Recent changes to Australian visas, refusals and citizenship, explained in plain English.
Employer sponsored visas
Training visa (407): apply from outside Australia from 12 November 2026
From 12 November 2026, Training visa applicants will generally need to be outside Australia both when they apply and when the visa is decided.
A new legislative instrument (F2026L01449) changes where Training visa (subclass 407) applications can be made.
From 12 November 2026, applicants will generally need to be outside Australia when they lodge the application and when it is decided. The Minister can name groups of people who may still apply in Australia, but no such list had been published when the change was announced.
This follows the earlier change from 11 March 2026: a 407 application can only be lodged once the sponsor’s Temporary Activities Sponsorship and the 407 nomination have both been approved.
If you are in Australia and were planning to apply for a Training visa, or your current visa is ending soon, talk to us before 12 November about your options.
Protection visa applicants can no longer get a bridging visa B
From 1 November 2026, people with an undecided protection visa application, or seeking review of a refusal, cannot get a bridging visa B to travel and return.
New regulations, the Migration Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026, started on 1 November 2026.
A bridging visa B can now only be obtained in connection with a substantive visa application other than a protection visa. People whose protection visa application has not been decided or withdrawn, and people seeking Tribunal or judicial review of a protection decision, cannot make a valid bridging visa B application. The rule also applies when the Department decides a bridging visa B application, so applications lodged before 1 November 2026 may be affected.
In practice, a protection visa applicant who leaves Australia will not be able to return on a bridging visa, and their onshore protection claim may effectively end. This also applies to family members included in the application.
The same regulations allow conditions 8564 (no criminal conduct) and 8566 (code of behaviour) to be included on some bridging visa E grants, including some to protection visa applicants.
If you have a protection visa application, or a review, do not travel without getting advice first.
For protection decisions made on or after 1 November 2026, a Tribunal review fee of $1,863.50 must be paid when you apply, instead of only if the review fails.
Until now, people seeking Administrative Review Tribunal review of a protection visa decision generally paid a fee only if the review was unsuccessful.
For protection decisions made on or after 1 November 2026, a fee of half the standard migration review fee must be paid when the review application is lodged. The fee is $1,863.50 at the start and will be indexed each year. Without the fee, or a waiver, the review cannot go ahead.
The fee is not payable by people in immigration detention, or where the application is combined with another application for which the fee has been paid. It is refunded in full if the review succeeds, for example if the Tribunal sets aside or remits the decision.
Decisions made before 1 November 2026 stay under the previous arrangements. Time limits for review are strict, so contact us as soon as you receive a decision.
Biometrics now required for more visa applicants in India
From 26 October 2026, more visa applicants in India are asked to give fingerprints and a facial photograph as part of their application.
From 26 October 2026, the Department of Home Affairs expanded biometric collection to more visa applicants in India.
If you are asked, you will need to provide your fingerprints and a facial photograph at an Australian Biometrics Collection Centre or, where you are eligible, through the Australian Immi app.
Applications lodged before 26 October 2026 are not affected. Your application cannot be finalised until biometrics are provided, so book an appointment as soon as you receive the request.
This matters for families in Australia sponsoring or inviting relatives from India, including partners, parents and visitors.
States and territories have opened their 2026–27 nomination programs for the Skilled Nominated (190) and Skilled Work Regional (491) visas, with very different settings.
NSW is inviting Skilled Nominated (190) candidates under its updated NSW Skills List. NSW Skilled Work Regional (491) nomination is closed under all pathways for now.
Victoria has 900 subclass 190 places. New Registrations of Interest opened on 26 October 2026, earlier registrations have expired, and monthly invitation rounds are planned.
Western Australia has 4,700 places, including additional 190 places for AUKUS and defence occupations. South Australia is inviting onshore candidates whose visas expire by 31 January 2027. The Northern Territory has closed its 190 and offshore streams, and the ACT continues to invite through the Canberra Matrix.
State settings change often and places can fill quickly. Check your points with our calculator and talk to us about which state, if any, suits your occupation.
Public register of work sponsors: law now in force
The law allowing the Department to publish a public register of approved work sponsors took effect on 8 October 2026. The register itself has not been published yet.
The Migration Amendment (Combatting Migrant Exploitation) Act 2026 allows the Department of Home Affairs to publish a public register of businesses that sponsor overseas workers. The relevant part took effect on 8 October 2026.
The register is expected to show each sponsor’s name, ABN, business postcode, the number of workers nominated and their occupations. It is not expected to show workers’ names or visa details.
The register had not been published when this update was written. Sponsors should make sure their business details with the Department are accurate and that they are meeting their sponsorship obligations.
