinely contributed to Australia through employment, taxation and community participation.
For many families, studying in Australia was not simply about obtaining a qualification. It was a shared investment in a future.As is often the case in migration policy, the challenge is separating people who are exploiting the system from people who are simply trying to build a life.
Finding that balance is easier said than done.
5. Stronger action against overstayers
This is probably the least controversial proposal. The Government has indicated that stronger measures will be taken against people who remain in Australia unlawfully.
Frankly, it is difficult to argue against maintaining the integrity of the visa system. Regardless of one’s views on migration policy, compliance remains important. Anyone approaching visa expiry should seek advice early rather than waiting until options become limited.
Migration problems are generally easier to solve before a visa expires than afterwards.
While many of the changes discussed above are still proposals, one important change has already taken effect.
From 19 September 2026, new Ministerial Directions 121 and 122 changed the processing priorities for a number of skilled visa applications.
Under the new directions, the highest processing priority is given to eligible occupations in:
Construction
Healthcare
Teaching
Agriculture
Aquaculture & fishing
Resources
Law enforcement & defence
Importantly, this priority applies regardless of whether the primary applicant was onshore or offshore when the application was lodged.
For Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visas, the Specialist Skills stream also has its own second priority tier
The priority order is:
1. Priority occupations – including construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources
2. Specialist Skills stream applications
3. Other onshore applications
4. Other offshore applications that are not combined
5. All remaining applications
Importantly, this Direction applies to visa applications, not nomination applications.
It also applies to applications that were already lodged but had not been finally determined by 19 September, meaning applications already on hand are reordered according to the new priorities.
The new priorities also apply to several provisional and permanent skilled visas, including Subclass 186, 190, 491 and 494 visas.
Already lodged an application?
The new directions also apply to applications lodged before 19 September that had not yet been finally determined, meaning applications already on hand are reordered under the new priorities.
Processing priority does not guarantee approval or a particular processing time. Each application must still meet the relevant visa requirements.
If these proposals eventually become law, my advice would be straightforward:
Prepare before you arrive
Do not waste your Working Holiday visa
Study for the right reasons
Keep multiple options open
Keep evidence
My view after 10 years as a Registered Migration Agent
Australia has changed its migration rules many times before. There is usually an initial wave of outrage. Then, thousands of social media experts confidently explain why migration as we know it is about to end. Eventually, people adapt.
Do not panic.
Do not rely on rumours.
Do not assume yesterday’s migration strategy will work tomorrow.
If these proposals proceed, future migrants will likely need stronger English, better documented experience, clearer career plans and more realistic backup options than ever before.
Plan early. Remain flexible. And remember that migration has never been about predicting the future perfectly. It has always been about being prepared when the future arrives.
Australian Migration Changes
Do you have more questions? Download our F.A.Q. Document!
This information is general in nature and is based on proposals and policy announcements available at the time of publication. Proposed measures may change, may not proceed, or may be implemented differently. Migration and sponsorship eligibility depends on the individual position and applicant circumstances.
