Australia Migration Changes 2026: What You Need to Know

In 2026, Australia’s migration system has been noticeably revamped more than in most other years. There are many new laws including a new way to control emergency travel, a more restrictive cap on permanent migration, a new points test, and a major increase in fees starting July 1. There are lots of new obstacles for people trying to come to Australia to study, work, or live. This is what has changed and how it will affect you.

1. The Permanent Migration Program Stays Capped — But More Selective

The permanent Migration Program for 2025–26 remains capped at 185,000 places, continuing the government’s push toward “quality over quantity.” Most offshore places are being directed toward high-skilled migrants who address long-term skill shortages, with an extra 4,000 places a year now carved out for skilled trades, particularly construction and electrical workers. The government has also said it will “optimise” the points test that decides most permanent skilled migration outcomes, meaning qualifications, work experience, and English proficiency now need to clear a higher bar than before.

2. NEW LAW: Allow Government to Freeze Entries of Work Visa Holders

The most salient structural change from an legislation perspective is the passage of the Migration Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Act 2026, which received Royal Assent on March 13, 2026. It empowers the Minister for Home Affairs to make an “Arrival Control Determination” — a suspension of travel for specified groups of visa holders (not individual visa holders) under circumstances arising from international emergencies. Visas are not cancelled, only paused, and automatically reactivate once the determination is lifted.

Safeguards include: the Minister must exercise the power personally, written agreement from the PM and Foreign Affairs Minister is required first, Parliament must be notified within two sitting days, and any determination lasts a maximum of six months with no extensions.

This power has already been used — from 26 March 2026, Australia temporarily restricted offshore Visitor (Subclass 600) holders travelling on Iranian passports, citing global instability. For most visa holders nothing changes day-to-day, but a valid visa alone no longer guarantees entry; arrival can now depend on broader government judgement tied to world events.

3. Tighter Rules on “Visa Hopping”

New reforms from 2 February 2026 were aimed at reducing the potential for consular offering of cycle-on-cycle visitor, student and temporary-work visa switching: higher English-language thresholds, longer tolerance between overstayed times, outright refusals reapplying as visitors multiple times, a new verification regime seeking to assess students’ genuine intent to study, new frequency benchmarks where compliance audits would be prefaced by employer sponsors supplying their base salary data (also semi-annually). The aim is to relieve strain on housing and infrastructure —Home Affairs estimates the changes could reduce temporary-visa numbers by around 85,000 in a year.

4. Significant Fee Increases 1 July 2026

The biggest hip-pocket change came in the form of 1 July 2026 to most visa application charges which went up by about a quarter all in one hit — over and above, and somewhat sharper than your normal adjustment tied to the CPI. Here are some notable new base charges for the main applicant:

• Student visa (500): $2,500 *increased from $2000
• 485 Temporary Graduate visa : $5,750 — already doubled from $2,300 to $4,600 in March 2026
• 482 Medium Skills > $4,015 – Skills in Demand visa
• Employer Nomination Scheme (186): $6,140
• Partner visa (820/801 or 309/100) — $11,710 (increased from $9,365)
• Work Holiday (417/462): $840 for the first application, $1,000 to repeat

The eVisitor and Electronic Travel Authority were left untouched, and citizenship fees rose only around 2–3%. Fees are locked in based on the date Home Affairs receives your application, not when you prepare it — so anything lodged before 1 July 2026 kept the old, lower fee.

5. Increased Income Requirements for Employer-Sponsored Visas

From 1 July 2026, the salary thresholds that determine if an employer can sponsor a worker will also increase. The TSMIT and CSIT will increase to $79,423; SSIT will increase to $146,576; and FWHIT will increase to $190,100. Where an offer is below a threshold, the nomination will not be eligible for sponsorship.

6. Working Holiday Maker Program Changes

Holders of passports from South Korea, Cyprus, Finland, and Germany can now apply for the Australian Working Holiday Visa (417) before they turn 35 due to an upgrade in bilateral agreements. Unlike the circumstances in the past, applicants of both 417 and Work and Holiday (462) visas will have to be 35 or younger at the time of their application. In addition, to fulfill a high demand for the Work and Holiday (462) visa, ballots will be increased for China, India, and Vietnam.

7. More Regulations for International Students

The planning level for international students has increased for 2026 to 295,000 places, up from the previous 270,000. However, this influx will be accompanied by more regulations. International students can expect stricter English testing, stronger financial checking, and more genuine intent to study and attendance monitoring. There will also be more digital compliance checks using the ImmiApp. Australia has offered more accepted English testing, but this is more flexible for some applicants as other rules are stricter.

If You’re Moving to Australia, Here’s What to Expect

With all these rules and regulations in place, Australia is more focused on skilled on prepared applicants as opposed to a high volume of applicants. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Budget for higher costs — fees, salary thresholds, and review fees have all risen meaningfully in 2026.
• Lodge early where age or timing limits apply, especially for Working Holiday visas.
• Get your application right the first time — most charges are non-refundable, and processing can take 18–24 months.
• Watch global developments if relying on a Visitor or temporary visa — arrival can now be affected by conditions outside your control.
• Verify current figures before lodging, since thresholds and fees are updated frequently.

This overview is based on the policy changes reported publicly as of July 2026. Policy changes can happen rapidly regarding migration. For this reason, ensure you check the relevant requirements on the Department of Home Affairs or consult with a registered migration agent to confirm before making your decisions.