From 2 October 2026, most new student visa applicants can no longer include family members, and onshore students face new limits on further student visas.
New rules for Student (subclass 500) and Student Guardian (subclass 590) visas started on 2 October 2026.
Most new student visa applicants can no longer include a partner or dependent children in their application. Exemptions apply, including for PhD students, students sponsored by the Australian Government or a foreign government, and eligible students from Pacific and ASEAN countries. Current visa holders are not affected, but cannot add family members after grant.
Students in Australia who want another student visa now generally need to move to a higher-level qualification. A new student visa transfer stream has been announced for 1 July 2027.
If you are planning to study in Australia with your family, or to change courses, get advice before you apply or enrol.
No more card surcharge on visa application payments
From 1 October 2026, the Department of Home Affairs no longer adds a surcharge when you pay a visa application charge by card.
Following the Reserve Bank’s ban on card surcharges from 1 October 2026, the Department of Home Affairs has removed the surcharge it previously charged on card payments.
The visa application charges themselves have not changed. The fees that rose on 1 July 2026 still apply.
New ministerial directions set which skilled visa applications are processed first, favouring healthcare, construction, education and other priority sectors.
From 19 September 2026, two new ministerial directions set the order in which skilled visa applications are processed. Direction 121 covers temporary skilled visas such as the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa. Direction 122 covers provisional and permanent skilled visas such as the 189, 190 and 491.
Priority sectors include healthcare, construction, education, law enforcement and defence, resources, and agriculture, aquaculture and fishing.
Priority affects how quickly an application is looked at, not whether it is approved. Every applicant still has to meet all the visa criteria.
Ballots for working holiday visas, a no further stay condition for new visitor visas, and changes to the points test have been announced but are not yet in force.
On 17 September 2026 the Minister for Home Affairs announced a further package of migration changes. Apart from the student visa rules that started on 2 October 2026, most of these changes do not have a confirmed start date.
Announced changes include ballots for second-year (45,000 places) and third-year (5,000 places) Working Holiday visas, a No Further Stay condition on all new Visitor (subclass 600) visa grants, family restrictions for Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visas, and changes to the points test for skilled visas.
These changes will take effect only when the law or policy is formally changed. We will update this page when start dates are confirmed. In the meantime, the current rules apply.
Family visas: new processing priorities put onshore applications first
Ministerial Direction 117 replaced Direction 102 on 25 July 2026. Family visa applications where the applicant is in Australia and the visa can be granted in Australia are now processed first.
Ministerial Direction 117 sets the order in which family visas are processed. It replaced Direction 102 on 25 July 2026.
Applications where the main applicant is in Australia and the visa can be granted in Australia come first, followed by offshore applications. Within each, the order is: matters subject to ministerial intervention; partners and dependent children; orphan relatives; contributory parents and contributory aged parents; carers; then parents, aged parents, remaining relatives and aged dependent relatives.
Parent, carer, remaining relative and aged dependent relative visas are also capped and queued. Applications may be prioritised case by case where there are special compassionate circumstances or compelling reasons.
If your partner visa is offshore, expect it to take longer than onshore applications. We can advise on the best way to apply for your situation.
From 1 July 2026 the Core Skills Income Threshold rose to $79,499 and the Specialist Skills Income Threshold to $146,717.
Income thresholds for employer sponsored visas were indexed on 1 July 2026.
The Core Skills Income Threshold, which applies to the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) and Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visas, increased to $79,499. The Specialist Skills Income Threshold increased to $146,717. The threshold for regional employer visas also rose to $79,499.
Nominations lodged on or before 30 June 2026 kept the previous thresholds. Employers should check that salaries in new nominations meet both the market salary rate and the current threshold.
The permanent Migration Program stays at 185,000 places for 2026–27, and the Government announced a future overhaul of the skilled points test.
The 2026–27 federal Budget kept the permanent Migration Program at 185,000 places.
The Government also announced an overhaul of the points test for independent skilled visas, expected to favour younger applicants with strong qualifications and skills in long-term demand. Details and a start date have not been confirmed, and the broader change is not expected before mid-2027.
Until any new points test starts, the current points table applies. If you are close to an age bracket change, timing your Expression of Interest may matter.
Citizenship: special residence requirement expanded
From 21 March 2026 more people whose work takes them overseas can meet the special residence requirement for Australian citizenship.
Some people whose work requires regular travel can meet a special residence requirement instead of the general residence requirement for citizenship.
From 21 March 2026 this was expanded to cover PhD-qualified academics doing research and development of benefit to Australia, and ministers of religion in senior leadership positions in a religious organisation.
Applicants must still meet all the other citizenship requirements. If you travel often for work, we can check which residence requirement applies to you.
